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What Is Applied Psychology?

Article  in  PsycCRITIQUES · January 2005

DOI: 10.1037/041276

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 What Is Applied Psychology?

A review of

Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology (Vols. 1–3)

by Charles Spielberger (Ed.)

Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier, 2004. 2593 pp. ISBN 0-12-657410-3.

$875.00 (3-vol. set)

Reviewed by
George Stricker

The Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology is a three-volume work that has more than 300
entries spread over more than 2,500 pages. I must begin by indicating that I did not read
every word of this work. I did read the introductory material to most of the entries, the
complete entries for many topics that I feel I know a good deal about, and several other
entries that I know little about. By doing this, I have a sense of how this work would appeal
to both experts and novices, but I may well have missed something in areas that I did not
cover in detail.
This encyclopedia is a project initiated by the International Association of Applied
Psychology (IAAP). As might be expected, both from IAAP and from the editor in chief,
Charles Spielberger, the volumes are unusual in terms of the international representation of
authors. There are many individual entries prepared by people whose names I did not
recognize, and that is my loss. As has been noted,
 although psychologists in the United States may be aware of prominent international
figures in their own specific research fields, many have only limited knowledge concerning
the research and practice of their international counterparts. Even current U.S. textbooks
provide limited citations to the work of psychologists from diverse countries around the
world. (Fleishman, 1999, p. 1009)

The opportunity to gain exposure to an international community of scholars is a strong

point of these volumes. Is there a point of view that is represented by this breadth? Perhaps
the work contributed by those outside of North America is richer in theoretical and
philosophical coverage, but this may be a quick observation that would not stand up under
scrutiny. It does not really matter; the broader group of authors sacrifices nothing in the way
of scholarship and adds much in the introduction of these colleagues to a broader audience
(and the audience to them) than they may previously have addressed.
An encyclopedia is a compendium that falls midway between a handbook and a
dictionary. It has more depth than a dictionary and more breadth that a handbook (it would
have been possible to state the same thought in a more negative manner, as it also has less
breadth than a dictionary and less depth than a handbook). Each of these compendia can be
evaluated on each of these criteria: Does the material provide adequate coverage of the
breadth of the field, and do the individual entries provide sufficient depth about the topic?
To answer these questions, it is necessary to understand the nature of the field, and applied
psychology is not a field that is easily defined.
Before moving to the content of the encyclopedia, there are some structural aspects of
the work that bear comment. The entries are arranged in alphabetical order, a system that
ordinarily works very well. However, there are occasions where it breaks down. In looking
for a working definition of applied psychology, I searched in vain for an entry on that topic,
only to discover it in the second volume under the title History of Applied Psychology,
Overview. The entry is very informative, but very few people would think to look for it
under the letter “H.” The index, which appears at the end of the third volume, would have
helped with this problem. The table of contents appears at the beginning of each volume, and
that is helpful, but the Index does not, and there is no index of names, which probably would
have been useful. Each entry ends with a set of suggested further readings, but there is no
true reference list, thus citations in the text do not lead to specific references. There are no
biographical entries, an omission that is neither positive nor negative, but rather a decision
made by the editor. On a more positive note, the entries follow a uniform outline and do so
in a consistent fashion. There are links to other related entries, and the general appearance
and presentation of the material is excellent. All of these comments are trivial compared
with a consideration of the content, to which I now move.
 Applied Psychology

Applied psychology is generally considered to be a field defined by the application of basic

psychology to practical problems. However, the distinction between the basic and the
applied is not helpful, may not exist, and has been dismissed by many significant
contributors to the field. For example, Fleishman (1999), in an address following his receipt
of the Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology award,
defined applied psychology as “not simply the application of basic scientific psychology, but
rather [it] encompasses theoretically driven scientific research that contributes to general
knowledge, theory development, and methodology in various fields of psychology”
(Fleishman, 1999, p. 1009).
The encyclopedia, in its very good, if somewhat hidden, overview prepared by
Carpintero, also recognizes the interrelated nature of the basic and the applied. This entry
also demonstrates the international scope of psychology in general, and applied psychology
in particular, and refers to European contributors who may be unknown to the vast majority
of psychologists in the United States. I wonder the extent to which there may be a similar
treasure trove of contributors in the Eastern Hemisphere, another group largely neglected in
the West, although also colleagues who are becoming active in the IAAP.
In his consideration of the history of applied psychology, Carpintero points to three
roots in the early part of the 20th century. These concerned the adaptation of children to
schools, workers to jobs, and people to the world around them. These three concerns gave
rise to the disciplines of school and educational psychology, industrial and organizational
psychology, and clinical psychology. These disciplines grew as it became recognized that
the science of psychology had much to contribute to the solution of problems in these areas.
It should also be noted that the effort of psychology to develop methods of systematic
measurement was central to basic psychology and to each of these areas, taking the form of
psychophysics and tests of intelligence, abilities, and personality.
Social demands gave added impetus to applied psychology, and this was magnified by
the social upheaval caused by the world wars and the Great Depression during the interwar
period. Following World War II, there was an expansion of areas in which the findings of
psychology could be applied with great social benefit. The scope of these developments is
reflected in the organization of the IAAP. There currently are 16 divisions in IAAP (one of
which is for students), and these reflect the breadth of the field.
However, it is important to note that, along with the major contributions of basic
psychology to the solution of these myriad social issues, the attempts to discover solutions
also suggest issues for basic psychology to study. One good example of this cyclical
relationship can be found in the work of Kurt Lewin and his students, informed by Gestalt
psychology and producing action research, which demonstrated the synergism between
science and practice.
 Clearly, applied psychology has many implications for the scientist–practitioner
model, prominent in clinical psychology (Raimy, 1950) but also quite relevant to all of the
other fields within applied psychology. Although clinical psychology has had some
difficulty in implementing the model in a satisfactory way (Stricker, 2000), it probably is the
case that some of these other areas, such as industrial psychology, have done a better job of
integrating science and practice.
What, then, is applied psychology? I would define it as a field that lies at the
intersection of science and practice and one that shows the potential interrelationship of the
two. It has a clear reliance on the findings of basic research and the potential to contribute
areas of study, theory, and data to basic psychology. I wish that clinical psychology, my
field, did a better job of realizing the promise of this relationship.

