School psychology: An autobiographical fragment

This paper describes some of the dramatic changes that have transformed the field of school psychology over the last 40 years, a period during which the author was part of that field. The most important change was from the restricted and stultifying role of “Binet Tester” to one encompassing the culture of the school setting and its relationship to the community. These changes have been slow but steady. Many obstacles - professional preciousness, protection of turf, conceptual narrowness, an American psychology riveted on the individual - had to be overcome. The battle is far from won. These obstacles and changes are illustrated by events and programs of which the author was a part. A basic remaining problem is how to define and redefine the human resources that will meet more productively the needs of our educational system.     

The promise of qualitative inquiry for positive psychology: Diversifying methods

Abstract

This article offers a corrective for positive psychology, viewing qualitative methods as a paradigm of equal value to quantitative methods for psychologists interested in better understanding human strengths. Gergen, Josselson, and Freeman’s framework for qualitative psychology in general, along with other qualitative theory, will be utilized as a basis for application to positive psychology in particular. Qualitative inquiry’s potential for enriching positive psychology will be described, noting several qualitative research approaches. Then, the role of qualitative psychology in promoting the flourishing of positive psychology will be examined, discussing implications for theoretical advancements, building community, and enhancing psychology through interdisciplinarity. Finally, the possibility for qualitative methods in positive psychology to build relationships between academia and society will be explored; in particular, the nature of this collaboration, and the communication of positive psychology to the public will be noted. The conclusion notes how such potentials may be realized given current realities.     

School psychology: Its educational and societal connections

School psychology can be viewed either as a pragmatic response to the pressing and immediate needs of the schools ore as an outgrowth of ideological and technological forces in society. This paper argues that beliefs more than needs shaped the history of the profession. School psychology emereged because professional educators held psychological beliefs (and because a psychological testing technology was available to turn those beliefs into practice). Thus, adherence to psychological and developmental principles made age-grading and appropriate response to the sudden influx of large numbers of new students into the schools, and the acceptance of child-centered educational theories led logically to the study of individual children's needs, especially of those who were atypical. Both educators and psychologists subscribed, at least in principle, to the mainstream social ideology of individualism. School psychology became a means for translating such national values (e.g., individualism) and educational principles (e.g., individualized instruction) into school practice.     

School psychology: Reminiscences of earlier times

This article is an account of the variety of early vocational experiences which contributed to a career in school psychology. It provides a practitioner's view of activities and responsibilities and their implications for training and the future.     

School psychology in Australia

The status of school psychology in Australia is reviewed. Information is presented on the education system, the role of the school psychologist, historical development, special problems, contributions, and future trends in Australian school psychology.     

School psychology in Brazil

The purpose of this study was to review the status of school psychology in Brazil. Information about the system of education, school psychology-related training programs, types of services rendered, and the major problems that are encountered are described. Future trends as well as the anticipated needs of the profession are also discussed.     

School psychology in Ghana

The nature of school psychology programs and practices in Ghana are described, beginning with the historical development of these practices during the period 1529–1971. Information on the years 1972–1979, based on the author's clinical experiences and research as well as a review of the relevant literature, serves as the basis for a comparative analysis of past and contemporary school psychology practices. Particular emphasis has been placed on students' mental health, the roles of pastoral (church-connected) counselors, and the nontraditional roles of classroom teachers. Discussion includes an examination of the system of school administration, professional education of teachers and psychologists, and the services they provide.     

School psychology in Scotland

The development of educational psychology in Scotland has proceeded for 60 years from small beginnings in Glasgow to the provision of a psychological service covering the whole country. It comes from the belief in a well-trained teaching profession with a commitment to a public educational system for all children. The service aims to provide a psychological input to all children from birth to age 19. Legislation has given the psychological service a central role in the assessment of children who may have special educational needs and in the monitoring of the special education provided for those children. Training is shared at postgraduate level between services and the universities, with in-service training seen as the responsibility of services. The focus of work is moving from individual assessment and treatment to the consideration of social pressures and the offer of a consultation service to the educational systems.     

School psychology in Greece

Education always has been very important to the development, maintenance and transmission of the Greek culture. In contrast, psychology has held a marginal place in the Greek society. The present article briefly reviews the present general educational system in Greece at all levels and describes special education services. Greece lacks academic and professional training in psychology; thus, Greek psychologists come from a variety of backgrounds. Although school psychology has not yet found its proper place in the Greek educational and professional structures, these are several indications that this is changing. The major problems that the field of psychology is currently facing are also described. Finally, the emerging trends in the field are delineated and recommendations for the alleviation of the problems are presented.     

