C. Spielberger – Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology

Автор: C. Spielberger
Название книги: Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Психология
Страницы: 2354
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

The Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology encompasses applications of psychological knowledge and procedures in all areas of psychology. This compendium is a major source of information for professional practitioners, researchers in psychology, and for anyone interested in applied psychology. The topics included are, but are not limited to, aging (geropsychology), assessment, clinical, cognitive, community, counseling, educational, environmental, family, industrial/organizational, health, school, sports, and transportation psychology. The entries drawn from the above-referenced areas provide a clear definition of topic, a brief review of theoretical basis relevant to the topic, and emphasize major areas of application.

During the past 50 years, there has been remarkable
progress in the articulation of psychological theory,
increasingly sophisticated reports of empirical research,
and a dramatic expansion in professional
applications of psychology in all areas of modern life.
Applied psychology requires both a sound scientific
foundation and attention to the practical problems that
are encountered in applying psychology to an infinite
variety of life settings. Growing public recognition of
the potential contributions of psychology to solving
life’s problems has also fostered rapid growth in the
number of psychologists who are engaged in research
and in professional practice throughout the world.
The need for an authoritative publication that
reviews and evaluates the numerous applications of
professional psychology has been recognized for
a number of years, and has been of special interest to
the members of the International Association of Applied
Psychology (IAAP), the world’s oldest and largest membership
organization of individual psychologists. The
interests and concerns of IAAP members, who reside
in more than 80 countries, have been strongly noted by
former IAAP presidents Edwin A. Fleishman, Claude
Levy-Leboyer, and Harry C. Triandis.
Significant contributions to international applications
of psychology were explicitly recognized and
discussed in the context of their diverse societal
settings by Bernhard Wilpert in his Presidential
address at the IAAP’s 24th International Congress of
Applied Psychology in 1998. It was my honor and
pleasure to succeed Professor Wilpert as President
of the IAAP at this Congress, which was held in San
Francisco, California, and to begin participating in
discussions to identify the most important contributions
to applied psychology that are reported in this
encyclopedia.
The development and current status of applied
psychology can be best understood by examining the
historical evolution of the field, which is cogently
described by Helio Carpintero, the official Historian of
the IAAP. In his overview article on the history of
applied psychology, Carpintero highlights the benefits
resulting from psychologists joining together to form
professional associations that have facilitated the
development and integration of psychological theory
and research and that have stimulated and guided
more effective applications of psychology in professional
work.
Founded in 1920 as the Association Internationale
des Conferences de Psychotechnique (International
Association for Psychotechnology), the IAAP adopted
its present name in 1955. Edouard Clapre˜de convened
and chaired the first meeting of the association, held
in Geneva, Switzerland in 1920, and served as its
President for more than 20 years. Meetings were held
in a number of European cities, including Barcelona,
Milan, Paris, Moscow, and Prague. An excellent
history of the evolution and development of applied
psychology and the IAAP can be found in the address
given by former President Edwin A. Fleishman on
receiving the 1999 American Psychological Association’s
Award for Distinguished Contributions to the
International Advancement of Psychology (American
Psychologist, November, 1999, pp. 1008–1016).
For recommending that the IAAP take an active
role in sponsoring and developing the Encyclopedia
of Applied Psychology, we are indebted to George
Zimmar, an active IAAP member and former senior
sponsoring editor at Academic Press, now Elsevier. The
first step in developing the encyclopedia was the
appointment of an Advisory Board composed of
distinguished colleagues representing all areas of
applied psychology. In addition to recommending the
major areas and the specific topics to be covered in the
encyclopedia, the Advisory Board identified highly
qualified colleagues who would be invited to serve as
Section Editors for the selected areas.
The responsibilities of the Section Editors included
writing a major article to provide an overview and
analysis of their respective areas and working with the
Editor-in-Chief and the Advisory Board in identifying
the specific topics to be included in each area. They
also helped to determine the amount of space to be
allocated for each topic and recommended colleagues
with outstanding knowledge and expertise to serve as
the authors for the individual articles. In addition, the
Section Editors reviewed and edited the articles that
presented information on the topics that were related
to the subject matter that was included in their
sections.
The articles that are included in the encyclopedia
are presented in alphabetical order, as determined by
the title of each article. Consequently, the underlying
section organization will not be readily apparent. At
the conclusion of each article, the reader is directed to
additional articles that include related information.
The authors of each article also provide a number of
references that are recommended for further reading.
It should be noted, however, that it was not possible to
cover all of the many areas of applied psychology.
Several emerging areas are not included because we
failed to recognize their importance at the time the topics
were selected for the encyclopedia. It is also unfortunate
that a few authors were unable to meet the deadlines for
submitting the manuscripts for their articles.
The Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology is truly a
product of the collaborative efforts of the members of
the IAAP. We are especially indebted to former IAAP
Presidents Edwin A. Fleishman, Harry C. Triandis, and
Bernhard Wilpert, and to our current president,
Michael Frese, for their leadership, encouragement,
and tangible contributions to the encyclopedia. For
their dedicated contributions to the encyclopedia,
I would also like to thank the members of the Advisory
Board and the Section Editors, whose names are listed
in the front matter. Finally, on behalf of the IAAP,
I thank the authors who contributed articles in their
areas of expertise and the editorial and production
staff of Elsevier for the tremendous amount of time
and energy that was needed to bring this large project
to fruition.
CHARLES D. SPIELBERGER, Ph.D., ABPP