In my article "The Need for Psychology Understanding,” I discussed how fiction writers need at least a basic understanding of psychology in order to write realistic content, dialogues, characters, and relationships. Two such psychological concepts are professional etiquette and high-risk situations in psychology. These two concepts can be used by writers to add an element of realism to a story involving psychologists as they can be used to add drama, plot, and suspense to a story.

Professional Etiquette

Professional etiquette is generally considered to be a form of professional manners where a person behaves according to the prescribed norms, conventions, and behaviors to present a positive professional image (Southern New Hampshire University, n.d.). Professional etiquette plays a vital role in the creation of a positive first impression and it can provide an individual with a competitive edge over those who do not utilize professional etiquette (UCCS, n.d.). Professional etiquette is an important trait for any practicing psychology professional to possess and it is especially relevant for the field of industrial and organizational psychology. A lack of professional etiquette on the part of an industrial and organizational psychologist could have far-reaching consequences for the individual as well as the entire organization that employs the industrial and organizational psychologist.

Professional Etiquette Breakdowns

A breakdown of professional etiquette can occur between or among professionals in any field. In the field of industrial and organizational psychology, such a breakdown could occur in numerous situations depending on the position of employment. A breakdown of professional etiquette could result in the industrial and organizational psychologist being overlooked for promotion or other promising opportunities from within the workplace (UCCS, n.d.). An industrial and organizational psychologist that is employed as a human resources manager could experience a breakdown in professional etiquette involving the employees that he or she supervises, his or her co-workers, or their boss. These breakdowns are typically the result of a lack of respect between individuals from within the same workplace.

The breakdown might initially be caused by one individual, but if the other individual allows themselves to show the same lack of respect instead of handling the situation with professional etiquette, the situation can become difficult for all those involved as well as others who share the same workplace. An example of such a situation would be if the human resources manager spoke to an employee about needing to increase their productivity within the workplace and the employee took offense and started yelling at the human resources manager. In this situation, the human resources manager could maintain professional etiquette by asking the employee to lower their voice so that they could discuss the situation calmly and calling for security if the employee does not cease his or her behavior. However, if the human resources manager began yelling back at the employee then that would be a breakdown of professional etiquette on behalf of the human resources manager and it could, in turn, inflame an already hostile situation. This could lead to repercussions for the human resources manager professionally and even legally if the other employee is terminated and decides to sue for wrongful termination. 

The best way to avoid these breakdowns in professional etiquette and unethical behaviors is for the industrial and organizational psychologist to work to maintain open lines of communication between all employees, the creation of clear boundaries, to see to it that all employees to receive mutual consideration, to work to build respect and understanding between all employees, and for there to be clear rules for employees to follow concerning professional etiquette (Koocher & Keith-Spiegel, 2016).