School psychology in Lebanon

The purpose of this report is to review the status of school psychology in Lebanon. Information regarding the Lebanese system of education, school psychology services, administration, training facilities, school psychology's contributions to the society, and the problems that is faces is presented, as well as a plan for future development of the field.     

School psychology in Thailand

This report reviews the role of school psychologists in Thailand, and describes the Thai system of education, school guidance and counseling services, and administration and training facilities, examines psychology's contribution to Thai society in the schools, and explores practical problems and new possibilities.     

School psychology in Saudi Arabia

The status of school psychology in Saudi Arabia is reviewed. The rapidity of social change in Saudi Arabia is described, along with the Saudi system of education, school psychology services, administration, training facilities, and school psychology's contributions to Saudi society. A plan for the future development of the field is presented, as are the challenges confronting psychologists in the Muslim world.     

Decreasing Adolescent Drug Use and School Failure:

Behavioral analyses of 3 adolescents show that 3 months of targeted family problem-solving training can decrease drug use and school failure by the end of a 1 1/4 year follow-up while control behaviors remain stable. Some findings, however, reflected incomplete understanding of the controlling variables: (a) lengthy delays before behavioral improvement, (b) recurrences of the problem behavior and subsequent recoveries during follow-up, and (c) correlated changes in the home and school environments. It is suggested that systematic study of relevant variables in the intervention could reduce behavioral variability and further increase understanding of adolescent drug use.     

School psychology and limited-English-proficient (LEP) children: New competencies

Children with limited-English-proficiency (LEP) and special education needs will be more numerous in the public schools of certain states. This article presents a set of competencies that are relevant to the practice of school psychology with LEP special pupils. Although the focus is on Hispanic children, the competencies apply to bilingual special education in general. They cover the following areas: second-language proficiency of the psychologist, cross-cultural awareness, assessment, knowledge of language development, skill in working with interpreters, and knowledge of bilingual education curriculum.     

The new social psychology of France: The Girardian School

Like Lacan, Girard's thought is centered not on appetite for objects but on the relation between the self and the subjectivity of the other, in this case by way of what Girard calls ‘mimesis’, a tendency to imitate not only the actions but also the inward attitudes, and especially the desires, of others; prompted by a sense of deficiency, we seek out something to desire, hoping to attain through it the ontological plenitude symbolized for us by the (god‐like) ‘mediator’ or model of our desire. Girard's theory of social origins is rooted in the idea that mimesis leads to generalized conflict which becomes resolved through a ‘victimizing mechanism’ culminating in a ‘sacrifice’. Girardian political economists, such as Paul Dumouchel, Jean‐Pierre Dupuy, and André Orléan, have drawn on these ideas in analyzing market mechanisms and the concepts of wealth and value. Jean‐Michel Oughourlian, a psychiatrist, has applied them to the analysis of suggestion and hypnosis, hysteria, and possession. The Girardian economists’ unmasking of the idea of wealth as an idol symbolizing our fascination with images of ontological plenitude adds a new element to the traditional Christian critique of avarice as well as the Buddhist critique of desire, and Oughourlian's analysis of the phenomena of possession and sorcery throws a new light both on traditional Wester demonology and on rituals of possession.     

School psychology in the USA: Reminiscences of its origin

As an example of the development of school psychology programs in the cities of the U.S., the early history of the Chicago Bureau of Child Study is described on the basis of personal involvement and prior records and literature. Program and services, requirements, and training are discussed. The early years of the Division of School Psychology of APA are covered in the reminiscences of a founding member and its 7th president, with memories of the outstanding women and men who headed school psychology programs in the cities of the nation in the 40s and who were leaders in Division 16. Theories and practices in general educational administration, especially decentralization, are shown to affect school psychology. Program differences in psychological services between cities, possibly greater in the early days than now, reflect the backgrounds and interests of their leaders. In international psychology, the dangers of exporting western techniques and concepts in ways that may do more harm than good are discussed, along with the too often overlooked values of importing ideas from overseas. Current issues are seen against the historical development of school psychology, with a plea for thorough historiographic research to amplify, document, and correct these and other personal memoirs.