Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Introduction

Work is more than earning money, it is an opportunity to use skills and feel successful and effective. It also provides meaningful relationships with other people. Work is a vital part of a good and satisfying life (Scollon & King, 2004). The United States worker puts in more hours at work than anyone else in the world (King, 2013). According to the United Nations International Labor Organization, United States worker works more hours and is more productive, but not necessarily more efficient, than their European counter parts (King, 2013). Industrial Organizational Psychology (I/O psychology) applies the science of psychology to work and the workplace (King, 2013) to enhance worker efficiency and productivity.

Researchers in the field of I/O psychology looked to find a broad range of topics related to the work environment including; job placement, influences of attitudes on job performance, understanding the ways people work in groups (King, 2013). These topics are also the subject of the psychological research, such as, cognition, personality, motivation, emotion, and social psychology (King, 2013). I/O psychology is unique because it tests theories of basic research and applies it to the workplace. There are three important influences of I/O psychology; scientific management, ergonomics, and the human relations approach to management. The early influence of I/O psychology has improved America’s work environments since the 1800s (Meacham, 2012).

Origins

Industrial and Organizational Psychology is a new idea, applied less than 100 years ago. In that time, many people within the field of had backgrounds in engineering, and some had background in history and law (Spector, 2008). The roots of industrial and...

... middle of paper ...

...ncy, safety, morale, and human treatment of workers.

Works Cited

King, L. A. (2013). Industrial and Organizational Psychology. The Science of Psychology: An Appreciative View (). University of Missouri at Columbia: McGraw-Hill Humanities & Social Sciences.

Koppes, L., & Pickren, W. (2007). Industrial and organizational psychology: An evolving science and practice. Historical perspectives in industrial and organizational psychology, , 3-36.

Meacham, Wesley. History of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Hubpages, 2012. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .

Scollon, C. N., & King, L. A. (2004). Is the good life the easy life? Social Indicators

Research, 68, 127–162.

Spector, P. (2008). Industrial and Organizational Behavior. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. (Original work published)