Expert psychology in the workplace: what it is and what it is for

Within the multiple fields of forensic psychology, labor is one of the most booming in recent years.

In this article we will explore the main casuistry that this branch of legal psychology finds within the world of organizations.

• Related article: "The 7 functions and roles of business psychologists"

Expert psychology in the workplace: characteristics and functions

Psychology is increasingly present in our lives, and since work is one of the main activities of the human being, this field was not going to be an exception. That is why forensic psychology in the workplace is gaining more and more importance, and it is that the work of the expert psychologist is essential to help assess a series of pathologies and other issues related to the environment organizational.

What's more, Occupational health is a current concern, and the legislation relating to it is increasingly rich and comprehensive. This means that today a series of pathologies of a psychological nature are contemplated, associated with work activity, which in Sometimes they require an expert report to prove their existence and take the appropriate judicial measures to stop the situation.

But in reality the work of the forensic occupational psychologist can be much broader, since this discipline addresses very different problems. They can be grouped into four different types.

1. Ability to be hired

By legal regulations, to sign an employment contract, the person must be fully empowered psychological factors to act, so there may be cases in which, since there is a certain psychopathology, andThe forensic psychologist must write an expert report that allows discerning whether the person is qualified or not to carry out the work activity.

2. Ability to work

Another field in which the labor psychologist expert can act is that which has to do with work aptitude, assuming that a case has reached the courts when there is a disagreement about if a worker is qualified to perform a certain job, having a psychological pathology that, presumably, would be limiting or preventing certain tasks, essential for that position.

3. Disability and disability

Of course, the role of expert psychology in the workplace is essential to assess certain cases of disability or disability whose origin comes from psychopathology.

In this case, the expert would have to assess, first, if such psychopathology really exists, and second, if it is really preventing the normal exercise of their tasks in that job or in anyone. This report will be crucial for the subsequent determination of the degree of disability granted, or of disability, if the report concludes that, indeed, the worker is being impeded by the causes exposed

As with physical ailments, these evaluations are essential for a professional, in this case the psychologist expert, to make sure that a simulation, as it is a relatively common problem in the context of compensation and subsidies, and therefore requires the maximum guarantees to avoid fraud.

But there are also the opposite cases, in which the affected person, despite, indeed, having a pathology that prevents him from performing his tasks, he tries to hide to return to his position before. Likewise, these cases have to be identified, to guarantee their health first and foremost.

4. Occupational psychopathology

Finally, another of the important tasks of the forensic psychologist within the company would be to evaluate if a psychopathology has been the result of an accident at work, and therefore must be considered as such for legal purposes (benefits, terms, etc.).

• You may be interested in: "Forensic Psychology: definition and functions of the forensic psychologist"

Psychological risk factors at work

The work context is one of the environments in which human beings spend more time in their day-to-day life, and therefore it is essential to have controlled all the psychosocial risk factors that can be generated in the workplace, otherwise the employees could suffer consequences in their state of health, which can range from the first symptoms of stress to ailments chronic that affect the muscular, cardiac, respiratory, digestive, dermatological level, within the physical symptoms, but of course also at the level psychological. In fact, there is usually a combination of physical and psychological symptoms.

These factors would therefore be considered occupational hazards, and The organization must ensure that they are eliminated or reduced as much as possible so that workers do not suffer consequences or do it minimally. Here comes an important aspect, and that is that it is essential to take into account the characteristics of the person, since psychosocial factors are given by the interaction between the individual and the environment.

For example, a task that a certain person performs without any problem, such as calling customers to sell them a product, can be an unapproachable challenge for a different person, who will suffer great anxiety every time they pick up the phone to to call.

To assess all these risks Both quantitative methods are used, whether they are questionnaires and others, easy and inexpensive to carry out, and qualitative, where more extensive interviews would enter, which provide us with much more information but are also more expensive at the level of resources.

Occupational psychopathology

Now we will explore some of the psychopathological problems that can occur more commonly in the work environment, as a result of the psychosocial risk factors seen above.

1. Stress at work

Work stress is the most frequent pathology in this context. It carries a series of both physiological and emotional symptoms. Its appearance is caused by the perception of a discordance between the physical and psychological resources that the person possesses and the impositions of her job. This imbalance can come from environmental conditions (noise, light, etc.), the characteristics of the tasks to be carried out (due to being repetitive, complex, etc.), unclear roles, problematic interpersonal relationships, and more.

The most common causes are usually an excessive workload, relationship problems with superiors or colleagues or a perception of lack of control over the activity to be carried out. But, as we have already said, all these issues depend largely on the characteristics of the person himselfSince what triggers work stress for one does not do for others, it is a matter that depends on each individual, logically.

As stress at work can come from many different causes, the form of evaluation has to be wide, so that we do not miss any of the factors that may be affecting the employee. In addition, as we have already seen, they must always be studied in relation to the subject, since perception always goes to be subjective and what matters is how the individual feels, because it is what is really affecting him.

Finally, it is important to bear in mind that stress becomes pathological when it is maintained over time or when its intensity is too high, since a stress peak at a specific moment would not constitute a psychopathology. In fact, many studies confirm that a moderate level of stress makes people more efficient in their performance.

2. Burnout syndrome

The burnout syndrome or burnout is a concept that has become popular in recent times. It would take place when the stressful situation at work has lasted for so long that its effects have become chronic. A person who suffers from burn-out will have a very negative conception of their work as well as of those who are there. You will experience mental exhaustion and feel depersonalized and ineffective.

Likewise, to evaluate this disorder it is necessary to contemplate absolutely all the variables that may be affecting, but what is more importantly, also the perception of the person himself, since it is the key that will explain where the problem comes from. There are specific scales to assess burnout, such as the MBI.

3. Psychological harassment

Another phenomenon that has been written a lot in recent years is mobbing, or psychological harassment at work, occupying a multitude of studies within expert psychology in the workplace.

It is very important not to confuse possible interpersonal difficulties, with superiors or colleagues, of the behavior that really involves mobbing, and that consists of a continuous psychological abuse towards the individual. The causes of this harassment may be related to work factors, but it does not necessarily have to be the case.

To be able to speak of mobbing, psychological harassment has to be prolonged in time, it cannot be a single event that occurs in isolation (which would be an inter-personal conflict). These behaviors are exercised from a position of power that does not have to correspond to the hierarchy that is occupies in the company, since the harassment can come from a colleague of the same category and even from a subordinate.

The ways in which you can be harassed at work fall into these five categories:

• Conduct against reputation.
• Conduct against job performance.
• Information manipulation.
• Unequal treatment.
• Degradation in the organization chart.

It is essential to identify cases of psychological harassment as soon as possible and put an end to them, since the repercussions of it go far beyond the work, being able to trigger physical, psychological effects and even problems in their social and family relationships. In the most extreme cases it can lead to suicide, which is why it is a very It would be that it should be controlled so that it never happens, and if it does, that it is resolved with the greatest speed.

Bibliographic references:

• Clemente, M. (2016). Manual of labor legal psychology. Madrid. Delta University Publications.
• Trijueque, D.G., Acevedo, R.T., Marina, S.D. (2017). Forensic psychology in the workplace: a theoretical approach. Praxis.
• Trijueque, D.G. (2007). Psychological harassment in the workplace: an approach from forensic psychology. Legal and Forensic Clinical Psychopathology.