Invited Speaker Presentation (Conferencia) "Psychology Education in Applied Fields in Argentina. From the beginnings to nowadays"

KLAPPENBACH, HUGO

Paris

Congreso; 28th International Congress of Applied Psychology; 2014

International Association of Applied Psychology

The Invited Speaker Presentation begins by analyzing the political and academic context in which the first university programs related to applied psychology in the Mid- Twentieth century were developed. In fact, those early programs were not named as Psychology Programs, but as Psychotechnics and Professional Guidance Programs. Two early programs will be analyzed: the Degree in Psychotechnics and Professional Guidance (Licenciatura en Psicotécnica y Orientación Profesional) at National University of Tucuman and the Bachellor Degree in Psychotechnics (Carrera de Asistente en Psicotécnica) at National University of Litoral, in the industrial city of Rosario. Next, it will be analyzed the political conditions prmoting the organization of the First Argentine Congress of Psychology held in 1954 precisely in Tucuman. Such congress fostered the organization of university programs specific in Psychology not longer in Psychotechnics. Subsequently some features of the first university psychology programs organized in the whole country from 1954 to 1964, both at public and private universities are examined. Among them, the presentation will emphasize the orientation to  Applied Psychology of  those early programs. Then, the characteristics of university Psychology education biased by the emergence of psychoanalysis since 1960 will be analyzed. Although the orientation towards applied psychology in the field of work and education were abandoned by psychoanalytical approach, it will be examined the development of clinical psychology within university programs. Thereafter, the presentation analyzes the dismantling of such programs during the military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983 and the subsequent reorganization of Psychology Programs in the years of the democratic transition (1983-1989). Finally, the presentation will discuss the current status of Psychology Programs in the whole country, framed by the process of self-assessment and accreditation beginning in 2004 and ending  in 2013. The presentation will conclude by analyzing the characteristics of the accreditation process, specially accreditation guidelines and standards and the relationship to the objective of reach an adequate education and practical training for the practice of profession in the various field of applied psychology.