Exploring professional identity of industrial psychologists

M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)Orientation: Professional industrial-organisational (I-O) psychology practitioners function and register under one title with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) yet in practice the work is done under various other titles and in various fields and industries. I-O psychology professionals identify with the broader title, yet also identify with the subfield in which they work (e.g. Coach, Consultant [internal or external], Generalist, Talent Manager, Recruiter etc.). For many young aspiring I-O professionals the question lingers, “what is an I-O psychologist?”. This is the question of professional identity and shared mental models, “who are we?”. A professional identity is a social identity, yet there no obvious shared overarching identities across the profession, besides the title. The extent to which the professional identity is shared and whether there is a strong sense of it is what I am questioning. Research purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the mental models held by professional I-O psychologists to gain richer insight into the possible shared mental models within the profession and thus facilitate a better understanding of the professional identity. Motivation for the study: I am personally attached to the topic of the study in that I am an I-O psychology master’s student, and therefore the study looks into my own future profession. The world of practice for the registered I-O psychologist is wide and varied. For young students in the field the exact meaning, and purpose of I-O psychology is not always clear neither is the profession's contribution. The study not only feeds my curiosity, but also assists those who are interested in mental models that make up the profession. As a student I believe it is important to have an understanding of the profession to which one is committing oneself, as you will soon no longer be representing yourself only but also the profession. For a profession to be considered a legitimate community of practice, standards, governance and guiding principles are essential. Thus the idea of understanding the underlying mental models within the I-O psychology profession is both interesting and useful to the individual and also the larger professional body. Research design: Applying a qualitative case-study design I conducted interviews with eleven locally practicing I-O psychologists from varying backgrounds. They were registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) for at least five years. Main findings: From the data gained from the I-O psychologists I derived fourteen different mental models. I categorised the models into the following five themes, namely: philosophies, events, social/relational, personal and regulation. I classified the themes further as either internal or external experiences. External experiences refer to mental models that aid the individual in linking with the broader community, while internal experiences entail mental models which individual professionals manage within themselves in ways particularly unique to themselves, aiding the maintenance of their personal identity. These two classifications, the internal and external experiences, help the professional balance the need for the sense of self with the need of belonging to the social community of practice. In applying theory when I analysed the research findings it became clear that individuals carry both shared and individual senses of their identity. Persons' perceptions were greatly dependent on their work experiences, and regardless of these being positive or negative they were incorporated into the manner in which the individual made sense of the profession identity and their personal identity. Accomplished professionals often possessed mental models which strengthened a sense of a collective professional identity (such as the mental models themed under philosophies) rather than a personal individual identity (such as the mental models themed under personal). Mental models which apply to the whole profession are associated with guiding principles such as ethics, collaboration and being people centred. While the others which are less shared, such as personal validation, point to a deep internal and personal experience of the profession. I-O psychologists carry both the unique and the shared sense of the profession, various mental models are used to aid in the balancing of the two. Contribution: The study’s theoretical contribution lies in (i) providing a better understanding of the level at which I-O psychologists' mental models are shared vs. individual, and (ii) demonstrating how common themes influence the identity work of I-O psychologists, and that identity work entails an ongoing process found throughout the professional lives of the I-O psychologist..