On November 22nd, Russia celebrates Psychologist's Day, which was officially adopted in 2023. Zinaida Shakurova, Candidate of Sciences (Psychology), Associate Professor at the SUSU Department of General Psychology, Psychodiagnostics, and Counselling, spoke about what myths there are in understanding the profession of a psychologist, what difficulties specialists in this difficult profession face, what qualities are needed for people who choose this activity, how to maintain one’s mental balance and at the same time help others cope with their life’s adversities, and much more.
– Could you please tell us a little about the history of the formation of the profession of a psychologist.
– The profession of a psychologist is both very ancient and very young. It is ancient at least because already in the 3rd–4th centuries BC, the word "psychology" itself appeared, and the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is still considered the progenitor of this science, who wrote a work that has reached our times, On The Soul treatise. And psychology is the science of the soul, so we can assume that psychologists already existed in ancient times. However, psychology as a science is young and appeared as an independent field of knowledge at the end of the 18th century in Europe, and in our country it appeared even at the end of the 19th century.
– Why is the profession of a psychologist important in the modern world?
– If we talk about the need and demand for this profession, the history of our society develops in such a way that in the 2nd half of the 20th century the pace of progress and the intensity of human life sharply and radically increased. As a result, human labour, on the one hand, became more complex, and on the other, more dynamic: we began to get used to the new, change ourselves and follow this new. And this, in turn, led to life tensions, stress and anxiety. People began to feel this more strongly than before, for example, even in comparison with the middle of the 20th century, when the way of life was more sedate and calm. Therefore, nowadays, an increasing number of people are beginning to pay attention to themselves, to their inner world, that is, to their souls, and to evaluate what its state is at the moment.
That is why a decision to train psychologists in greater numbers for their work in various spheres of society was made at the legislative level at the end of the 20th century. It should be noted that the departments of psychology were opened at Moscow State University and Leningrad State University (now St. Petersburg State University) only in 1966 and 1967, respectively. And in this regard, the professional training of psychologists also has a young history. Then students were trained in small groups and mainly either to take part in university scientific research, or to train teachers to understand the psyche of a developing child, or in healthcare, since there was an awareness that there are diseases not only of the body, but also of the soul, which is the reason why people turn to psychologists for help. And from the point of view of a psychologist with medical specialization, professions such as psychotherapist, neuropsychiatrist, psychiatrist require healing, treatment of the soul, therefore, the question arises of what kind of psyche a healthy person has and how it differs from the psyche of a sick person. Therefore, such transitional states as anxiety, irritation, and fear can be signs, on the one hand, of mental illness and, at the same time, phenomena inherent in healthy people. Therefore, it is difficult to determine a clear line between signs of aggression and withdrawal as a temporary natural state. It was at this "crossroads" that the Clinical Psychology specialization appeared. This, as we understand, is not drug treatment, like in medical practice, but an action with words, which nevertheless helps to cope with life’s difficulties.
Psychology as a profession has become quite multifaceted today. And we can distinguish different specializations: child psychologist, educational psychologist, clinical psychologist, sports psychologist, and others. If we take the example of our Department of General Psychology, Psychodiagnostics, and Counselling at the School of Medical Biology, then our students, studying to become general psychologists, receive a Bachelor’s degree, which is multidisciplinary, but without in-depth specialization.
– What difficulties do you face at work?
– A psychologist, on the one hand, can be in demand in different areas, and we set our students up this way, but there are some paradoxes.
Of course, over the past, at least 10 years, there has been a lot of progress when it comes to understanding the profession of a psychologist. But at the same time, there are several myths that have become entrenched in the minds of ordinary people, which causes difficulties in our work.
The first myth is associated with the fact that a psychologist is personified almost with God: a psychologist can do everything, especially in understanding those people whom you meet for the first time.
The second myth is absolutely the opposite of the first, that is, people do not perceive the profession of a psychologist at all, do not understand why it is needed, and at the same time consider themselves and their inner circle to be psychologists.
And the third myth that creates difficulty in our work is that we, psychologists, are expected to have a quick, almost instant result of any changes that people ask for. Moreover, it is believed that the psychologist must specifically indicate what needs to be done to obtain this result. As with doctors writing a prescription, the patient takes the medicine and gets better. Psychological assistance is to help a person understand situations, realize their capabilities and different ways of acting in these situations. And the choice of options for their actions remains with the person.
