How do you work in a psychologically untraditional field?
Author
Emtkjær, Manja Bøgelund
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-08-03
Pages
71
Abstract
Denne undersøgelse ser på, hvordan nyuddannede psykologer oplever overgangen til arbejdsmarkedet, især når de arbejder i områder, hvor der ikke er mange psykologer, og som ikke er knyttet til PPR eller klinisk praksis. Studiet har en fænomenologisk tilgang (fokus på de levede erfaringer) og bruger Bourdieus begreb habitus (indarbejdede dispositioner formet af ens baggrund) samt Banduras self-efficacy (troen på egne evner til at lykkes) som teoretisk ramme. Datagrundlaget er video-interviews med fire nyuddannede psykologer: to selvstændige konsulenter, én ansat i en NGO og én i hospitalsbaseret forskning. Interviewene var semistrukturerede. Analysen peger på fire temaer: 1) forventninger til nyuddannede, 2) personlige og samfundsmæssige forhold, 3) færdigheder og kompetencer, og 4) psykologien i nye kontekster. I diskussionen holdes centrale pointer op mod den teoretiske ramme, og metodens kvalitet vurderes ud fra generaliserbarhed, reliabilitet og validitet. Resultaterne viser, at arbejde i utraditionelle psykologiske felter opleves som meget givende, men kræver en stor indsats, blandt andet fordi deltagerne må opbygge deres egne faglige støttenetværk. Alle fire udviser høj self-efficacy og stor faglig passion, hvilket øger deres robusthed og trivsel. Studiet peger derfor på, at en indgang til utraditionelle felter kræver, at man kan tåle mindre traditionel støtte og har en stærk motivation for egne mål—eller udvikler disse undervejs. Dermed skaber deltagerne ikke blot et meningsfuldt arbejdsliv; de udvider også professionens virkefelt og viser, at psykologiske kompetencer fra universitetet kan bruges i nye sammenhænge.
This study explores how newly qualified psychologists experience entering the job market, especially when working in areas with few psychologists and outside PPR or clinical practice. It takes a phenomenological approach (focusing on lived experience) and uses Bourdieu’s concept of habitus (durable dispositions shaped by one’s background) and Bandura’s self-efficacy (belief in one’s ability to succeed) to interpret the data. The study is based on video interviews with four newly graduated psychologists: two self-employed consultants, one working in an NGO, and one in hospital-based research, using a semi-structured interview guide. The analysis identifies four themes: 1) expectations of new graduates, 2) personal and societal aspects, 3) abilities and competences, and 4) psychology in new contexts. The discussion relates key points from these themes to the theoretical framework and evaluates the methods with respect to generalisation, reliability, and validity. Overall, participants experience work in non-traditional psychological fields as highly rewarding but hard won, partly because they need to build their own professional support networks. All four display strong self-efficacy and a deep passion for their work, which makes them more resilient and better able to thrive. The study suggests that entering non-traditional fields requires tolerating less traditional support and having a strong commitment to one’s goals—or developing these along the way. In doing so, these psychologists create meaningful careers and open new ground for the profession, showing that university-taught psychological skills can be applied in new settings.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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