Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Considering psychological professional expertise as the ability to seize, interpret, and
make more functional the representations that mediate the relationship between individu-
als and their contexts would allow the widening of the psychologists' area of intervention.
In this approach, psychologists could facilitate the work of professionals and the multidis-
ciplinary team, making the rehabilitation process of the disabled person more effective.
8.7.2 new Approach in Psychological Practice
To understand how psychological practice could be useful in the ATA process in a center
for technical aid, it is important to introduce the concept of representation. According
to cognitivism, individuals categorize reality not only on the basis of their perceptions,
but also on beliefs related to the perceived object, which makes some similarities more
important than others (Neisser 1989). Therefore, there is a connection between culture and
human cognition, in which the context influences the individuals' perception, attitudes,
and behaviors (Ugazio 1989).
According to Moscovici (Moscovici 1961; Farr and Moscovici 1984), representation is
a system of ideas, values, and practices that provides individuals with a code for social
exchange and for categorizing and naming various aspects of their world. Therefore, it
facilitates communication and orientates individuals in their social world, allowing them
to master it. Representations are an approach to the interpretation and social sharing of
knowledge. They are learned from the social context and, at the same time, are discursively
constructed by individuals belonging to the context itself. Therefore, representations are
the process and the result of social construction, constantly converted into a social reality
while continuously being reinterpreted, rethought, and re-presented.
Finally, Matte Blanco (1975) suggests that individuals categorize reality not only by
means of a cognitive process but also through an emotional one. Individuals facing real-
ity categorize it emotionally and cognitively, which allows them to perceive the context as
intentioned. For example, the child that bumps against the corner of a table and strikes it
back attributes a negative intention to the table. Therefore the child recognizes the object
(table) because of his or her ability to categorize it cognitively and, at the same time, he or
she sets his or her behavior (striking the table back) through his or her ability to categorize
it emotionally, representing it. Hence, each time individuals relate with an object (person,
thing, service, technical aid, etc.) they categorize it cognitively and represent it emotionally
depending on their own culture. Therefore, representations determine behaviors that can
be more or less effective in achieving goals.
According to this perspective, psychological expertise is the ability to identify individuals'
emotional representations, helping them to eventually understand how they can hinder
goal achievement (Carli 1993; Grasso et al. 2003; Grasso and Salvatore 1997; Grasso 2010).
For example, a child's ability to avoid the table's impact is granted by his or her ability to
pay attention to barriers surrounding him rather than striking back the table. Therefore,
working on individuals' representations allows for intervention in the problem (avoid
bumping against the table) rather than on the behavior (striking back the evil table) or
directly on the object perceived by the individual as responsible for the problem (the evil
table). Moreover, it helps individuals to relate effectively with their context adapting to it.
8.7.3 Psychological Professional Practice guidelines in the ATA Process
As claimed previously, psychologists have the skill to work on representations by making
them more functional. Therefore, some guidelines about the psychological approach in the
