Careers in APPLIED social psychology

[tears for susan]

I think that the single most important reason why I decided to major in psychology was because I saw the field as a life skill. It truly is one of the few things you can apply just about any day and anywhere, so long as you are interacting with people.

It didnt take me long to realize that someone who specializes in social psychology does not actually work in an applied setting, but a research one. I would be interested to know of career choices where social psychology is more applied, since that seems to be one my driving reasons to pursue the discipline. Also, in a less serious tone, I seem to enjoy playing mind games and deceiving people. When I first entered college, i saw these abilities as something similar to "jedi mind tricks". I now know that this isnt really what psychology is all about, but still enjoy manipulating and perfroming magic tricks on others.

One career I can think of that may be more applied with social psychology is car salesman (I know i know, the bad economy, blah blah blah...).

Can anyone else think of any ideas of positions in which social psychology can be more applied?

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[thepsychgeek]

The idea of mind tricks and manipulation disturbs me a little bit, and makes me shy away from suggesting one-on-one work with people.

 

[tears for susan]

The idea of mind tricks and manipulation disturbs me a little bit, and makes me shy away from suggesting one-on-one work with people.

Well now I also have a fond interest in helping people, im just trying to cover all ends of the spectrum.

 

[nmrh35]

Yeah, there are many options for applied psychology. Some options that come to mind is evaluation psych where you can research community or educational programs to see if they are effective, I/O psychology, and also marketing.

 

[2BeAProfessor]

Try doing a Master's of Applied Psychology Program at UPenn.
The idea of using psychology or social psychology for that matter in an applied setting is like any everyday job - car salesman or any other job where you are interacting with people - be it motivating people also. I doubt there are exclusive jobs...unless you're at the PhD level where you have A LOT of knowledge about social psychology.
Seems like for you, it's more of a hobby than a career.

 

[tears for susan]

Try doing a Master's of Applied Psychology Program at UPenn.
The idea of using psychology or social psychology for that matter in an applied setting is like any everyday job - car salesman or any other job where you are interacting with people - be it motivating people also. I doubt there are exclusive jobs...unless you're at the PhD level where you have A LOT of knowledge about social psychology.
Seems like for you, it's more of a hobby than a career.

hmm the applied positive psych program at upenn is interesting but doesnt seem to help you get any particular career. For the tuition of $43,000, I dont think i would want to jump into the program without some career closure.

 

[IOPsych]

I/O Psychology is an applied version of social psych..we use a lot of social psychology concepts and apply them to problems within organizations.

 

[thepsychgeek]

I/O Psychology is an applied version of social psych..we use a lot of social psychology concepts and apply them to problems within organizations.

And, as an extension, there are lots of places you can go with a degree in I/O. Part of my mother's degree is based in I/O-- a focus in human motivation (she now works within school systems). If you're interested in large groups, I/O could be a fabulous fit for you.

 

[tears for susan]

I/O Psychology is an applied version of social psych..we use a lot of social psychology concepts and apply them to problems within organizations.

what is the typical work day like for you? The thing is i am not so much interested in crunching numbers and i thought that this is what I/O psych mostly consisted of.

 

[IOPsych]

what is the typical work day like for you? The thing is i am not so much interested in crunching numbers and i thought that this is what I/O psych mostly consisted of.

I am currently a 2nd year doctoral student, so I can not say with confidence what a typical work day would be like. It also depends on what you want to do with the degree. There are many options though. There is a lot of statistics involved as methods is very important in establishing what will work within a certain organization and why it is more likely to work.

I had an internship for a consulting firm and I know of some psychologists that specialized in personnel selection, while others developed training programs and some were even executive coaches.