What does occupational psychology study? Object, subject of study and tasks of labor psychology Fundamentals of labor psychology professional psychology
Labor psychology
A science that studies the psychological patterns of the formation of specific forms of labor activity and a person’s attitude towards work. From the point of view of P. t. working and free time the individual are closely interconnected, as are the working conditions and reproduction of the labor force. The organization of labor can provide greater productivity than its intensification, and the economic costs of the worker (his education, medical care, improvement of housing and environmental conditions lives) turn into profit in the sphere of production. The main tasks of industrial labor at the present stage are directly related to the social tasks of improving industrial relations and improving the quality of work, improving living conditions, eliminating emergency situations, democratization, and the formation of a psychological type of worker that corresponds to the culture of work.
Brief psychological dictionary. - Rostov-on-Don: “PHOENIX”. L.A. Karpenko, A.V. Petrovsky, M. G. Yaroshevsky. 1998 .
Labor psychology
A field of psychology that studies the patterns of manifestation of various psychological mechanisms in labor activities, the patterns of formation of specific forms of this activity and a person’s attitude to work. Its object is the activity of an individual in production conditions and in conditions of reproduction of his labor force. Its foundations were formed under the influence of medicine, physiology, technology, sociology and political economy.
An extremely extensive discipline is the basis for the development of areas related to specific types of activity: engineering psychology, aviation psychology, management psychology, etc.
The following main directions of her research are highlighted:
1 ) rationalization of work and rest;
2 ) performance dynamics;
3 ) formation of professional motivation and professional suitability;
4 ) optimization of relations in work collectives.
The methods used are natural and laboratory experiments, observation, interviews, questionnaires, simulators, and the labor method of studying professions.
Labor psychology abandoned the idea of the existence of two open cycles: production and consumption, where a person alternately and independently acts either as a producer or as a consumer. From her point of view, an individual’s working and free time are closely interconnected, as well as the working conditions and reproduction of the labor force.
The starting point for including a certain discipline in solving problems of labor improvement was the recognition that the organization of labor can provide greater productivity than its intensification, and the economic costs for the worker - for his education, medical care, improvement of housing and environmental living conditions - turn out to be profit in production. Moreover, each of the disciplines made its contribution to the development of labor psychology and the formulation of its tasks.
The beginning of the formation of labor psychology as an independent discipline is considered to be the appearance of G. Münsterberg’s books “Psychology and Production Efficiency” (1913) and “Fundamentals of Psychotechnics” (1914). A significant contribution to the study of labor was made by I. M. Sechenov, whose works “Physiological criteria for setting the length of the working day” (1897), “Essay on human working movements” (1901) and others laid the foundation for research into the rational organization and design of labor activities. But it took a long time for work psychology to overcome the eclecticism of its heritage, highlight its own subject and give impetus to its new branches.
The main tasks of labor psychology are directly related to the social tasks of improving industrial relations and improving the quality of work, improving living conditions, eliminating emergency situations, democratization and the formation of the psychological type of the worker.
Dictionary of a practical psychologist. - M.: AST, Harvest. S. Yu. Golovin. 1998.
Labor psychology Etymology.
Comes from the Greek. psyche - soul + logos - teaching.
Category.Section of psychology.
Specificity.Studies the patterns of manifestation and formation of various psychological mechanisms in work. The following main areas of research are identified:
Rationalization of work and rest,
Performance dynamics,
Formation of professional motivation and professional suitability,
Optimization of relations in work teams.
Methods.The methods used are natural and laboratory experiments, observation, interviews, questionnaires, simulators, and the labor method of studying professions.
Psychological Dictionary. THEM. Kondakov. 2000.
WORK PSYCHOLOGY
(English) psychology of labor) is a field of psychology that studies the patterns of formation and manifestation (processes and states, personality traits) in the process of his work. Research on labor technology is carried out in various branches of the social division of labor. With some degree of convention, we can say that within the framework of P. t. industrial, transport, aviation, legal, and medical fields have developed. psychology, research in the field of military psychology is developing, and research on P. t. in the field of management and service is gaining great importance.
The origin of P. t. is associated with the work G.Münsterberg,IN.Stern and F.W. Taylor (see ). In Russia, human working movements, physiological criteria for the maximum duration of the working day, etc., began to be studied for the first time AND.M.Sechenov; Systematic research on P. t. began to be carried out in the 1920s. within psychotechnicians. At this time, in various people's commissariats and large enterprises a number of laboratories are opening; scientific centers laboratories at labor protection institutes and others are becoming, where such prominent scientists as AND.N.Spielrein, N. D. Levitov, WITH.G.Gellerstein, A. A. Tolchinsky and others. In the 1930s. In the atmosphere of ideological purges, psychotechnics actually ceased to exist: the magazine of the same name ceased to be published, the Psychotechnical Society was closed, psychotechnical institutions and laboratories were disbanded, and psychotechnical research was almost completely stopped. The revival of P. t. began only in the middle. 1950s In modern P. t. the following can be distinguished. areas of research: rationalization of work and rest regimes, dynamics human performance, ways of formation professional suitability, education of positive professional motivation, optimization of relations in work teams, psychological and pedagogical issues of professional and labor training, mastery formation, psychological issues of professional consultation and vocational guidance and etc.; much attention is paid to problem solving engineering psychology.
Psychology is organically connected with other branches of psychology and is based on principles common to them. P. t. coordinates its efforts with physiology and occupational hygiene, ergonomics, technical disciplines.
Large psychological dictionary. - M.: Prime-EVROZNAK. Ed. B.G. Meshcheryakova, acad. V.P. Zinchenko. 2003 .
See what “work psychology” is in other dictionaries:
Labor psychology- Labor psychology is a branch of psychology that examines the psychological characteristics of human labor activity and the patterns of development of labor skills. There is an opinion that the description of this science should be divided into broad and narrow... ... Wikipedia
WORK PSYCHOLOGY- a branch of psychology that studies the psychological aspects of work activity. It arose at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. (see Psychotechnics) in connection with the scientific organization of labor (NOT) and the solution of issues of professional selection, vocational guidance, ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
WORK PSYCHOLOGY- a science that studies the psychological patterns of the formation of specific forms of labor activity. P. t. is closely related to the sociology of labor, ergonomics, engineering psychology, applied mathematics, cybernetics and other sciences. The most important... ... Russian encyclopedia on labor protection
WORK PSYCHOLOGY- the science of mental processes occurring in a person during his work activity; analyzes the labor process, examines how learning ability, skills, exercises, and job changes determine the labor process, and applies the results... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Labor Psychology- a field of psychology that studies the patterns of manifestation and formation of various psychological mechanisms in work. The following main areas of research are highlighted: rationalization of work and rest, dynamics of working capacity, formation... ... Psychological Dictionary
WORK PSYCHOLOGY- English psychology of labor; German Arbeitspsychologie. A branch of psychology that studies the psyche, activity and personality of an individual in the process of work. Antinazi. Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2009 ... Encyclopedia of Sociology
WORK PSYCHOLOGY- WORK PSYCHOLOGY. A branch of psychology that studies the psychological characteristics of various types of work activity, their dependence on socio-historical and specific production conditions, tools, methods of labor training,... ... New dictionary of methodological terms and concepts (theory and practice of language teaching)
Labor psychology- a branch of applied psychology that studies the psychological aspects and patterns of human labor activity. P. t. began to take shape at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. due to the growth of the production sector, the emergence of new types of labor... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
1. The concept of work psychology
The concept of “labor” is considered in several scientific disciplines. Such as, for example, labor physiology, organizational psychology, labor sociology, economics, management, etc., consider labor activity only as a general object, using specific methods and knowledge inherent in a particular discipline. All these disciplines consider work activity to solve practical problems aimed at humanizing work activity and increasing efficiency. As for the psychology of work, when studying work activity, the entire data system that exists in modern psychology is used.
Labor psychology is currently an independent branch of psychology, which allows the most effective use of human labor, taking into account his personal characteristics and impact on production as a whole, predicting the development of industrial relations, and much more.
Labor psychology is primarily focused on the person and his interests, on minimizing production losses and optimizing work activity for the employee.
This text is an introductory fragment. author Prusova N V3. Tasks of labor psychology. Subject of work psychology. Object of labor psychology. Subject of labor. Methods of labor psychology The main tasks of labor psychology: 1) improving industrial relations and improving the quality of work; 2) improving living conditions
From the book Labor Psychology author Prusova N V4. The time of formation and development of work psychology. Initial interests of labor psychology Labor psychology developed under the influence of medicine, physiology, psychology, technology, and sociology. Each of these disciplines added its own aspects, which is reflected in
From the book Labor Psychology author Prusova N V7. Methods of labor psychology Experiment. Non-participant observation. Participant observation. Method of surveys and interviews The method is understood as a system of theoretical and practical actions, models for studying certain problems and the practical activities of a psychologist.