Also, many people, turning to a psychologist for advice, expect a very specific impact that will allow them to solve the problem without making much effort on their own. But internal psychological problems are problems within ourselves, and we need to decide what to do with ourselves. And psychologists only suggest what possibilities there are.
No pills on how to be happy have been invented, which means you need to make an effort and take responsibility. Many people don't succeed. Having tried (and this is very difficult), many give up and say that the psychologist is to blame: either they got an inexperienced specialist, or his advice does not help at all. But a person must make decisions himself, and not shift responsibility to a psychologist, and, most importantly, overcome difficulties in himself.
– What qualities do you think a person in your profession should have?
– Like a doctor, a psychologist, undoubtedly, must have such an important quality, which has even become a professional term, as love for people. Firstly, if a person is seeking treatment for any problems (these include fears and anxieties), then the psychologist needs to show empathy and compassion. Secondly, it is also a manifestation of tolerance, because we must accept people as they are, and this involves using all our knowledge and skills to find an individual approach to our clients.
In addition to love for people, there is such a close quality as empathy − an emotional attitude (sympathy, compassion, empathy), reflection (understanding others, including through understanding oneself, as well as understanding one’s capabilities), and emotional intelligence, which is similar to empathy and reflection. Emotional intelligence presupposes such mental abilities that allow you to quickly and sufficiently deeply understand a problem, compare it with possible other situations in order to highlight what is common and what is individual. These are perhaps the main qualities.
But, of course, there are also inclinations given by nature, for example, our sociability or extroversion. The latter, although it has already come into use, means a tendency to show interest in people and be active in contacts with other people.
– Where do your graduates work?
– To begin with, our students are trying to get a job in state educational institutions − as a psychologist in a kindergarten, in a school, in labour organizations. Unfortunately, the salary of a psychologist is not high, just like most humanitarian professions. It happens, of course, that graduates get disappointed about this and sometimes leave, if not from their student days, then already from the profession, like, for example, teachers. But those who stay and survive become quite successful psychologists, including practitioners. And, of course, some of our Bachelor’s degree graduates, who are interested, go on to Master’s degree and postgraduate studies, and, as a representative of the older generation, I'm glad that we have such students and graduates to replace us.
– How do you celebrate your professional holiday?
– Initially, there was a professional community of psychologists, including in the Soviet Union, where scientific conferences and symposiums were held, but it was a different time, and there were very few of us. And with the collapse of the USSR, it was necessary to restore professional contacts. Moreover, numerous new psychologists have appeared. And so on November 22, 1994, the first Founding Congress of the Russian Psychological Society took place, where they adopted a declaration on our unification. Until 2000, we did not celebrate this day at all. And later, the leading university in our country, Moscow State University, came up with a proposal to make November 22nd a professional holiday − Psychologist’s Day. But only this year our Government approved the date, November 22nd, at the legislative level.
Therefore, this relatively young holiday does not yet have any traditions as such. Moreover, most professional holidays are celebrated by specialists themselves at work. By the way, this year this day coincided with the freshmen initiation, and we, of course, are glad that both of these events will be held at the same time.
– A psychologist is known to be a doctor of souls. But this profession, of course, requires enormous moral and mental strength, endurance, and the ability to cope with stress. Then how do you think we can help people cope with difficult situations and maintain their own peace of mind?
– Unfortunately, there is a very common opinion that psychologists are people who already know everything about themselves and know how to manage their own feelings and emotions, cannot make mistakes, be afraid, get irritated, avoid all mental problems and illnesses, etc. In other words, a psychologist is an ideal. Of course, we are just humans too and we can also worry. And a bad psychologist is one who does not show specific feelings both towards his clients and towards other people. If we were not emotional at all or had only positive emotions, we would not be able to understand the person and his problems. Coldness towards the client would have alienated him.
Psychologists, like all other people, also worry. Moreover, there are times when we think that we have accumulated some kind of professional tension, stress, emotions, and it is sometimes difficult to cope with them. But, on the other hand, a professional psychologist can easily cope with current difficulties on his own, engage in self-diagnosis, and understand himself. Understanding the reasons, we activate our professional psychological skills, which are often called self-regulation, self-reflection, and self-relaxation skills.
Society needs psychologists! And society understands this. We are glad that students are interested in this area of knowledge and that most of them do not part with the profession of psychologist, becoming good specialists and even in demand in private practice. We really hope that this will continue to be the case in the future!