"I'm kind of a big deal": A qualitative approach to understanding the potential prevalence of elitist attitudes among psychology students and how it could compromise on the quality of psychological practices.
Author
Rasmussen, Ørjan
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-05-28
Pages
69
Abstract
I hele Skandinavien er psykologi blevet et af de mest eftertragtede universitetsfag, og adgangskravene er rekordhøje. Denne udvikling rejser spørgsmålet, om nutidens psykologistuderende udgør en akademisk elite, og om elitistiske holdninger kan være til stede. Afhandlingen undersøger den mulige forekomst af sådanne holdninger blandt psykologistuderende og overvejer, hvordan de kan påvirke, hvordan psykologi praktiseres, hvordan offentligheden opfatter faget, og hvordan disciplinen udvikler sig. Studiet anvender en kvalitativ tilgang baseret på to semistrukturerede interviews med psykologistuderende ved Universitetet i Oslo. Semistrukturerede interviews bruger åbne spørgsmål inden for en løs ramme for at give plads til nuancerede svar. Interviewene analyseres med tematisk analyse, som identificerer tilbagevendende temaer og mønstre i deltagernes udsagn. En humanistisk teoretisk ramme—ideer, der lægger vægt på menneskelige værdier og erfaringer—understøtter analysen for at belyse, hvordan elitistiske holdninger kan påvirke psykologien i det 21. århundrede.
Across Scandinavia, psychology has become one of the most sought-after university programs, and entry grades are at record highs. This trend raises the question of whether today’s psychology students form an academic elite and whether elitist attitudes may be present. This thesis examines the possible presence of such attitudes among psychology students and considers how they could influence how psychology is practiced, how the public perceives the field, and how the discipline develops. The study uses a qualitative design based on two semi-structured interviews with psychology students at the University of Oslo. Semi-structured interviews use open questions within a loose guide to invite detailed answers. The interviews are examined with thematic analysis, which looks for recurring themes and patterns in participants’ accounts. A humanistic theoretical perspective—ideas that emphasize human values and lived experience—frames the analysis to explore how elitist attitudes could shape psychology in the 21st century.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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