From the book Labor Psychology author Prusova N V29. The concept of labor mobility. Types of mobility. The concept of labor physiology. Factors in the working environment Labor mobility refers to a change in professional status and role, which reflects the dynamics of professional growth. Elements of labor
From the book Labor Psychology author Prusova N V46. The main tasks of labor psychology The tasks of labor psychology can be divided into two groups: theoretical and applied. The first group will include tasks that are closely related to the psychological characteristics of a person (subject). For theoretical problems you can
author Prusova N V1. The concept of labor psychology The concept of “labor” is considered by several scientific disciplines. Such as, for example, labor physiology, organizational psychology, labor sociology, economics, management, etc., consider labor activity only as a general object,
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V2. The relationship between occupational psychology and other disciplines Occupational psychology does not have clear boundaries with other disciplines. When studying labor psychology, several categories of sciences can be identified that are intertwined and interact with labor psychology to varying degrees. This,
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V4. Goals of labor psychology The main goals of labor psychology are: 1) optimization of the psychological climate of the enterprise, that is, taking into account the psychological characteristics of each member of the enterprise and optimizing interactive processes within the organization; 2) forecasting possible
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V5. Tasks of labor psychology The main tasks of labor psychology The tasks of labor psychology can be divided into two groups: theoretical and applied. The first group will include tasks that are closely related to the psychological characteristics of a person (subject). TO
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V6. The subject of labor psychology The subject of labor psychology is the psychological characteristics of human activity in working conditions in such aspects as his formation as a professional, professional orientation and self-determination, labor motivation
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V7. The object of labor psychology The object of labor psychology is work as a specific activity of a person who identifies himself with a certain professional community and produces the reproduction of skills, attitudes, knowledge in this form
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V9. Methods of labor psychology In practical activities, labor psychology uses various methods to study the characteristics of human functioning in working conditions. Using these methods, candidates are selected for employment, studied
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V10. The influence of labor psychology on production The study of labor psychology and labor relations directly affects labor efficiency and the emotional comfort of a person in the workplace. An important area of labor psychology is the study of various aspects
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V3. Initial interests of labor psychology Issues of professional selection at first were the main task of labor psychology. Development of hiring criteria, analysis of differences in labor productivity among workers with approximately the same knowledge and skills
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V1. Methods of occupational psychology A method is understood as a system of theoretical and practical actions, models for studying certain problems, and the practical activity of a psychologist itself. Occupational psychology contains a huge amount of
From the book Occupational Psychology: lecture notes author Prusova N V1. The concept of labor physiology Labor physiology is a branch of physiology that studies the mechanisms and patterns of human physiological processes in the production environment, the peculiarities of human perception and regulation of the labor process. Labor physiology is closer to medicine and
Labor psychology as a field of scientific knowledge was formed as a result of the intensive development of the experimental base psychological research, directly related to the study of problems of labor and work activity. How area scientific knowledge it covers the entire set of information about a person’s life, which is determined by his professional activities, actions and deeds in the field of work. Occupational psychology is a relatively young science that received its scientific status only in the middle of the 20th century. However, the prerequisites for its emergence and formation as a scientific discipline arose in ancient times.
Labor has always existed since the emergence of man as a thinking being, and, as some researchers believe, it was he who “turned the monkey into a man.” Primitive society as a sociocultural formation arose at the turn of the Stone Age, when primitive man gained the opportunity to act not in accordance with the laws of nature, but as a result of specialized labor activity associated with his thinking. Society as an element of human culture created the necessary prerequisites for performing labor actions. The prerequisites were caused by a special social character and orientation, when primitive man, using available means, created the products necessary for his survival and existence. Modern archaeological excavations indicate that primitive people, performing specialized, purposeful labor actions, they gained the opportunity to stand out from the animal world, learned to think, reflect, analyze and make decisions. They note the originality and ambiguity of actions and deeds, which allowed them to achieve their goals, bypassing existing ones. natural laws. While animals act according to strict laws and rules predetermined by nature, primitive man, as a result of labor actions, was able to abandon intuitive behavior. The critical thought process allowed him to make the right decisions not only regarding survival in adverse, extreme situations, but also in creating the necessary tools and protection, thereby creating favorable conditions for existence.
Description and analysis of primitive culture show that in the behavior of primitive man the main activities were obtaining food, reproduction and self-defense. This required the presence of artificial, man-made objects. It was they who determined the prerequisites for the formation of social behavior, and subsequently economic relations.
One of the most important features of primitive human behavior is their group thinking, according to which each individual primitive person did not have to think and reflect individually, since the thought process takes a certain time, which can extreme conditions lead to his death. Therefore, for primitive people, one of the criteria for their existence was general collective behavior. The basis of this behavior was the need to survive in extreme conditions, but at the same time such collectivism made it possible to perform complex labor actions using artificial tools. As a result, primitive people learned the skills of joint work, distribution of responsibilities, as well as the accumulation of knowledge about this work.
The next important feature that determined the emergence of labor and labor activity was the initiation rite, after which the primitive child became an adult and received the necessary “adult” tools, as well as corresponding rights and responsibilities. These rights assumed that he now participates on equal terms in all events and situations that arise in the primitive tribe, i.e. bears direct responsibility for events occurring in the surrounding world. An indicator of adulthood and inclusion in a new social life was the receipt of a new name and a new social status. Thus, a completely different person appeared before society, who in all significant respects differed from the child, and his image was characterized by important work skills and abilities. Initiation became a kind of exam for future work activity, which recorded the skills and abilities acquired as a result of training, allowing the creation of a new product of labor.
Another important indicator of primitive society was the institution of labor education and training, which made it possible to prepare young people for future adult life. This institution was determined by the following social groups: leaders, shamans and elders. It was these groups that predetermined not only proper labor training, but also the subsequent social survival of the entire primitive community. As a result, in primitive society a specific attitude towards work was formed, which largely predetermined the subsequent social and mental development of a person and his relationships with other people.
The emergence of the first civilizations and settled settlements was the result of intensive labor activity, which was associated with construction and agriculture. Cities and states began to emerge in the basins of large rivers in the warm zone of the Earth (Nile, Indus and Ganges, Yellow River and Yangtze, Tigris and Euphrates) about 8,000 years ago. Favorable natural conditions and the construction of irrigation systems contributed to the fact that for the first time in human history, the inhabitants of these settlements began to receive consistently high grain yields. Prerequisites arose for their implementation, sale, and also making a profit, which implied the emergence of new desires and needs. The transition from the nomadic lifestyle of hunters and herders to a stable existence, without which farming is impossible, aroused in people an interest in the world of things that allowed them to experience new feelings and experiences - a comfortable state.
The era of Antiquity is also characterized by a new social position of man, a new understanding of labor activity. Now he not only acquires the status of a thinking being, but also receives a profession that allows him to realize his potential and abilities - builder, blacksmith, doctor, etc. Mastery of a particular profession, skill and competence, as well as professionalism increase a person’s social status and create conditions for improving his material well-being. At the same time, it is those who have mastered any craft who provide the basic population of cities with the necessary things and items. Important characteristics of this social group are work interest and motivation. Professional work and belonging to a professional group turn out to be the most significant values for this group of people, so their main goal becomes work and only work. As a result, artisans achieve a high level of professional skill, setting criteria for the intensity of work activity and its results. It is here that the well-known statement is formed that a person cannot exist without work and is born to work. In addition, a working person is, first of all, a free citizen who has civil rights and own opinion, to which other citizens listen.
In the presence of free labor of artisans, Antiquity is also characterized by a new social phenomenon, which is defined as slavery, or slave ownership, establishing special option labor activity. One of the criteria of slave ownership is the complete subordination of the slave to his master. Submission is associated with a person’s special social position - his psychological, physical and social dependence. The slave was not perceived as a full-fledged person - his social position was based on the level of an animal. It was of interest only for the performance of strictly defined work actions and tasks. Everything else related to the slave’s ability and ability to independently reason, think, and therefore take deliberate actions, was not assumed. As a result, the work performed by slaves was characterized by low qualifications, but at the same time high productivity. That is why slave labor was in high demand not only from the nobility and elite, but also from other free citizens of ancient cities and settlements.
The emergence of new social groups gradually leads to the identification of new criteria for the professional activity of a person in the era of Antiquity: the competence of the worker, the intensity of professional activity, qualifications, professionalism and interest. The main achievement of this era is the change in attitude towards work and work activity, which now constitute a special social space.
