Student’s motivations behind not pursuing industrial/organizational psychology

Abstract

Industrial organizational psychology is one of the most dynamic areas of psychology yet it is usually not the first choice of graduate students when it comes to choosing a specialization. The present study is the first of its kind and aims to understand the perspective of the students behind this phenomenon. This qualitative study was done in two phases. The first phase generated initial themes based on a brainstorming session with graduate students of psychology (n = 15) at a Central University in India. The themes were analyzed and used to formulate a semi-structured interview, which formed the second phase, and in which students (n = 15) participated. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the transcribed data following which key themes and subthemes were generated. Key themes of practicality, interest, and personality and motivation were found to be the key factors behind students not opting for industrial organizational psychology and choosing other fields like clinical psychology. The participants likely perceived a mismatch between them and the characteristics and demands of the I/O (Industrial/Organizational Psychology) in the organizations, which is seen in terms of P-E fit (person-environment fit), P-O fit (person-organisation fit), as well as P-J fit (person-job fit). Moreover, there is a subconscious need for self-presentation that motivates students to not opt for a field where they feel they might make mistakes or be criticized.