My decision to seek to specialize in I.O. Psychology has been made lightly or quickly. It arises from the fact that a close relative suffers a serious illness that is triggered by work-related stress. His situation prompted me to some informal study of the subject and the more I read, the more interested I became in this specialism. I was surprised to learn that work related stress is so widely felt in the working population and affects many individuals, their families, colleagues, and employers.
It has always been my hope to make a beneficial difference in the lives of others and to society in general, which is why I chose to study psychology. It seems to me that, as we spend so much of our time at work, IO Psychology is a field in which I can make that positive difference in people’s lives that I have always wished to make, as well as aiding employers to meet their goals in terms of reduced absenteeism, productivity and reduced personnel turnover.
My ambition is to acquire the skills and knowledge to enable me to work effectively in this field in a large organization and, once I have sufficient practical experience, to undertake research and to teach the specialty. We live in a time of significant and continuing change arising from technological developments and changes in types of organizational structures. I know that change is often a major cause of stress arising from confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety and so I see that the role of the I.O. Psychologists will become increasingly important in the world of work.
It also seems clear to me that my own key to success is I.O.
Psychology is to seek to constantly monitor levels of satisfaction and to identify and implement effective preventative policies and practices, rather than reacting to problems once they have begun to affect the health of employees and the success and effectiveness of the organization employing them. I would be especially interested in assisting with research in the comparison of the effectiveness of various preventative practices and policies. As the reader will note from my C.V., I am an experienced and enthusiastic researcher. I possess the curiosity and determination together with the ‘soft’ but vital interpretative and intuitive skills called for in effective research and it is an area of work that I enjoy.
I am aware that success in this field requires a certain skill set and the possession of certain personal characteristics in a practitioner. I enjoyed teaching and I learned that to succeed it is important to be approachable, amiable, and confident so that students do not hesitate to bring their difficulties to your attention, and I am sure that my students felt able to do so with me. I can see that this experience is directly applicable to this field of study and practice.
I have happily studied, worked, and socialized with people from many social and ethnic backgrounds. I am Chinese and enjoy sharing knowledge about my own culture and am fascinated by the contrasts between cultures and seek to learn as much as possible about others. I speak Mandarin and English fluently and speak Japanese and Spanish at a basic level. I am aware, from personal experience and observation, that there are significant cultural implications in many areas of psychology, certainly including I.O. Psychology. For instance, there is in some societies a cultural aversion to confrontation and so dissatisfaction is expressed in silence rather than positive complaint and sensitivity to the many such differences is of foremost importance in an effective researcher and practitioner.
I have enjoyed a successful academic career to date, I have significant research and teaching experience and am fascinated by the possibilities in the field of I.O. Psychology and the potential for me to ‘make a real difference’ by acquiring expert knowledge and skills in the field. I can assure the reader of enthusiastic, fully committed, and diligent participation in the program to which I am sure I can bring useful insights.
I regard your program as being a particularly ‘good fit’ for my purposes because of the emphasis on the areas of study and research that interest me, the prestigious reputation of the faculty and the success of graduates of the program.
Thank you for considering my application.
MA I/O Psychology Personal Statement Workplace Stress
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