The Use of Applied Psychology in Nursing
How I Will Use Applied Psychology in My Career Field The loud whir of the machinery lost its intensity with the sound of breaking bones. In an instant the young man’s right arm and hand were permanently mangled; the elbow was dislocated and the hand and wrist suffered multiple fractures. The injury would be a life altering event for the high school senior, ending prospects for promising careers in his three main areas of interest at the time: professional basketball, the United States Coast Guard, and animation drawing. The physical recovery process took years and twenty-five years later he still suffers with pain and limitations caused by the injury. The psychological recovery has also taken nearly as long, though the process and results are more difficult to define. The effect of having all his potential hopes and dreams dashed in an instant is nearly impossible to describe and I will not attempt to do so here. I know the effects of this type of devastating injury because I was that young man. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many ways that event impacted my life but let’s suffice it to say it put me on a new path. That path has eventually led me to pursue a career in the health care industry as a nurse. When examining the use of applied psychology within the nursing profession it quickly becomes obvious that psychological theory and practice are thoroughly integrated into the very essence of nursing. Gerow defines psychology as the study of human behavior, affect, and cognition. This covers a broad range of subjects including: sensation, perception, learning, memory, life development, motivation, emotion, personality, response to stress, psychological disorders, social roles, and interpersonal communication. (Gerow, 3) Psychology addresses everything there is to being human, less the biology which is still an aspect deeply imbedded in the human condition. Nursing can be defined as “a service profession that effects changes in the client’s
Cited: Gerow, Josh, with Roddrick Chatmon and Don Crews. Basic Psychology. Reno, NV: Bent Tree Press, 2006. Hevern, V. W. “Medicine, Nursing, and Health Care” Narrative psychology: Internet and resource guide. 2005. Le Moyne College. 12 February 2007 http://web.lemoyne.edu/~heven/nr-med.html. Sundeen, Sandra J., Gail W. Stuart, Elizabeth A.D. Rankin, and Sylvia A. Cohen. Nurse-Client Interaction: Implementing the Nursing Process. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc., 1998.