During the Middle Ages, new social formations arose that were qualitatively different from previous ones and changed people’s attitudes towards work. The spread of religion and its dominance in society were characterized by the special social status of a person and the corresponding religious attitude towards him, which had a serious impact on a person’s work activity. The dogmatism of religion was directly related to the harsh social rules, laws, commandments and behavioral stereotypes. A person determined through religion not only his position in the world, his attitude towards the people around him, but also his own work. All of his life activities were purely religious, and therefore his work activity was carried out under the sign of religion, when he had to constantly and intensively work, thereby distracting himself from sinful thoughts, deeds and specific actions. The work was very important social function, which consisted in the fact that a person, working intensively, was not able to think creatively and creatively, and therefore willingly obeyed the basic religious requirements. At the same time, intense work activity triggered special regulatory functions of a person, allowing him to adapt to difficult social conditions.
The Renaissance called into question the basic religious tenets and principles, including the hard, exhausting labor that existed in rape. Labor actions cease to correspond to the basic religious requirement - cleansing from sins, since they acquire rest or a holiday as an alternative. The culture of the Renaissance, or Renaissance, in many ways began to return to the era of Antiquity, at the same time it differs in many ways from antiquity, since during this period new forms of social behavior related to work began to emerge and take shape. The alternation of holidays and work in approximately equal measure became an important motivational factor stimulating the work efficiency of most people. For a person, the most chain-bearing thing was the very participation in festive action and experiencing a new mental state that resembled an altered state of consciousness. It was the holiday and the altered state of consciousness that created the preconditions for a person to become receptive to new information coming from outside, as well as to its creative rethinking. As a result, the ability to think and reflect productively intensified, initiating a creative component in the individual’s professional activity. It was during this period that the number of creative and artistic people increased sharply, and the number of discoveries in science and technology increased many times over. A person began to work in order to realize his potential and professional abilities.
New times have brought to life a completely different type of labor - production activity. The emergence of manufactories, factories and factories predetermined a qualitatively different professional orientation, which included direct human interaction with machines, units and technical means. The period of the industrial revolution associated with industrial production, established completely new priorities and values, which were determined by an increased interest in technology.
Job J. Lametrie "Man-Machine", written in 1748, considered man by analogy with the structure of a machine and was aimed at understanding him as a specific technical device, consisting of a set of individual “cogs”. The worker turned out to be a kind of appendage to the machine, i.e. was becoming integral part and element. An interesting conclusion followed from the position of J. La Mettrie: you can learn a lot about human behavior by looking at how a machine operates under similar conditions. In addition, in the machine age, the most important inventions were made in the textile industry, making it possible to optimize the work of workers in looms. So, in 1801, Jacquard used punched cards to program and control the operation of weaving machines. It was at this time that new social classes appeared - workers and engineers. Their work activity involved direct human interaction with technology and machines. At the same time, engineers managed the production process and technical systems. The Charter of the Institution of Civil Engineers (1828) states that engineers define their profession as “the art of controlling the great sources of energy in nature for the benefit and convenience of man.” At the same time, workers turned out to be only executors of orders from managers and machines, possessing a limited set of functional actions. As a result, their professional activity was a monotonous, automatic execution of operations and simple actions, excluding any thought process.
That is why at the beginning of the 20th century. In the USA and in certain European countries, the first scientific research began to be carried out, focused on the rationalization of labor and production, human adaptation to the labor process and technical equipment. The pioneer of this research was an American researcher F. W. Taylor (1856-1915). His name is associated with a qualitative breakthrough in the study of labor activity in real production conditions. He was the first to bet on scientific basis the problem of managing people in production conditions and offered practical recommendations for optimizing labor.
American mechanical engineer F.W. Taylor rose from an ordinary worker in a machine shop to the general manager of a large paper fiber manufacturing company. From his experience (being one of the most productive machine operators in the workshop), he understood the reasons for the confrontation between workers who fought with innovators like him, since an increase in the productivity of one worker automatically led to a reduction in prices, and therefore, for workers to receive the same wages it was necessary to work more intensively.
Famous publications of F. W. Taylor are "Business Management" (1903) and "Principles of Scientific Management" (1911). The main idea of his concept was to introduce a planned principle into the management of an enterprise, to be able to adequately predict the production process throughout its entire length from the beginning to the release of products, to plan and optimally organize the work of each employee of the enterprise.
The basic principles of Taylor's scientific management consisted of postulates that put the scientific study of labor in first place. Strict labor regulation was supposed to replace the practice of spontaneous empirical establishment of production standards, based on the experience of workers, their initiative, and practice. The result of scientific research into the laws of effective work at a specific job position should have been the establishment of rational ways of working, a “lesson”, i.e. the volume of output per unit of working time and the requirements for a “first-class” worker, in relation to whom the “lesson” was calculated.
In addition, it is necessary to select “first-class” workers for successful, streamlined work. A “first-class” employee must be considered a person who has the required physical and personal qualities to the required degree, as well as a person who agrees to follow all instructions from the administration, a person who wants to work and is satisfied with the salary offered.
The administration of the enterprise must voluntarily take on new responsibilities for the scientific study of the laws of each type of labor and the optimal organization of labor for each employee in accordance with the identified laws. Employees should see their task only in the exact implementation of the “lesson” and the methods of work proposed by the administration, without showing additional initiative. A good worker is a good performer. Thus, lack of initiative on the part of workers is encouraged. Only in this case, everyone together - workers and administration - will be able to achieve the implementation of the intended goals and proposed tasks. An important postulate also became the cult of the “spirit of cordial cooperation” between workers and management instead of their confrontation, mutual distrust and aggression, strikes that undermined the economic foundations of the enterprise, since as a result of such confrontation the material well-being of workers is sharply reduced.
Taylor proposed technology for conducting scientific research labor in the interests of its optimization. The technology concerned primarily the study of working movements accessible to external observation, recording the time of their execution and analysis. The method of performing a work task developed in this way became standard, and on its basis a “lesson” was determined. Next, they determined the standard of a “first-class” worker, selected one, taught him the found methods of work, and trained instructors who were subsequently supposed to train newly recruited workers. Such a scientific rationalization procedure was supposed to cover the entire production cycle of the enterprise.
F. W. Taylor's ideas would probably have gone unnoticed if he had not been able to demonstrate their economic effectiveness. The main task in his system is to ensure maximum profit for the entrepreneur combined with maximum welfare for each worker. The combination of Taylor's ideas and the flow-conveyor organization of labor in the production of consumer goods (the experience of Henry Ford's automobile industry) remained the leading form of labor organization and management until the 70s. XX century.1 The idea of scientific management, despite its criticism, became widespread in the USA, Europe and Russia, appearing there under a variety of names: “management”, “scientific management”, “rationalization”, “scientific organization of labor” and etc.
Bureaucratic theory M. Weber (1864-1920), being a development of the basic principles of F.W. Taylor, proceeded from the fact that the organization is considered as a kind of impersonal mechanism, the main rule of which is clear and error-free functioning aimed at maximizing profit.
Bureaucracy is the most ideal type of organization, ensuring maximum efficiency and predictability of behavior of organization members. Division of labor and specialization create conditions under which specialist experts work at all levels and bear full responsibility for the effective performance of their duties. In addition, a clear hierarchy of power is formed, when each lower-level employee or division of the organization reports to a superior manager. The power of a manager is based on official authority delegated from the upper levels of the hierarchy. M. Weber believed that the organization should be free to choose any means to achieve its sustainability (for example, through strict centralization of tasks); individuals can be interchangeable (so each is assigned a clear, separate task); work in an organization is the most appropriate measure of an individual’s success and is the basis of his existence; the behavior of performers is completely determined by a rational scheme, which ensures accuracy and unambiguity of actions, and allows one to avoid prejudice and personal sympathy in relationships.
French explorer L. Fayol (1841 - 1925), the author of the administrative concept of managing an organization, proposed a number of principles necessary for its effective management. These principles should be applied to all areas of organizational activity without exception; they are divided into three groups: structural, procedural and effective.
Structural principles (division of labor, unity of purpose and leadership, the relationship between centralization and decentralization, power and responsibility, chain of command) determine the main issues that need to be addressed when creating an organizational structure, forming the goals and objectives of the organization and determining lines of authority.
Procedural principles (fairness, discipline, staff remuneration, corporate spirit, team unity, subordination of individual interests to common interests) create the prerequisites for direct interaction and communication between managers and their subordinates. Fairness is seen as the main factor that ensures the loyalty and dedication of the organization's employees to their work. Although justice is considered by L. Fayol in a fairly broad sense, this principle is most clearly expressed in fair remuneration for work.
