Chapter 1 What is Industrial and Organizational Psychology? Authenticity:A Trend of Interest to1-0 Psychologists I-O psychology often incorporates cultural shifts and changes.In the past few years, authenticity"-referring to that which is real.genuine.not artificial-has become a popu- lar concept in America.You will see references to"authentic"coffee,music,clothing and furniture lines,foods,and so forth.The attraction of authenticity may also be reflected in some popular TV reality shows such as American ldol,Ice Road Truckers,and The Deadliest Catch,as well as some less dramatic shows dealing with changing families or embarking on a new diet to lose weight.A popular book (Gilmore Pine,2007)argues that,in a world where virtual reality is hecoming increasingly prevalent,authenticity is"what consumers eally want.” In I-O psychology.we might extend the definition of authenticity to a more philosophi- cal level:"an emotionally appropriate.significant.purposive.and responsible mode of human life"(McKean.2005,p.106).Viewing authenticity in that way,we can see authentic. ity reflected in the search for good work"and inspirational leadership.In fact,the term "authentic leadership,"which had not appeared in the literature before 2002,is now a widely addressed topic in the popular press and in the research literature(Gardner et al,2011).We will cover this form of leadership in Chapter 12.In various chapters.we will take note of what appears to be the search for authenticity in work and organizations. What Is I-0 Psychology? Industrial-erganizational Throughout this book we will use the term I-O psychology as a synonym for industrial and (1-0)psycholegy The organizational psychology.Industrial-organizational(1-O)psychology involves the scien- ppycogc tific study of the workplace.A common definition of I-O psychology is the application of princeles.theor年and ah每h#%tng psychological principles,theory,and research to the work setting."Don't be fooled,however, by the phrase"work setting"The domain of1-O psychology stretches well beyond the phys- ical boundaries of the workplace because many of the factors that influence work behavior are not always found in the work setting.These factors include things like family responsi- bilities,cultural influences,employment-related legislation,and non-work events (reflect, for example.on how the terrorist attacks of September 11.2001,changed the work- ing life of most people). Even more significant is the influence of personality on work behavior.Although an individual's personality may actually influence work behavior,his or her per- sonality is often influenced by events that occurred before he or she began full-time employment.In addition.I-O psycholo- gists are concerned about the effect of work on non-work behaviors.Spouses and children are well aware of the effect of a "bad day at work"on home life.I-O psychology concentrates on the recipro- cal impact of work on life and life on work. We can also think of 1-O psychology as 1-0psychologists have become involved in a number of humanitarian issues,induding a combination of knowledge and skills poverty reduction and partmering with global aid/development groups. that can be applied in a wide diversity of Scanned by CamScannerScanned by CamScanner