Immediately following a disaster, such as a plane crash or bombing, psychologists help victims and bystanders recover from the trauma, or shock, of the event. They advise lawyers on jury selection and collaborate with educators on school reform. They work with business executives, performers and athletes to reduce stress and improve performance. For example, psychologists work with patients to help them change behaviors that are having negative effects on their physical health.
They also concentrate on behaviors that affect the mental and emotional health and mental functioning of healthy human beings. Psychologists traditionally study both normal and abnormal functioning and treat individuals with mental and emotional problems. Thus, we find them in laboratories, hospitals, courtrooms, schools and universities, community health centers, prisons, and corporate offices. Many psychologists work independently and also team up with other professionals-for example, with other scientists, physicians, lawyers, school personnel, computer experts, engineers, policymakers and managers-to contribute to every area of society. And because the United States is undergoing sizable change in its population makeup, psychologists provide important knowledge and skills to help better understand diverse cultures. They assess behavioral and mental function and well-being, study how human beings relate to each other and also to machines, and work to improve these relationships. Many psychologists work as health care providers. Psychologists conduct both basic and applied research, serve as consultants to communities and organizations, diagnose and treat people, and teach future psychologists and those who will pursue other disciplines. Psychology is a tremendously varied field. As this research yields new information, these findings become part of the body of knowledge that practitioners call on in their work with clients and patients, as well as with organizations and communities. They develop theories and test them through their research. Psychologists frequently are innovators, evolving new approaches from established knowledge to meet the changing needs of people, organizations and societies.
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