Effective principles (order, stability or sustainability of personnel positions, initiative) establish the desired characteristics of the organization. A well-planned and directed organization should be characterized by order and stability, and workers should be proactive in carrying out their tasks.
For several decades, A. Fayol headed a French mining and metallurgical company , turning it into one of the most powerful French concerns, famous for its administrative, technical and scientific personnel. While in the post of senior leader, A. Fayol saw a much broader perspective than F. W. Taylor, whose attention was primarily drawn to improving management at the level of a work group or workshop.
Thanks to the efforts L. Gyulika, J. Mooney And L. F. Urvika the theory of the “classical” school acquired relative integrity and completeness. These researchers re-developed and proposed three famous principles of industrial organization: specialization, span of control and unity of command.
Simultaneously with the system of scientific management, a number of other scientific studies of labor activity arose. Student of W. Wundt - Hugo Munsterberg (1863-1916) created industrial psychotechnics, which aimed at a detailed study of the labor process. The term “psychotechnics” was understood by G. Münsterberg, following V. Stern, as a section of applied psychology, namely as practical psychology focused on predicting the future behavior of people and influencing their behavior in the interests of society. In his monograph “Fundamentals of Psychotechnics,” published in 1914, G. Münsterberg identified the main problems that industrial psychotechnics should deal with in practice and which should be scientifically understood.
According to G. Münsterberg, professional consultation should eventually take one of the most important places in the work of psychotechnics. The scientific analysis of work activity in order to achieve the highest labor productivity, as well as the study of the psychological qualities of a professional’s personality, were priorities for G. Münsterberg and subsequently became classic studies in labor psychology. In his works, he also laid the foundations of psychotherapy and mental hygiene, paying attention to the specifics of the professional activities of representatives of different professions (car drivers, telephone operators, navigators of maritime merchant ships).
G. Münsterberg's research for the first time demonstrated the broadest possibilities for the practical use and application of scientific and theoretical research into labor psychology in ensuring the efficiency of the labor process. Industrial psychotechnics gained wide recognition not only in the USA, but also in many developed countries of Europe in the 1920s-1930s, as well as in Japan.
Despite the enormous popularity and high effectiveness of classical theories of scientific management, they are constantly criticized due to a simplified understanding of personality. An alternative to these directions was the concept of “human relations”, the followers of which stated that people’s behavior is not stable, but depends on many external, social and psychological factors. It is thanks to the concept of “human relations” that management sciences begin to take ordinary workers seriously and be interested in their motives, values, attitudes, feelings and experiences. The need for a humane attitude towards subordinates, respect for the personality of the employee and democratization of management as a whole is asserted.
The emergence of the concept of “human relations” is associated with the name of the Australian-American sociologist E. Mayo. In 1927-1933. In the course of research at the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric company, E. Mayo and F. Roethlisberger identified the important role of socio-psychological factors in the activities of workers. The main conclusion of their many years of research was that the decisive influence on the growth of worker productivity is not material, but psychological and social factors. An individual first of all strives to establish meaningful social connections with other people, and only then, as part of a group or some community, does he perform an economic function that is needed and valued by the group. The economic function does not exhaust the entire existence of a person, and his attitude towards it depends on the assessment of it by the people with whom he is associated. The main conclusion was that man is a unique social animal, capable of achieving complete “freedom” only by completely dissolving in a group.
The main recommendation in optimizing the management system could be the desire to build new organizational relationships that take into account the social and psychological aspects of people’s work activities and provide employees with a life filled with meaning. The organization must be people oriented rather than production oriented and the responsibility for the new direction and development of the organization rests with the top management.
The main provisions of the concept of “human relations” can be reduced to the following indicators: man is, first of all, a social being; the rigid formal framework of a classical organization (power hierarchy, formalization of organizational processes, etc.) is not compatible with human nature; Responsibility for solving individual problems in an organization lies with managers and leaders.
New ideas in personnel management (organization interpersonal relationships between workers, workers and administration, distribution of management functions, motivation factors) are further developed in the works M. Follett, D. McGregor, A. Maslow, F. Herzberger and other scientists. Thus, representatives of the new school questioned the classical principle of the maximum possible division of labor and initiated a search for means that would reduce the dysfunctional consequences of excessive specialization. They also made an attempt to make a person’s work activity more interesting and meaningful, predetermining the direct involvement of employees in the management of the organization.
The further development of foreign research related to labor and professional activities was directly related to the problems of automation and design of technical systems. M. Monmoman identifies three classes of concepts characteristic of the late 1990s.
The first direction is the study of human factors, it is devoted to the study of the abilities, professional qualities, skills of the employee, the nature and characteristics of his work. Due to the widespread computerization of technology, the trend recent years for this direction - shifting the focus to the interface between man and computer. The cognitive processes that arise during operator activity establish completely new principles of thinking and mental workload. The old concept of “human-machine system” is being replaced by a new one - “interaction between a person and a computer.”
The next direction - ergonomics, focused on operator activity, was largely focused on the study of the thought processes of decision-making and information analysis in real conditions of equipment control. IN in this case the operator is seen not as a machine or computer, but as a thinker. The main objective of the research is to analyze the nature and characteristics of operator activity.
The third direction - macroscopic ergonomics, or macroergonomics (organizational design and management), is focused on the global design of activities, i.e. taking into account the organizational, economic, social, cultural and ideological aspects of labor in sociotechnical systems.
The history of Russian and Soviet labor psychology represents both ups and downs, characteristic of all domestic psychology.
Determining the main trends in the development of domestic labor psychology in turn of XIX-XX centuries, E. A. Klimov And O. G. Noskova note the significant impact of the country’s socio-economic development on the specifics and characteristics of labor. The formation of a capitalist society in Russia is characterized by a change in attitude towards the worker, who is only a tool for obtaining the necessary profit. It turns out to be a kind of “appendage” of a machine, so violation of safety rules becomes natural, which leads to an increase in accidents at work. At the same time, the modernization and technical equipment of production has presented manufacturers with an important task aimed at finding an adequate match between man and technology.
The authors also draw attention to the fact that during this period of development of society, the basis for the scientific substantiation of labor activity is being prepared, including the technical design of means of labor. There is a gradual transition from intuitive methods of labor organization to their scientific analysis and interpretation. For example, V.P. Goryachkin conducted a study of the labor actions of workers with intermediate timing, and I.A. Shevelev first proposed the term “labor safety precautions.” In addition, , special procedures were developed for the examination of agricultural machinery.In 1829, M. Pavlov described an examination of the comparison of various threshers: one Scottish horse-drawn and two types of manual. As a result, in certain parameters the Scottish thresher turned out to be better, since it was more consistent with the capabilities of the workers.
In connection with the development of domestic aeronautics, the need arose to study the problems of matching between man and technology. In 1804, Ya. D. Zakharov described in detail his experiences and changes in well-being while flying in a hot air balloon. Later, the method of “observing oneself” was developed, which was also used by the famous pilot P. I. Nesterov. S.P. Munt draws up a comprehensive program for studying pilots, which included indicators of “voluntary muscle strength,” tactile and pain sensitivity.
The railway transport system has also attracted close attention from researchers due to high level accident rates and safety violations in this industry. In the 1880s. The number of railway accidents due to serious errors by drivers has increased sharply. Violations of the speed limit, slow reactions to traffic lights, and optical illusions led to serious tragedies and deaths of passengers. S.I. Kulzhinsky singled out overwork and decreased attention as the main reasons for the optical illusion of machinists. To reduce accidents in railway transport, special devices for monitoring railway workers are being invented, for example, a device for monitoring train crews (I. G. Didushkin), “semaphore repeaters” (A. Erlich, A. Mazarenko), and the idea of replaceable or double crews is proposed for locomotive drivers.
Thanks to these and other studies, a separate direction was formed under the leadership A. L. Shcheglova for the study of performance and fatigue at work - ergometry. At the beginning of the last century I. I. Spirtov experimentally studied the influence of music and color sensations on muscle work. On the basis of the Psychoneurological Institute under the leadership V. M. Bekhtereva And A. F. Lazursky A number of works have also been carried out to study the problem of mental performance and fatigue. The authors considered human labor activity as a factor in human development and social progress. I. M. Sechenov was one of the first to give a psychophysiological justification for the effectiveness of alternating work (based on the principle of “active rest”), considering this important for increasing the efficiency and productivity of labor (especially in the era of the future of assembly line production).
It is domestic researchers ( I. Richter, II. A. Shevalev etc.) focused on the fact that a person is not a machine, but a subject of activity controlled by consciousness, and therefore the personal qualities, characteristics and abilities of the employee should come to the fore.
