PhD Dissertation on Psychology
First, let's define forensic psychology. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, forensic defines as; relating to or dealing with the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems. Psychology defines as the science of mind and behavior. Basically, what this means, is Forensic psychology is the link between psychology and law. This may include relationships with various federal, state, and city government agencies, lawyers, and anyone whose behavior may lead them into the involvement of the court system.
I have always had a fascination with psychology. I had pick psychology and law studies as elective courses in high school. I would read the detective or mystery novels as a teenager. If Forensic psychology or any type of psychology degree for that matter didn't require so much college education, I would pursue it as a career. I would definitely prefer Forensic psychology in relation to the Criminal Courts. As a little girl, I have always found and still continue to find criminal-law television shows intriguing to watch for example, Law and Order, NYPD Blue, and most recently Boomtown.
To better understand exactly what Forensic psychology entails, I will try to explain in greater detail. In a medical perspective, a psychologist will treat and help recover a person who has been traumatized by an event or accident in their life. The forensic aspect would be when a psychologist provides his or her knowledge to the legal system regarding the magnitude of their trauma. A Forensic psychologist also provides services for the courts when called upon for their expertise in regards to family, civil, or criminal matters. The judicial court system utilizes psychological services for determination of competency to stand trial, marital and family counseling in divorce cases, and to testify as to the psychological impact of personal injury in negligence matters.
In criminal law procedures, a psychologist can be expected to establish his or her personal qualifications as an expert witness. He or she should also be prepared to distinguish himself or herself from a psychiatrist. The attorney will ask a standard series of questions to determine their credibility as an expert. Such questions can include, "Doctor, how can you claim to be an expert?", "Doctor, could you tell us about your educational background, beginning with your undergraduate studies?"; "Since you received your PhD, where have you practiced or been employed?"; "Are you licensed to practice in the State of ________?"; "Are you a member of any professional organizations?"; "Is this your first time in criminal court?" (Tsushima and Anderson 11-12; 76). These are just a few broad questions that can help establish a psychologist's credibility as an expert.
During the "trial of the century," People v. O.J. Simpson, the defense called as a witness, Robert Huizenga, MD, a specialist in internal medicine. Regarding Mr. Simpson's rheumatoid arthritis condition, Dr. Huizenga was asked if he would defer to the opinion of a pre-eminent expert who was a Stanford University professor and author in a standard textbook on rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Huizenga would not yield, and quipped that there are many definitions of an expert and that he had heard as a Harvard University medical student that an expert was "a bastard from Boston with slides." Moore stated, "According to Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, an expert is a person who, due to specialized training and experience, may provide testimony to assist the trier of fact in understanding evidence that is beyond the layperson's knowledge, or to determine a fact in issue" (Tsushima and Anderson 1). It is my opinion that an expert must be resourceful with the scientific literature in the area of expertise and have the ability to explain psychological information in a clear and understandable manner.
A mental health professional can become involved as an expert in legal matters in three different ways. First, practitioners may become expert witnesses unintentionally, when their client is involved in litigation, such as in divorce proceedings and personal injury cases. Therapists may be ordered to appear in court to provide testimony regarding the client's mental health condition. Second, mental health professionals could be hired by one of the parties in litigation to provide an opinion about someone not previously seen or treated. And finally, mental health professionals can be appointed by the court to provide expert testimony, such as in sanity proceedings. Any expert witness should be able to form opinions on the facts and the objective evidence, not only by theory. An expert should also be able to communicate opinions in a clear and concise manner while still avoiding the technical terminology.
Forensic psychology can be defined as the relation between the study of mind and behavior as it relates to the judicial system. In almost all forensic cases, some type of expert will be called upon to provide their expertise in areas like psychology, clinical, psychotherapy, or nondoctoral professions like social workers and neuropsychologists. As an expert in any profession, it should always remain important to enhance their specialized knowledge to provide the most update and current professional data. Individuals in these professions may never know when they will be called upon for their expertise.
__________________________________________________________________________________
This is a small excerpt from PhD dissertation on Psychology topic. As free PhD dissertation samples and PhD dissertation proposal examples are plagiarized we recommend you not to use it in your own PhD dissertation or thesis paper. Why not to get online PhD dissertation writing help on Psychology from professional dissertation writing company? Top-rated PhD academic writers will write a custom PhD dissertation on any topic and discipline from scratch!
_______________________ Enjoy our PhD Dissertation Writing Service! ______________________
0 comments:
Post a Comment