Psychology Class 12 Chapter 9 | Part - 2
Chapter 9: Developing Psychological skills
Part 2: General Skills and Observational Skills
General Skills
1. These skills are generic in nature and are needed by all psychologists, irrespective of their field of specialization.These include personal as well as intellectual skills.
2. It is expected that it will not be proper to provide any form of professional training to students who do not possess these skills.
3. Intellectual and personal skills
- Interpersonal skills- Ability to listen and be empathetic to develop respect for others cultures, experiences, values, viewpoints.
- Cognitive skills- Ability to solve problems, engage in critical thinking and organize reasoning and having intellectual curiosity and flexibility.
- Affective skills- Emotional control and balance, tolerance of interpersonal conflict, tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty.
- Personality- Desire to help others, openness to new ideas, honesty, value ethical behavior, personal courage.
- Expressive skills- Ability to communicate one’s ideas, feelings and information in verbal, nonverbal and written forms.
- Reflective skills- Ability to examine and consider one's own motives, attitudes, behaviors and ability to be sensitive to one's own behavior or others.
- Personal skills- Personal organization, personal hygiene, time management and appropriate dress.
Individual and cultural differences
- Knowledge of self as one operates in professional settings with diverse others.
- Knowledge about the nature and impact of individual and cultural diversity in different situations.
- Ability to work effectively with diverse backgrounds in assessment, treatment and consultation.
- Ability to respect and appreciate different cultural norms and beliefs.
- Being sensitive to one's preferences and also to one's preference for one's own group.
- Ability to promote diversity in cultural beliefs and respecting it to promote positive life outcomes.
Observational skills
1. Researchers and practitioners in the field pay attention, watch and listen carefully by using their all senses. A psychologist uses all sources of information from the environment.
2. A psychologist engages in observing various facets of surroundings, including people and varying events.
3. A psychologist actively engages in observing people and their actions, including the demographic features, ways of dealing and relating with others, and patterns of behaviors in the presence of others.
4. Points taken while observing:
- Observe patiently.
- Pay close attention to your physical surroundings- who, what, when, where and how.
- Be aware of people's reactions, emotions and motivations.
- Ask questions that can be answered while observing.
- Be yourself and give information about yourself if asked.
- Observe with an optimistic curiosity.
- Be ethical you have to respect the privacy, norms of people you are observing.
Major approaches to observation
1. Naturalistic observation
- It is one of the primary ways of learning about the way people behave in a given setting.
- For example, observing students' pro social behavior during lunch break.
2. Participant observation
- Here, The Observer is actively involved in the process of observing by becoming an active member of the setting where the observation takes place.
- For example, observing students' pro social behavior by becoming a teacher amongst them in the lunch break.
Advantages and disadvantages of observation
- The major advantage is that it allows behavior to be seen and studied in its natural setting.
- People from outside or those already working in a setting can be trained to use it.
- One disadvantage of it is that events being observed are subjected to bias due to the feelings of the people involved as well as observers.
- Generally day to day activities in a given setting are fairly routine, which can go unnoticed by The Observer.
- Another potential pitfall is that the actual behavior and responses of others may get influenced by the presence of the observer.
Chapter 9: Developing Psychological skills
Part 2: General Skills and Observational Skills
General Skills
1. These skills are generic in nature and are needed by all psychologists, irrespective of their field of specialization.These include personal as well as intellectual skills.
2. It is expected that it will not be proper to provide any form of professional training to students who do not possess these skills.
3. Intellectual and personal skills
- Interpersonal skills- Ability to listen and be empathetic to develop respect for others cultures, experiences, values, viewpoints.
- Cognitive skills- Ability to solve problems, engage in critical thinking and organize reasoning and having intellectual curiosity and flexibility.
- Affective skills- Emotional control and balance, tolerance of interpersonal conflict, tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty.
- Personality- Desire to help others, openness to new ideas, honesty, value ethical behavior, personal courage.
- Expressive skills- Ability to communicate one’s ideas, feelings and information in verbal, nonverbal and written forms.
- Reflective skills- Ability to examine and consider one's own motives, attitudes, behaviors and ability to be sensitive to one's own behavior or others.
- Personal skills- Personal organization, personal hygiene, time management and appropriate dress.
Individual and cultural differences
- Knowledge of self as one operates in professional settings with diverse others.
- Knowledge about the nature and impact of individual and cultural diversity in different situations.
- Ability to work effectively with diverse backgrounds in assessment, treatment and consultation.
- Ability to respect and appreciate different cultural norms and beliefs.
- Being sensitive to one's preferences and also to one's preference for one's own group.
- Ability to promote diversity in cultural beliefs and respecting it to promote positive life outcomes.
Observational skills
1. Researchers and practitioners in the field pay attention, watch and listen carefully by using their all senses. A psychologist uses all sources of information from the environment.
2. A psychologist engages in observing various facets of surroundings, including people and varying events.
3. A psychologist actively engages in observing people and their actions, including the demographic features, ways of dealing and relating with others, and patterns of behaviors in the presence of others.
4. Points taken while observing:
- Observe patiently.
- Pay close attention to your physical surroundings- who, what, when, where and how.
- Be aware of people's reactions, emotions and motivations.
- Ask questions that can be answered while observing.
- Be yourself and give information about yourself if asked.
- Observe with an optimistic curiosity.
- Be ethical you have to respect the privacy, norms of people you are observing.
Major approaches to observation
1. Naturalistic observation
- It is one of the primary ways of learning about the way people behave in a given setting.
- For example, observing students' pro social behavior during lunch break.
2. Participant observation
- Here, The Observer is actively involved in the process of observing by becoming an active member of the setting where the observation takes place.
- For example, observing students' pro social behavior by becoming a teacher amongst them in the lunch break.
Advantages and disadvantages of observation
- The major advantage is that it allows behavior to be seen and studied in its natural setting.
- People from outside or those already working in a setting can be trained to use it.
- One disadvantage of it is that events being observed are subjected to bias due to the feelings of the people involved as well as observers.
- Generally day to day activities in a given setting are fairly routine, which can go unnoticed by The Observer.
- Another potential pitfall is that the actual behavior and responses of others may get influenced by the presence of the observer.
