Professional Practice

Professional Practice

Introduction

My interest in Psychology is not restricted to understanding the inner workings of individuals' minds, their cognitive abilities and perceptual realities. Within the context of understanding others, I also want to understand myself, my inhibitions, my insecurities. Given that, I reflect rigorously on my actions, as well as those of others, and the events that take place in my life. I recognize two needs to be most pressing in terms of professional practice, both personal and professional. Within the course of this assignment, I will discuss these needs and development strategies to meet them.

Discussion

Personal Needs

Each individual must address his or her personal needs in order to proceed professionally as the two cannot be mutually exclusive. Our world views, perceptions and beliefs undoubtedly translate into our professional practices. With this in mind, I have identified the two most pressing personal needs en route to professional practice. These are:

Trust. For me, establishing a mutual trust in my relationships, whether personal or professional, is absolutely crucial. I cannot function effectively if I feel doubted by others. I find that working around issues and resolving them is easiest when there is a mutual trust between two or more individuals. I feel that it is imperative that I maintain this trustworthiness in my profession.

Judgment. We make judgments and decisions on a regular basis in the field of Psychology, among other fields. These judgments are so intricately tied to individuals that we cannot make arbitrary, biased judgments. As paradoxical as “objective judgment” sounds, we must try to achieve some sense of wholesome judgment for our clients, free of personal biases.

Professional Needs

Professional needs directly affect an individual's work performance either through furthering or impeding growth. I identified two needs that are vital to my professional progress. These are:

Time Management. Distributing time between ...