Overview, History, And Introduction To Research Methods In I/O Psychology Essay Examples

The ideas of Thomas van de Water, in his article Psychology's Entrepreneurs and the Marketing of Industrial Psychology, are as insightful as are the views of Ludy Benjamin in his article Hugo Munsterberg’s Attack on the Application of Scientific Psychology, with regard to the different reactions received by psychology testing technologies and scientific management. It is clear from the articles that the period between 1890 and 1930 saw the industrial and the education sectors embrace the ideas of psychology testing. Scientific management was not a welcomed idea. The differences that existed between the two were rooted in the human factor in industrial relations. According to the studies, scientific management was focused on profitability and productivity. The human resources were considered machines that could be overworked for as long as profitability and productivity were steady. On the contrary, the psychology testing technology took into consideration the human, mental and psychological aspects of labor.
The zeitgeist of the time was characterized by trade unionism, also referred to as labor unionism. Such unions were against the mistreatment of workers. The exploitative nature of scientific management was totally unacceptable, and it is no wonder that psychology testing emerged a more favorable option. Secondly, the zeitgeist of the time embraced technology, especially any technology that sought to amplify the essence of the human factor in production and social institutions. This explains why psychology testing was warmly embraced in industries and schools.
If they were introduced as brand new concepts tomorrow, the outcome would not be different in terms of reception and rejection. What would differ could be the extent. As a matter of fact, the scientific management approach would be rejected more vigorously tomorrow than was the case between 1890 and 1930. This is because the zeitgeist of the contemporary times is characterized by prioritizing the human factor in an organization. Today’s systems recognize the human resources as the blood and life of the organization. This means that the exploitation that is characteristic of scientific management has no place in this postmodern era. Psychology testing would be accepted because it is one of the most popular methods of examining the shortlisted candidates in the professional fields.