The field of psychology is one that is evolving by each day. With new professionals coming into the market every year, the discipline is growing with every unique, talented individual who takes the oath. A psychologist isn’t always someone sitting behind a desk, counseling a grieving patient. It can be a business tycoon who has some of the best sales pitches you have ever seen. As the field grows every year, the standard image of psychology as we know it further changes. Now more than ever, the area is changing in ways that we might not even predict. How and why, one might ask? The answer is “Technology.” Technology is bringing changes to everyday life, which we might not have anticipated in the past. It has not only extended itself to the field of psychology but various other disciplines as well.

Imagine if all technology created in the last 20 years suddenly disappears from your life. How would you function for a week or even a day? Technology, no doubt, plays an immense role in our lives. From the stocks we buy through our phones to the alarms we set to wake us up. And even the teletherapy we take part in because we can’t always see our therapist face-to-face.

Here is an article that blends the two topics and looks at how technology is reshaping psychology.

Teletherapy

If you seek therapy from a professional, it’s often not a good idea to let a significant gap come into the therapeutic process. For example, if you have to leave town on business, it would be best to stay in touch with your therapist and minimize the sessions you miss. How would one do that? Video-based therapy is one of the newest trends to catch on, especially after the pandemic hit.

Therapists are known to conduct Skype and Zoom sessions with the clients to keep up the therapeutic relationship. Technology has majorly aided in the therapy being undertaken virtually in the modern age. For people suffering from severe mental issues during the pandemic, such an option was somewhat of a ‘saving grace.’ We really should be tipping our hats to technology. It has made therapy and counseling significantly easier during this trying time.

For people pursuing specialized degrees like a psychology-based degree, online mediums serve as great news.

Moreover, consider opting for an organizational psychology degree online if you want to specialize in psychology further. It might be a suitable career choice for you if you are interested in business and psychology. An organizational psychology degree gives you in-roads to the business field and keeps you grounded as a psychologist.

Aid to Research

As we mentioned earlier, psychology is an ever-growing field. Therefore, in the field, individuals are encouraged to research whatever area they wish. There are numerous branches of psychology; therefore, the options to conduct research are close to endless. However, a study was somewhat of a nightmare in the past. Previous generations had to sit around in libraries and read journal articles or books to find the information they needed.

Now we have web-browsers that are designed explicitly for academic-based searches. Google scholar is a significant aid to students and professionals alike around the world. It gives them a chance to merely enter keywords related to their research area and find different results that they can use in their research ideas.

Online Psychological Tests

Testing in psychology is another majorly important area in the field. Not only is testing one of the significant backbones of psychology but one which narrows down the issue to write up an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. Researchers used to conduct a test using manuals and books with hundreds of pages. Psychologists then used it to test the patient’s cognitive functions and aid in the diagnostic process.

Now, these tests are available online, and you might have to pay for them. But they constitute a significant aid to a psychologist. Some of the essential assessments, such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Index (MMPI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), are available online. The average person may not understand a significant benefit for therapists and counselors worldwide who need these assessment tools daily.

Scoring Tests and Data

Previously, carrying out psychological experiments and testing was quite complicated. But, with the advent of technology, psychologists can quickly generate the required outcomes. Psychometric tests like the one mentioned in the paragraph above often need to be graded or scored. Moreover, researchers need to have the data analyzed by statistical techniques to make sense of it and generate plausible outcomes when conducted. If results showed raw data, we would not make heads or tails about the research data. There are numerous data analytical tests that a professional needs to run on the raw data presented in a final form and make sense.

Software such as SPSS is a significant aid to the psychology community as it sorts the data out for them. Researchers and other professionals no longer have to sit around with mathematical/statistical tools and sort through the data gathered. The software is extremely user friendly and used by millions of professionals around the world. Researchers use data software in both psychology and non-psychology related fields.

Conclusion

As technology grows, it also influences specific other fields to grow and transform with it. We have seen how the medical, business, and science fields have all been reshaped with technology. Now more than ever is time to adjust to the technological boom because technology and its growth are here to stay for the foreseeable future. If you have been part of the psychological field for the past 10-15 years, you surely would have noticed a few positive changes with the help of technology.

Undoubtedly, technology has made life in general and our professions considerably easier. Psychology is a prime example of how technology has reshaped things and how the field itself has grown with the technological boom. It would be best to take advantage of these benefits soon and adapt ourselves to the new developments. Regardless of the field, technology is transforming every industry and sector and is providing convenience at every step.