Media Portrayals of the Profession
of Psychology
Select and review an episode of a
television show or a film depicting a character that represents a psychology
professional.
Using the readings, analyze the
selected episode or film and complete the following:
Describe the character and the
character’s role in the television show or film. Cite the source (include the
citation of the show or film).
Evaluate the credibility of the
character portraying the psychology professional (job title, credentials, level
of experience, etc.).
If information on credibility is
not clearly provided, identify the character’s role (psychologist, counselor,
etc.) and describe the likely level of education, type of licensure, and
estimated number of years of experience. Does the character seem well trained,
professional, and experienced?
Do you have any concerns regarding
the ethical behavior of the character? Be sure to cover the following:
Identify at least one ethical
dilemma encountered by the character as well as one example of the character
behaving unethically in the episode or film.
Either discuss how the character
made the right ethical choice or describe the ethical behavior the character
should have demonstrated.
Provide the relevant ethics code
or standard in quotation marks from the readings.
How realistically has the show or
the character depicted the profession of psychology? Does the show harm the
image of psychology or help it? Be specific in your response.
Identify any multicultural issues
that arise in the show or film. Does the character demonstrate multicultural
competency? In what ways? If not, how does the character demonstrate a lack of
sensitivity and what should the character have done instead?