First World War, revolution, Civil War in Russia were accompanied by hunger, devastation, unemployment and largely determined the paths and strategies for the development of industry and labor activity. Under these conditions, the movement to promote Taylorism, the NOT movement (from the phrase “scientific organization of labor”), became widespread in the country.
The dissemination of the ideas of scientific management began in pre-revolutionary Russia; the works of F. W. Taylor were promptly translated and published in the periodical press - "Notes of the Imperial Russian technical society", in the magazine "Engineer".
The emergence of psychotechnics as a scientific and practical discipline in Russia is associated with the creation in 1921 (on the direct orders of V.I. Lenin) of the Central Institute of Labor (CIT). In the same year, the First All-Russian Conference on POT took place, where V. M. Bekhterev was the chairman. At the conference, many reports were made by engineers, in which not only Taylor’s work was recounted, but also original work on the rationalization of certain types of labor was presented. At that point in time, there were two main movements in the scientific organization of labor - “Taylorists” (A.K. Gastev, L.A. Levenstern, V.A. Nesmeyanov, V.M. Tolstopyatoe, etc.) and “anti-Taylorists” (O Yermansky, V. M. Bekhterev, L. V. Granovsky).
He played a special role in the development of Soviet psychotechnics A. K. Gastev, who in 1921 was appointed director of the CIT. He developed the original NOT system using the basic principles of the Taylor system. An important point of his approach was the special position of the worker. He argued that no technology will help unless a new type of worker is developed. A.K. Gastev developed the main stages of “organizational training” - a system that was called “pedagogical training”. This NOT system included: general gymnastics (“pure movement technique”); imitation of work (the task is to accustom a person to the load corresponding to the work) and, finally, real work (the main task is to rehearse labor operations to the point of automatism).
Gastev suggested using a kind of probationary period. For example, managers were offered a six-month probationary period (to draw up psychological portrait). The general logic of organizing such a period was built from a simple executive initiative to organize one’s workplace to subsequent, more complex planning tasks (it was believed that executive work is more difficult than managerial work, so one must first learn to obey oneself, learn to organize simple elements of one’s work). To educate NOT in everyday life, a special chronocard was used (an accounting document for recording the time budget). The basic rule of joint work, according to A.K. Gastev, is to hide, and not demonstrate, one’s individuality, to be able to put not one’s own “I” in first place, but common interests.
Since 1928, the journal “Psychotechnics and Psychophysiology” began to be published in the USSR, renamed in 1932 to “Soviet Psychotechnics”. Beginning in 1928, active training of psychotechnicians began at the base Faculty of Education 2nd Moscow State University (later - Lenin Moscow School of Art, currently - Moscow State Pedagogical University). In 1930 at VI International conference psychotechnicians in Barcelona, the Soviet psychologist and linguist Isaac Naftulovich Schnilrein was elected president of the International Psychotechnical Association, which was recognition of the merits of domestic psychotechnics. He conducted research in the field of the theory of psychotechnics, developed the principles of psychotechnical study of professions, developed and implemented the labor method of studying professions, etc.
An important indicator of the development of domestic labor psychology was not only following traditional Western and American models, but also the creation of its own direction - tectology, developed by A. A. Bogdanov.
Tectology - This is a doctrine of construction that seeks to systematize the organizational experience of humanity as a whole and identifies the most general organizational patterns. This term was borrowed from E. Haeckel, who used it in relation to the organization of life of living beings, and from A. A. Bogdanov, tectology embraces the organization of things, people and ideas. Bogdanov's main idea is to consider every whole, every system of elements in its relation to the environment, and each part - in its relation to the whole. The ideas of A. A. Bogdanov are consonant with many modern ideas about an organization understood as a developing system. Unfortunately, in the late 1930s. they were declared non-Marxist.
Labor reflexology has become an important direction in solving the problem of labor rationalization V. M. Bekhtereva. Bekhterev's research methods are objective observation and physiological experiment. Reflexology studies a person at work, and work is understood as a type of activity. Unlike other types of activity, labor is not only an adaptation of the body to the environment, but also of the environment (production environment) to the person. The basis of work is interest: “If work generally promises certain benefits in the present or future, then this already arouses a new and completely special reflex of a facial-somatic nature, designated by us as interest in work... in interest we have a counteraction to fatigue. .. Interest can be material and so-called ideological... Ideological interest consists in the fact that a person who has reached a certain cultural level is aware of the socially useful significance of his work as a necessary fact of civilization and is imbued with its social significance."
Another important area of labor rationalization was ergology and ergotechnics V. I. Myasishcheva.
Ergology - This is the doctrine of human work, the science of the principles, methods, and laws of human labor. The subject content of ergology should be determined by the practical problems studying the relationship between the requirements of the profession and the individual, the forms of the relationship between the form of activity and the type of personality (including problems of professional talent), the relationship between the labor process and the individual’s performance, studying the relationship between the conditions of activity and the state of workers, studying the influence of work on the individual.
Ergotechnics - This is a scientific and practical area that is based on theoretical concepts of ergology and develops practice-oriented technologies.
Myasishchev considered professional psychology as a very significant section of personality psychology, because production activity is the most important manifestation of a person’s personality. According to Myasishchev, ergography - this is a process of studying forms of work, consisting of two stages: analysis of work based on a description of its constituent tasks; functional analysis of each task. The process of studying the personality of a working person - psychography. In general, ergography is intended to establish the relationship between tasks carried out in different forms of labor and the human body (as a means of solving problems).
Doctrine of Dominant A. A. Ukhtomsky also largely showed the originality of domestic labor psychology. The dominant (according to Ukhtomsky) is the focus of dominant excitation, which strengthens the current reflex and inhibits other forms of activity (according to the mechanism of conjugate inhibition). In reflexology, this concept was adopted, since it was believed that the basis of each labor process is a certain “labor dominant”. For example, the dominant mechanism was used to explain the long-term preservation of a person’s working posture. The dominant mechanism was used to explain the situation when a person performs two labor acts at once: the labor dominant is supported by external stimuli and inhibits acts not associated with it, therefore, if a person performs two acts at once, without relying on the mechanism that unites them previously created in special training, the execution one act is inhibited by another act. Thus, the training process was explained as a process of combining dominants into a common labor dominant of the highest order.
Ukhtomsky developed the idea of a mobile, emerging integration of nerve centers as the basis for the formation of complex functional systems in work (later in psychology, on this basis, they began to develop the idea of “functional mobile organs” that constitute the physiological basis of higher mental functions). According to Ukhtomsky, functional organ - it is not something morphologically cast, permanent. An organ can be any combination of forces that can lead to the same results. An organ is, first of all, a mechanism with a certain unambiguous action. All this is close to the concept of “system,” which subsequently began to be developed in psychology (in particular, in the psychology of the mechanisms of organizing human movements and actions, according to I. A. Bernstein, and especially in engineering psychology).
In the fall of 1936, the psychotechnical movement and the All-Union Society of Psychotechnicians and Applied Psychophysiology came into existence, according to the decision of the psychotechnicians themselves. This happened shortly after the adoption of the resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks "On pedological perversions in the People's Commissariat of Education" on July 4, 1936. The resolution condemned the theory and practice of pedology test assessment children's abilities. The resolution concerned all forms of practical activity in which people's abilities were assessed using tests, so indirectly it served as the basis for the elimination of not only pedology, but also economic psychotechnics. The public condemnation of psychotechnics as pseudo-spiders was carried out in the article by V.I. Kolbanovsky “So-called psychotechnics”, published on October 23, 1936 in the newspaper Izvestia.
