The Role of Advocacy in Psychology for Creating Positive Change in the Workplace

Introduction

Advocacy is essential for creating positive change in the workplace and beyond. By applying psychological principles, theories, and concepts, one can develop strategies to challenge and change erroneous beliefs and advocate for social change. Additionally, assessment tools can be used to measure the impact of advocacy campaigns, and interventions can be developed to ensure adequate social change. In this paper, we will explore the role of advocacy in psychology for creating positive change in the workplace.

Definition of advocacy and psychology

Advocacy publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy (Abbasinia, 2020). Psychology is the sciEstudy of the mind and behaviour (Holt, 2019). Advocacy concerning psychology is using psychological principles to support and advance a particular cause or policy. It is essential for creating positive change and can be applied in the workplace.

Symbolic Interactionist Theory

Symbolic interactionism is a social psychology theory that suggests that symbols or shared meanings drive individual behaviour that people use to interact with others (Nickerson,2021). To advance my advocacy agenda, I use this theory to identify shared meanings between different stakeholders, such as individuals in the workplace, and develop strategies to increase understanding and collaboration. (Mills, 2021). I would also focus on developing shared goals and finding ways to bridge the gaps between different stakeholders. I will use role-playing and open dialogue to facilitate collaboration and build relationships.

Memory Theory

Memory theory is a cognitive psychology theory that suggests that memories are encoded, stored, and retrieved. Applying this theory to my advocacy agenda, I use memory techniques to help people remember information about the cause and the policies being advocated for. (McLeod, 2021). I would use mnemonics and spaced repetition to help people remember key facts and figures about the cause and the benefits of the advocated policies. Additionally, I would create visual aids to help people recall information and make connections between the cause and the proposed policy solutions.

Psychological Concept

The concept of schema is a psychological concept that can heighten awareness of the need for social change. Schemas are mental frameworks that shape our interpretations of the world and influence how we perceive and respond to information (Cherry& Kendra,2019). One can develop strategies to challenge and change erroneous beliefs by understanding how schemas shape perceptions and behaviour. By actively challenging one’s schemas and those of others, one can create positive change in the world.

Assessment Tools

Assessment tools can be used to measure social change by collecting data on the outcomes of an advocacy campaign (Moreno et al., 2020). For example, surveys and interviews can measure changes in attitudes towards the cause or policy being advocated for (Weible et al.,2020). Objective measures such as changes in policy or behaviour can be used to assess the campaign’s impact. Additionally, these assessment tools can provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of advocacy campaigns and how social change is being achieved.

Developing an Intervention.

Developing an intervention for effecting social change in the workplace requires critical first steps. These include identifying the problem, assessing the current situation, setting goals, developing a plan of action, and assessing the results (Herrera et al., 2017). It is also important to involve stakeholders in the intervention development process to ensure buy-in and commitment to the change process. On the contrary, Stakeholders must be consulted throughout the process for their input and feedback to ensure effective intervention.

Conclusion

Advocacy in psychology is essential for creating positive change and can be applied in the workplace and beyond. By applying theories such as symbolic interactionism and memory theory, as well as psychological concepts such as schema, one can develop strategies to challenge and change erroneous beliefs. Assessment tools can be used to measure social change and provide insight into the effectiveness of advocacy campaigns. Additionally, developing an intervention requires critical steps such as identifying the problem, assessing the current situation, setting goals, developing an action plan, and assessing the results. Through these steps, stakeholders can be involved and consulted for their input and feedback, leading to effective social change.

References

Abbasinia, M., Ahmadi, F., & Kazemnejad, A. (2020). Patient advocacy in nursing: A concept analysis. Nursing ethics, 27(1), 141-151. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0969733019832950

Cherry, K. (2019). “The Role of a Schema in Psychology.” VeryWell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873

Herrera. S.I. M., León.P.J. M., & León.R.J. M. (2017). Steps to Ensure a Successful Implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Interventions at an Organizational Level. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2135. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02135

Holt, N., Bremner, A., Sutherland, E., Vliek, M., Passer, M., & Smith, R. (2019). EBOOK: Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, 4e. McGraw Hill. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=7MkvEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Psychology+is+the+scientific+study+of+the+mind+and+behavior.+&ots=8SGit4KpP1&sig=Gq5kRhj8sHzspF6kWoRL0dfEW8w&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Psychology%20is%20the%20scientific%20study%20of%20the%20mind%20and%20behavior.&f=false

McLeod, S. (2021). Memory Theory. Retrieved May 26, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/memory.html

Moreno.C. A., Romón .S. R., García.C.R., & Garcia.Z. B. (2020). Social impact assessment of HealthyAIR tool for real-time detection of pollution risk. Sustainability, 12(23), 9856. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12239856

Nickerson, C. (2021). Symbolic interactionism theory & examples. Simply Psychology. https://simplypsychology.org/symbolic-interaction-theory.html

Weible, C. M., Ingold, K., Nohrstedt, D., Henry, A. D., & Jenkins‐Smith, H. C. (2020). Sharpening advocacy coalitions. Policy studies journal, 48(4), 1054-1081. https://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12360