Breadth and Depth

One of the primary criteria in evaluating an encyclopedia is the extent to which it covers the
breadth of the field. Any finite collection of entries can draw questions about what is
missing, and these often reflect idiosyncratic concerns of the reader. For example, I am
currently supervising students working on research concerning gangs, countertransference,
and humor. The third topic is represented, but the first two topics are not, and I would not
take a work to task for omitting them. However, more important, amid an excellent coverage
of the areas represented by the divisions of IAAP, there are some glaring omissions.
The first of these concerns clinical psychology, one of the parent fields in applied
psychology. Clinical psychology includes work on psychopathology, which has good
general coverage; personality, which has limited coverage; assessment, which is well
represented; and psychotherapy. I was astonished at the paucity of entries concerning
psychotherapy. It may be that a decision was made, as it has been for the Journal of Applied
Psychology, that there are so many other outlets for this activity that they will not be
published in this one. If so, the Preface should have noted this. Without a rationale for
omission, I was left to wonder why this activity was not represented more thoroughly. There
was a very good entry on psychotherapy with older adults, an activity that is often omitted in
other works, but this left the omission of other approaches to psychotherapy all the more
striking. This not only represents a content omission, but it also led to other omissions, such
as a consideration of the scientist–practitioner model that is so central to the whole enterprise
of applied psychology, and entries concerning evidence-based practice, which provide a
good instantiation of a fruitful marriage of science and practice as well as the problems
inherent in attempting such a marriage (Westen, Novotny, & Thompson-Brenner, 2004).
There are other areas in which I am puzzled by some of the choices that were made.
There is an entry on obesity, but not on eating disorders, anorexia, or bulimia. Openness to
experience is covered briefly, but none of the other dimensions of the five-factor theory are,
nor is there an entry for the larger entity. Life span development is covered, with an
extensive and welcome set of entries about the older adult, but very little on the other stages
of development. Given the reliance of applied psychology on basic processes, I would have
liked to have seen more material on some of these processes, such as reliability, validity, test
construction, data analysis, cognitive heuristics, and program evaluation.
Having made these criticisms, I should also reiterate that any set of choices in a finite
work would draw similar criticisms. The coverage of some areas, such as aging, is excellent.
The representation of cultural concerns is unusually thorough and goes beyond the lip
service that is seen more frequently. Areas represented by divisions of IAAP, such as health
psychology and sport psychology, are covered very well. All in all, this is a noble effort
when it comes to breadth, despite the omissions that I have noted.
The crucial point, and the second major evaluative criterion, after considering what is
covered, is how well it is covered. Again, it is possible to cavil about minor points. The entry
on interpersonal perception, for example, appears far too telescoped to do justice to a vast
area. However, balancing the huge task involved, most of the entries are thoughtful and
thorough considerations of the areas they represent.
In areas that I know well, I felt that the material was good, solid, but did not teach me
a great deal. This is to be expected in an introductory work, and it would be surprising if an
encyclopedia entry broke new ground in scholarship. In areas that I knew less well, I felt that
I learned a great deal, and it was helpful to have a clear introduction to a new area. By and
large, the entries were well written, well organized, and as comprehensive as space
limitations would allow.

Summary

Because this review was allotted approximately one word for each page in the encyclopedia,
it is difficult to do justice to such a vast undertaking. It certainly will have different appeals
and different utilities for different audiences. For the librarian looking to add to the reference
collection, this is an excellent addition that will serve patrons well. For students, whether at
the advanced undergraduate or graduate level, the encyclopedia will provide excellent quick
summaries of many areas. For professionals with only a nodding acquaintance with an area,
the volumes will provide a good introduction and a clear roadmap for further study. For
professionals with expertise in an area, the encyclopedia will offer little more than an outline
that may be useful in providing an introduction to others. However, we are well past the
time, stretching from Aristotle to Leibnitz, when it was possible to know everything, and so
the encyclopedia should have something to offer to everyone.
 References

Fleishman, E. A. (1999). Applied psychology: An international journey. American

Psychologist, 54, 1008–1016.
Raimy, V. (Ed.). (1950). Training in clinical psychology. New York: Prentice Hall.
Stricker, G. (2000). The scientist–practitioner model: Gandhi was right again. American
Psychologist, 55, 253–254.
Westen, D., Novotny, C., & Thompson-Brenner, H. (2004). The empirical status of
empirically supported psychotherapies: Assumptions, methods, and findings.
Psychological Bulletin, 130, 631–633.

PsycCRITIQUES March 23, 2005, Vol. 50, Release 12, Article 6

1554-0138 © 2005, American Psychological Association

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