The change in political and economic course during the years of the first five-year plans, the policy of emergency measures led to the liquidation or repurposing of institutions dealing with issues of labor protection and occupational health, psychology and psychophysiology of work, and social psychology. Industrial psychotechnics, which developed in conditions of relative democracy, turned out to be inadequate to the era of emergency measures in the 1930s. in USSR. First of all, this concerns the problems of increasing the efficiency of military labor:
- - the use of psychology in camouflage technology (B. M. Teplov wrote several works on dain issues, in particular such as “War and Technology”, “White Coat”, etc.);
- - increasing the visual and auditory sensitivity of soldiers (K. Kh. Kekcheev in his work “Night Vision” offered special instructions for reconnaissance officers, fighter pilots, observers; in artillery it turned out to be possible to increase the sensitivity of vision and hearing by 50-100% within 1.5- 2 hours);
- - studies of the role of personal, moral and volitional qualities of fighters and commanders (works by I. D. Levitov “The will and character of a fighter”, M. P. Feofanov “Education of courage and courage”, the famous book by B. M. Teplov with the original title “Mind” and the will of the military leader" etc.);
- - training of military pilots (I. I. Spielrein and his staff in 1934 developed a system for training military pilots. If earlier up to 90% of cadets were professionally unsuitable, and training was carried out the old fashioned way - an instructor sat behind and beat the cadet with a stick for mistakes, then after recommendations of psychologists, the necessary skills and conditions for their training were identified. Unfortunately, from 1936 to 1957, professional selection for the army was not carried out due to the well-known resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of July 4, 1936 “On pedological perversions in the People's Commissariat for Education” system" );
- - use of the psychology of restorative occupational therapy after operations. Injuries to the upper extremities were the most common (up to 85% of all injuries). After the operations, it was necessary to restore motor functions. A. R. Luria in 1942 invited the famous psychotechnician S. G. Gellerstein to his military hospital to lead an occupational therapy workshop. Gellerstein's technique turned out to be very effective (positive results in 80% of cases). The essence of the methodology is defined as follows: “The most significant feature of labor movements is their objective-target nature... The goal of the labor operation lies outside, and the working body is called upon to mobilize all the wealth of its motor and sensory capabilities to best achieve the goal... Knowing how to correctly select and modify labor tasks and influence the tool, the product, the “workspace”, we learn to control labor movements, bring some to life, dampen others and direct the course of restoration of movements in our own way.”
In the post-war period, applied psychology developed taking into account the needs of civilian economic life. The restoration of applied psychology in this area as an officially recognized scientific discipline became possible only during the period of overcoming the totalitarian regime in the country. In 1957, at a meeting on labor psychology in Moscow, a decision was made to revive the field of applied psychology, which would deal with labor problems (the program report by E. V. Guryanov “The state and tasks of labor psychology” was approved). It was recommended to resume training of specialists in this area. Since in those days it was not customary to cancel the decisions of the Party Central Committee, the revived scientific direction was called “labor psychology” and not “industrial psychotechnics”. At the same time, the idea of the necessary relationship between labor psychology and general psychology, as well as other areas of psychology, was emphasized, and the idea was substantiated that work in the field of labor psychology must meet scientific criteria common to any direction of psychological science.
As the main approach in domestic labor psychology and engineering psychology in the 1950s. the so-called machine-centric approach was considered, which established the priority of technology (“from machine to man”). As positive aspects of using this approach, I. D. Zavalova, B. F. Lomov, V. A. Ponomarenko considered the development of precise methods in psychology and the identification of some essential aspects of the activity of a human operator: on the one hand, his limitations, and on the other - advantages over an automatic machine, which, of course, contributed to the solution of certain automation problems. The limitations of the machine-centric approach were shown by the results of numerous studies, which led to the formation of an anthropocentric approach, where the human operator “was not considered as a specific link technical system, but as a subject of labor, carrying out conscious, purposeful activity and using automatic devices in the course of its implementation in order to achieve the goal."
Thus, the relationship “man - machine” in management systems began to be considered as the relationship “subject of labor - tool of labor”, i.e. The machine is actually a means included in human activity.
Studies of labor activity in domestic labor psychology were actively carried out until the end of the 1980s, when they were funded from state budget. Characteristic feature These studies were a shift in attention to the study of the personality of the employee, professional. Its effectiveness and performance are largely determined by individual personal indicators, level of professional preparedness, motivation, as well as mental state. This period is also characterized by active development methodological foundations labor psychology. The anthropocentric approach proposed by B. F. Lomov made it possible to identify the priority position of the subject in the “man - machine” system and bring the problem of optimizing work activity to a new level.
The use of a systematic approach was of particular importance for the analysis of issues of labor psychology. The idea of the systemic organization of the subject of labor and work activity in general helped to reveal fundamentally new patterns and phenomena of the mental organization of activity.
In particular, V.F. Rubakhin developed a structural-heuristic concept of layer-by-layer processing of information by an operator, V.D. Shadrikov - the concept of systemogenesis of labor activity, V.A. Bodrov established the phenomenon of combined activities and developed a structural-dynamic approach to the professional selection of operators, D. A. Oshanin revealed the mechanisms of formation of an operational image and created the concept of the efficiency of reflection, A. A. Krylov developed the concept of “inclusion”, I. D. Zavalova, V. A. Ponomarenko - the principle of an active operator, E. A. Klimov - the idea of an individual style of activity and created a classification of professions.
Thus, the end of the 20th century. was marked by the final status of work psychology, when powerful scientific and educational centers were formed that were actively involved in the problems of work psychology: the departments of work psychology at Leningrad (since 1991 - St. Petersburg) and Moscow State Universities, the Faculty of Psychology at Yaroslavl University, research laboratories at the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, etc. In the data structural divisions Teams of scientists have been formed to develop various scientific directions.
At Moscow State University, theoretical and methodological problems activities in line with the ideas of L. S. Vygotsky and A. I. Leontiev. Bright achievements in the field of labor psychology and engineering psychology are associated with the names of V. P. Zinchenko, E. I. Ivanova, E. A. Klimov, A. B. Leonova, O. G. Noskova, Yu. K. Strelkov.
The ideas of B. G. Ananyev and B. F. Lomov are fruitfully developing in St. Petersburg state university. The development of methodological issues within the framework of a systemic and information approach is carried out by A. A. Krylov, G. V. Sukhodolsky, A. I. Naftulev, V. L. Marishchuk and their students.
Much work in the field of psychology is being carried out at the Yaroslavl Psychological School. Starting with the works of V.D. Shadrikov, devoted to the development of the concept of systemogenesis of professional activity, the research of Yaroslavl psychologists covers almost the entire range of problems of labor psychology.
This is a generalizing psychological concept of professional activity (A. V. Karpov), and the problem of professional abilities (I. P. Anisimova, L. Yu. Subbotina), and the problem of professionalization of the subject (Yu. P. Povarenkov, V. E. Orel) .
The Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the leading pioneers of fundamental and applied research in the field of labor psychology and engineering psychology. Research projects, begun under the leadership of B.F. Lomov, V.D. Nebylitsyn, K.K. Platonov, Yu.M. Zabrodin, V.F. Rubakhin, are actively continued in the works of modern scientists. Problems of mental regulation of activity are reflected in the studies of V. A. Bodrov, Yu. Ya. Golikov, L. G. Dika, A. I. Kostin and their students. The research of A.I. Zankovsky formalized the process of development and formation of organizational psychology in our country.
Today, occupational psychology is a science that solves various applied problems and tasks: selection and selection of candidates for vacant positions, development of vocational training and retraining programs, development of methodological complexes for organizing safety at work, design of technical means of presenting information. In addition, labor psychology is based on a system of philosophical knowledge, the methodology of science, and also provides specific scientific and practical material for the development of philosophy.
Labor is a purposeful and specific human activity aimed at transforming and changing the surrounding world in order to subsequently satisfy human needs. Labor is one of the main types of conscious human activity, which serves as a means and way of self-realization in personal and public life, creation of material and spiritual values. At the same time, labor is primarily a socio-economic phenomenon, therefore issues of its planning and organization are determined at the system level National economy, industries, enterprises, issues of its accounting and remuneration.
Labor activity as an object of scientific study is included in various scientific disciplines, which aim to identify its specific features and characteristics. Labor is studied from a variety of angles and using their own specific methods by physiologists, sociologists, philosophers, psychologists, technologists, lawyers, doctors, and designers. Labor psychology also makes its feasible contribution to the knowledge and understanding of human labor activity, since on its own it is not able to fully understand such a global cultural phenomenon as work. This raises the problem of integrating the knowledge of various labor sciences. Labor economics, labor sociology, labor physiology, occupational hygiene and a separate part of medicine associated with the analysis of occupational diseases, with issues of examination of work ability, being directly related to work, require a thorough and detailed study of its social indicators, specific features and vital criteria. Professional pedagogy, as well as pedagogy of vocational schools, secondary special and higher schools establish the priority of training and formation of basic professional skills and abilities.
Also related scientific disciplines to occupational psychology are the sciences of biological, technical and natural systems, which are directly related to the processes of organization and self-organization of natural space. Socio-economic sciences, as well as sciences about sign systems (mathematics, mathematical logic, semiotics) provide interesting information for a correct understanding of the work activity of the competence of professionals, the characteristics of their behavior, as well as for drawing up professional charts.
Labor psychology could successfully act as a kind of initiator of the integration of the mentioned scientific disciplines. In addition, the boundaries of occupational psychology and these sciences are sometimes so blurred that it is sometimes impossible to determine which of them certain terms, concepts, problems and methods belong to. For example, the observation method and some methods of functional diagnostics are quite freely present in various scientific disciplines. The same can be said about the problems of professional performance, prevention of injuries, fatigue, studying and improving professional adaptation, issues of professional selection, development of work skills, as well as problems of professional burnout. These problems are relevant not only for occupational psychology, but also for other related disciplines.
