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Determining Stereotypical Images Of Psychologists: The Draw A Psychologist Checklist - Statistical Data Included
College Student Journal, March, 2000 by Rosemary Barrow
Little research has investigated the sterotypical images of psychologists by college students. This manuscript describes the development of a new assessment instrument, Draw A Psychologist Checklist. Students (N = 101) at a private women's college enrolled in Basic Psychology classes were used to check the reliability of the checklist using a pretest-posttest format. The checklist included three categories: stereotypical images of the psychologists, the patient/client, and the configuration of psychologist's work environment. Chi-squares for each category and their attributes was calculated. Five stereotypical attributes were found to be significantly different from the pretest to the posttest: (a) male, (b) sitting or having their legs crossed, (c) bald or balding, (4) less non-traditional images such as teachers, researchers or test administrators, and (5) fewer drawings included desk/table/lab station/straight-backed chairs.
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Few studies have researched perceived images of psychologists (Bar-Haim, 1982; Caravec, Libardo, Francis & Odger, 1985; Carson, 1994; Carson, 1994; de-Figueroa, Schuler & de-Paikin, 1992; Mikusmski, Carggno & Nassif, 1976; Nassif, 1976; Pomini & Duruz, 1994; Schneider, Ellis & Johnson, 1979; Smith, 1982). Carson (1994) compared images of early life experiences and memories across three groups of scientists, male physicists, male mathematicians, and male and female psychologists. Female psychologists' questionnaires contained, he found, images of a diminished ability to control situations whereas the male images generated by psychologists suggested an optimistic, positive, and relatively anxiety-free solution to many of life's problems. Earlier, Bar-Haim (1982) examined the research orientations of sociologists, educators, political scientists, and psychologists who were mostly competitively oriented. He found a differentiation among researchers based on their perceptions of the advantage of competition in their style of research which led to differentiation of the researchers' self-image.
Additional studies focused upon the perceived images of psychologists and other professionals. When comparing counselors, psychiatrists, and psychologists with student perceptions by community college students, Schneider, Ellis, Johnson (1979) found males community college students rated all helpers more indecisive but more decisive than females. Pomini and Duruz (1994) asked lawyers, judges, Catholic priests and Protestant ministers to complete a questionnaire assessing their perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and professional behaviors (referral) to psychologists and clinical psychologists. They reported differences in the responses of legal professionals and clergy, de-Figueroa et al., (1992) studied images that psychology and medical students held about professional psychologists and The Adjective Checklist by Gough and Heilbrun (1983) these responses. Results according to each participants' sex, age, and field of study.
There was, also, a study of the attitudes of Mexican-American and Anglo-American college students toward and psychiatrists (Caravec, Librado, Francis, & Odgers, 1985) and a comparison of the public image of the clinical psychologist with that of the psychiatrist (Mikusinski, Carugno, & Nassif, 1976.) Although the Mexican-Americans would be more comfortable with a psychiatrist, the Anglos preferred a psychologist. The Mexican-Americans felt the most comfortable with their clergy. Both groups thought psychiatrists were more unusual than psychologists, In the Milusinski et al., (1976) study, favorable images were obtained for both the psychologist and the psychiatrist.
Because the psychologist is often perceived as a scientist, much of the research has looked at the stereotype images of scientist verses the psychologist (Bar-Haim, 1982; Carson, 1994; Smith, 1982.) Smith reported that 11 college students who attended the initial class of an experimental psychology course were asked to list five descriptors of a typical scientist and psychologist. His study provided quantifiable evidence to show there was a systematic difference in student perceptions of psychologists and scientists. Student perceptions of psychologists included: accepting, caring, observant, understanding, genuine, personable, and attentive whereas scientists were described as methodical, analytical, resourceful, intelligent, and thorough. The adjectives describing the psychologist described a clinical, interpersonal role whereas scientists were described in a experimental, laboratory role. When Smith further measured the extent of using student stereotypes, using the Adjective Generation Techniques, the mean favorability rating for psychologists was more positive than for scientists.
Schneider, Ellis, and Johnson (1979) also find that females rated helpers such as psychologists on more positive traits than males. When the masculinity/femininity ratings were compared, they were perceived as
significantly more female than the scientists. No significant differences were found for the amount of anxiety between psychologists and scientists. While Smith's (1982) research found scientists and psychologists were perceived differently, he believed, "that scientist and psychologist are not different (p. 238). Kern and Lewandowski (1981) based on their research using the Adjective Generation Technique, noted a need for improved advisement to counteract the clinical bias for the prevalence of clinical psychologists among undergraduate psychology majors.
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