In addition to determining the relationship between occupational psychology and other scientific disciplines, it is also necessary to understand its connections and interactions with other psychological sciences. Based on existing information, which is reflected in psychological manuals, encyclopedias and dictionaries, we can say that work psychology largely uses basic psychological categories, but at the same time it also introduces its own achievements in knowledge and understanding of human nature and its mental sphere.
General psychology is considered as a scientific, theoretical basis for understanding specific phenomena that characterize the subject of labor and his activity in the workplace. different levels(starting from sensations, emotions and ending with personality relationships, its psychological aspects of worldview). At the same time, general psychology is a branch that, in turn, can be improved using the achievements of labor psychology. This is explained by the fact that labor psychology studies the leading activities of an adult.
The interaction of general psychology and labor psychology can be one of the mechanisms for bringing psychology as a whole closer to life while maintaining sufficient theoretical rigor in solving scientific and practical problems.
Child, developmental and educational psychology clarify the important issue for labor psychology about the development of a person as a subject of activity, in particular labor. Labor psychology develops a systemic understanding of the world of work, the world of professions, and some “standards” of personal qualities necessary for the successful and effective professional activity of a person, which is necessary for solving the problems of labor training and education.
Pathopsychology and clinical psychology have in common with occupational psychology specific boundary problems associated with the psychological examination of the ability to work of people with impaired health (mental or physical). Also important are the problems of social and labor rehabilitation of disabled people - the preservation of their residual ability to work, the selection and design of suitable conditions for them, activities that ultimately allow them to find a worthy place in the work collective, and the consciousness of their usefulness.
Labor psychology, being a branch of psychological science, studies the psychological characteristics of various types of work activity in their dependence on socio-historical and specific production conditions, on tools of labor, methods of labor training and on the psychological qualities of the worker’s personality.
The direct intersection of labor psychology with other related psychological disciplines, such as engineering psychology, ergonomics, management psychology, organizational psychology, economic psychology, in modern conditions establishes points and places of contact. On the one hand, they are a special variety of each other, since they have as their object real labor, professional communities, teams, real workers, professionals engaged in one or another type of labor activity. On the other hand, they are qualitatively different from each other, since they set themselves completely different goals and objectives.
Engineering psychology is focused on the design, study and transformation of complex human-machine systems, including information interaction of a person (labor subject) with complex equipment, as well as the study of various characteristics and functional states of the human operator. It arose and developed through the analysis of various types of camera work. Ergonomics is a complex of areas of knowledge and practice focused on the study and optimization of human labor, which takes into account the “organismal” (anatomical-physiological) and psychological components of a person, which can be expressed in a number or diagram. Management psychology studies management functions without regard to the specific people performing them, management principles, and management structures. In addition, it determines the hierarchical relationships of workers in the organization, as well as the conditions for optimizing these relationships in order to increase labor productivity, personal development of workers and work teams. Organizational psychology studies the basic manifestations of the human psyche that are important for the successful and efficient functioning of an organization. It includes the following levels of problems - the personality and behavior of individual employees of the organization (the traditional object of labor psychology), problems of group work (the traditional subject of applied social psychology), problems of the organization as a whole (its design, development, diagnosis of the condition and methods of optimizing the function (fatification). In this case, labor psychology turns out to be an integral part of organizational psychology, which considers all organizational processes, including those not directly related to work activity (manifestation of organizational culture, psychological problems image of the organization)".
Labor psychology in its traditional version studies the psychophysiological foundations of labor, the history of the development of knowledge about labor, the theoretical and methodological foundations of labor psychology, psychological characteristics labor and specific professional activities, highlighting professionally important qualities, human development in work, professional crises and personality destruction in work, etc.
It is possible to distinguish additional sections of labor psychology, often formed at the junction of its main sections: psychophysiology of work, psychohygiene of work, psychological (and psychophysiological) aspects of labor rehabilitation, career guidance for people with disabilities, space psychology, psychology of legal activity, psychology of management, marketing, etc.
In labor psychology, researchers pay a lot of attention to the subject of research as an important criterion and indicator of the theoretical and methodological basis of a scientist. At the same time, the very understanding of the subject of labor psychology by various authors is not always unambiguous and has different interpretations and interpretations.
According to E. A. Klimov, labor psychology is “a system of psychological knowledge about work as an activity and the worker as its subject.” The author focuses on the dynamism of the discipline, believing that it represents “a set of interacting, emerging trends, approaches, scientific directions, schools, concepts. The most important subject of study of science is man as a subject of labor. The concept of “subject” emphasizes the role of man as an active, as a creator in relation to the objects of the objective and social environment opposing him, material world, and not just a performer of externally given relationships; as an integrating component of the "subject - object" system, ensuring the interaction of all its components.
I. S. Pryazhnikov considers the subject of labor psychology to be one of the components of the “subject-object” system: “the subject of labor psychology is the subject of labor, i.e., a worker capable of spontaneity and reflection of his spontaneity in the conditions of production activity.” In this case, the subject (individual or social group) is understood as a bearer of objective-practical activity and cognition, as a source of activity aimed at an object.
V. A. Tolochek defines the subject of labor psychology as processes, psychological facts and patterns generated by a person’s labor activity, his development and functioning as an individual, subject, personality and individuality.
The subject of labor psychology is the psychological essence of work activity, the personality characteristics of the worker (professional abilities) and his interaction with the production environment.
The subject of labor psychology studies subjects of labor both from the point of view of their development, formation as subjects of labor and from the point of view of optimizing functioning as subjects of labor.
The object of labor is understood as “a specific labor process, normatively specified, including an object, means (tools), goals and objectives of labor, as well as rules for performing work (technology of the labor process) and conditions for its organization (socio-psychological, microclimatic, management: rationing, planning and control)". In other words, the object of science means the second component of the “subject-object” system, which acts as the target of influence.
V. A. Tolochek considers labor as the social activity of a person as a subject of labor activity to be the object of labor psychology.
The general forecast that Western scientists make regarding the further development of work psychology is that it is necessary to develop interaction and cooperation of various scientific directions that can solve the limited understanding of human cognitive behavior (M. Montmollen, B. Kantowitz). But the main trend modern stage the development of labor psychology consists in studying the phenomenon of technology, its specifics and tasks in socio-historical development, with the involvement of an increasing number of “non-technical”, socio-cultural factors. As one of the important aspects of ethically and socially oriented management of scientific and technological progress, taking into account the requirements of humanity in relation to the individual and society, the organization of comprehensive scientific research into the possible social, political, economic and environmental consequences of technology development is considered in order to prevent irreversible and catastrophic destruction of nature, negative changes in the social life of society.
Psychological analysis is an essential point in optimizing work activity. Problems of organizing attention, requirements for memory, thinking, will, the formation of a system of professional abilities - all this is now the most pressing issues in the scientific and practical support of labor. These and a number of other theoretical issues constitute the field of study of labor psychology. Labor psychology is the science of mental phenomena, mechanisms and their characteristics that are activated in a person during the labor process, personality characteristics, as well as methods that play an important role in the labor process and its most expedient organization. In its most general form, labor psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with the study of psychological patterns in human labor activity. Recently, an approach has emerged (Peter J. Drenth, Henk Tierru, Paul J. Willems, Charles de Wolff) that combines work psychology and organizational psychology into one scientific discipline and defines it as a science “that studies the behavior of working people and the topics how they perform activities within certain organizational structures, or organizations." (Leonova A. Chernysheva O. Labor psychology and organizational psychology, p. 10). Based on the definition of labor psychology and the tasks facing it, we must determine the subject of study of this science. The subject of labor psychology is mental processes, psychological factors that motivate, program and regulate an individual’s labor activity.
Recently, there has been a change in the understanding of the content of the subject of work psychology. The main aspects of the study, along with the organization of work and personality, are the issues of cognitive regulation of activity.
The tasks that work psychology solves are diverse both in methodological status and content. Let's get to know more about specific tasks, facing the psychology of work. The most detailed analysis of the problems facing labor psychology was given by B. F. Lomov.
The problem of motivation for work activity, personality formation at work. Study of patterns, mechanisms, factors and conditions of personal development in work activity.
The problem of organizing and developing labor collectives.
The problem of psychological and psychophysiological support for the activities of various human states that arise in work.
Psychological issues related to the design, development and operation of equipment.
Psychological aspect of improving management systems.
Psychological problems associated with protecting people's health at work.
Improving the service sector. Psychological issues of advertising, marketing, etc.
Problems of vocational training.
In the most general form, we can distinguish the following large groups of tasks and areas that work psychology should solve.
1. Psychological study of work activity. This includes an analysis of the requirements for a person’s mental functions; determination of patterns and mechanisms for the formation of professionally important qualities; study of the structure of labor activity, its dynamics and mechanisms. More specific issues include the study of performance and fatigue, learning and skills, work and rest regimes, etc.
2. Study of personality in the labor process. First of all, we should note here studies concerning the motivation of work activity and human self-realization in work. An important point is an analysis of the abilities, interests of the individual, methods of information exchange, problems of creativity, etc.
3. Social and psychological problems of labor. Work is always a group activity, which complicates it with many social problems. Problems of management, control, planning, conflict resolution - all these issues are studied in the field of labor psychology. Of particular importance are studies of this plan in the field of specific professions, professional selection and training.
This triad of problems: “the labor process” - “personality in work” - “social dynamics of labor” are the practical basis, on which the psychology of work is built. The fundamental methodological position of modern labor psychology is the metasystem approach. Labor as a socio-psychological structure has a metasystem organization (A.V. Karpov). Each individual element of labor also has a systemic character. In this regard, the principle of consistency is basic for labor psychology (B.F. Lomov, V.D. Shadrikov). It is obvious that the development of scientific ideas in the field of labor psychology should be based on other general methodological principles (determinism; the unity of consciousness and activity; the genetic principle and a number of others). However, from the point of view of objective scientific logic, they will necessarily be expressed in research based on a complex systematic - active - personal approach. The field of research in work psychology and organizational psychology brings together all research related to the world of work and the activities of professional organizations. Labor psychology studies a special form of behavior of working people, carried out within the framework of an organization.
The subject and tasks of psychology there
Occupational psychology is a branch of psychology. science that studies the patterns of formation and manifestation of psyche. human activity in various types of work and develops practical recommendations for mental health. ensuring labor efficiency and safety.
The subject of labor is the subject of labor. The subject himself is usually considered as a “carrier” of objective-practical activity and cognition (an individual or a social group), as a source of activity aimed at an object.
The object of labor is understood as a specific labor process, including the subject, means, goals, tasks of labor, rules for performing work and conditions of the organization.
V.N. Druzhinin identifies the object of study of labor psychology:
1) a person as a participant in the process of creating material and spiritual values, their development and provision.
2) a group of people (team, crew, shift, etc.)
3) system (man-technology, man-man, man-nature, etc.)
The subject of labor psychology is the psychological patterns of the labor process, the personality characteristics of the subject of activity and their relationship with the means, process, conditions, and organization of labor activity.
There are 2 groups of tasks:
1) internally scientific (form the structure of science)
2) applied (form direct and feedbacks, connecting science and practice, psychology and production)
Main goals:
*psychological analysis of the activities of specialists in various fields - development of methods and analysis program, error analysis, construction of professional charts.
*study of mental mechanisms. regulation of labor activity in normal and extreme conditions.
*research of human performance in various types and working conditions, and the rationale for psychological recommendations to improve or maintain it.
* study of the peculiarities of the functioning of the states of the subject of activity.
*studying the patterns of relationship between personality traits and characteristics of activity.
* justification of the system of professional psychological selection of specialists (methods, indicators, criteria, etc.).
*studying the processes of formation and development of a professional’s personality.
History of the formation and development of occupational psychology as a branch of psychological science
In the psyche. science has always paid attention to the psyche. the issue of labor. One of the first to study the role of the personal factor in labor was Sechenov.
At the beginning of the 20th century, psychology was asked questions about the influence of irritation and the participation of the work of the first system in labor movements. On the role of active recreation in production work.
Revival on the psychological front in Russia began before World War I with the translation of the works of the American rationalizer Taylor.
Taylor's work contained ideas associated with the scientific organization of labor movement.
1) A significant stage in the history of work psychology begins with the emergence of psychotechnics in foreign science. The term was introduced by Stern in 1903.
This term was used by the American psychologist Münsterberg, who published the book “Psychology and Economic Life”, “Fundamentals of Psychotechnics”.
At the same time, Soviet psychotechnics developed. This direction in the study and organization of work was led by psychologists who proclaimed the need to study work from the point of view of psychology.
In 1927, the All-Russian Psychotechnical Society published the journal “Psychophysiology of Labor and Psychotechnics.” Specific types of work, interest in methods of professional selection, and personnel training are studied.
2) Until 1935, the main task was to increase labor productivity, develop methods scientific training personnel, attracting public attention to issues of labor and labor training.
Since 1936, a decree was issued on pedagogical perversion in the systems of People's Commissariat for Education. Psychology as a science was liquidated. Work on psychotechnics stopped.
1936–1956 Psychology does not officially exist. In 1955, a meeting of psychologists took place in Moscow, it was organized by the Moscow Institute of Psychology. At this meeting, an initiative group of scientists interested in the problems and issues of labor psychology stands out.
The task was set to develop and coordinate work in the field of occupational psychology. It was decided to carry out work in the field of occupational psychology.
In 1957, the stage of revival of labor psychology began (Levitov, Platonov, Arkhangelsky).
The place of labor psychology in the system of labor sciences
The main scientific disciplines involved in the study of human labor activity: labor psychology; engineering psychology; ergonomics.
Occupational psychology is a branch of psychological science that studies the patterns of manifestation of human mental activity in various types of work, developing recommendations for ensuring the efficiency and safety of work.
Engineering psychology is a branch of psychological science that studies the information interaction between man and technology with the aim of using the information obtained in the design, creation, and operation of the “man-machine-environment” system.
Ergonomics - comprehensive scientific discipline, which, based on the requirements of various labor sciences, is engaged in the improvement and design of work activities in order to improve its efficiency.
The study of psychological aspects in various types of work activity is based on the achievements of various branches of psychology: social, differential, personality psychology and psychophysiology.
Occupational psychology uses theoretical and methodological materials from the sciences: sociology, pedagogy, physiology, hygiene, medicine, computer science, cybernetics.
Sciences related to labor psychology are grouped into three groups:
1) sciences with the first degree of relationship:
labor economics, labor sociology, labor physiology, occupational hygiene, professional pedagogy, part of medicine, history of technology, part of field anthropology (tools).
2) sciences with the second degree of relationship are those branches of technical knowledge whose subject is the instrumentation of the labor process:
technical aesthetics, theoretical issues of artistic design.
3) sciences of the third degree of kinship - here, for labor psychology, information is of interest for a correct understanding of the work activities of professionals, for drawing up professional charts: mathematics; mathematical logic.
Occupational Psychology and Engineering Psychology
Occupational psychology is a branch of psychological science that studies the patterns of formation and manifestation of human mental activity in various types of work and develops practical recommendations for the psychological provision of labor efficiency and safety.
Engineering psychology developed on the basis of labor psychology. However, these disciplines have different objectives.
Engineering psychology is a branch of psychological science that studies the information interaction between man and technology, with the aim of using the information obtained in the design, creation, and operation of the “man-machine-environment” system.
The goal of labor psychology: increasing labor efficiency by improving already created and used equipment.
The goal of engineering psychology is to develop psychological foundations for the design and creation of new technology, taking into account the “human factor.” By studying the “man-machine” system, engineering psychology tries to achieve their high efficiency and develops the following psychological foundations:
*design and management of equipment.
* selection of people who have the necessary level of individual psychological and professional qualities to work with certain equipment.
*professional training of people to work with equipment.
Research methods in occupational psychology
The study of labor activity involves the use of a set of methods and particular methodological techniques, knowledge of psychological phenomena, patterns of human labor activity and the substantiation of practical recommendations for its improvement.
Provides for obtaining and using scientific factors and data on the psychological characteristics of work activity.
The main tool in this work is a set of specific methods of psychological research, which can be combined into the following classes of methods:
1) analysis of working documents - for general familiarization with the specifics of a particular activity.
2) observation of the work process - to collect information on the content of the activity.
3) timing – to assess the time parameters of the labor process.
4) survey, conversation, questionnaire - to obtain written or oral information from the subject of labor.
5) self-observation and self-report - the reproduction by the subject of labor of his personal impressions, judgments, experiences in connection with the performance of work tasks.
6) labor method - to obtain information about the characteristics of the activity from the experimenter included in the labor process.
7) biographical method - analysis of life and work path.
8) physiological and hygienic methods - to study operating conditions.
9) experiment (natural and laboratory) - to study the psychological characteristics of the subject of labor.
The most important is:
* method of professionography - mental analysis. characteristics of work activity, based on a comprehensive study of it and a certain systematization of the obtained quantitative and qualitative data.
Loading...