Workers in professions where public safety is involved should be psychologically evaluated on a regular basis.

 

In the wake of the arrest of astronaut Lisa Nowak, NASA announced it would review its psychological assessment procedures, not only when selecting people for the astronaut program but also on an on-going basis during their NASA careers.

 

That announcement was applauded by industrial psychologist Fred Thumin of Washington University in St. Louis.

 

“I know that NASA puts its astronauts through elaborate physical and psychological examinations to be admitted to the space program, and I would have assumed that, given the critical nature of their jobs, NASA would have been conducting on-going assessments all along,” said Thumin, who has performed more than 10,000 individual assessments for nearly 100 business and industrial organizations to determine suitability for either hiring or promotion.

 

While NASA has taken a lot of criticism for apparently not regularly testing the mental state of astronauts, Thumin points out NASA is not alone. “Many organizations do not conduct ongoing assessments of its leaders,” he said.

 

He further added that it is quite common for companies to do psychological assessments of employees being considered for promotion to top jobs. “But it usually stops at that point.”

 

Periodic psychological evaluations of astronauts and their families should be mandatory, according to Thumin. “Astronauts are a talented and adventurous group subject to intense physical and mental training, and it can take a heavy toll on them and their families. People change over time and ongoing assessments can catch signs that a person may be dealing with issues that could impair his or her job performance,” he said.

 

Being an astronaut is stressful enough, but when faced with personal issues as Nowak apparently was with her own family plus involvement with a co-worker, it can push a person into irrational actions. “Periodic psychological assessment and counseling can often detect and resolve such problems in their incipient stages, thereby avoiding undesirable consequences,” Thumin said.

 

And he would not limit such evaluations to space program employees. “There are other professions, airline pilots, medical doctors and school bus drivers, for example, where people’s lives can be at stake. In my judgment, such individuals should be evaluated on a regular basis, as well.”

 

He noted that many companies have optional personnel assistance programs that are available for employees experiencing work-related and/or personal problems. “But, too often, people are reluctant to ask for help of that nature. They prefer to keep their problems to themselves, or they consider asking for help a sign of weakness,” Thumin said.

 

He has often been called upon by organizations to do assessments of employees when management saw problems. “It could be relationship problems with other employees, or it could be an observed deterioration in work performance. But in any case, management sees that things are not quite right and wants to help the person get back on track.”

 

Thumin says a lot of benefits, both for the organization and the individual, may result from ongoing interviewing, testing and counseling, and that it should certainly not be perceived as a stigma. “We all need some help at one time or another,” he said.

 

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For more information, contact Fred Thumin at 314-991-2414.

 

The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) is an international group of 6,300 industrial-organizational psychologists whose members study and apply scientific principles concerning people in the workplace. For more information about SIOP, including Media Resources, which lists nearly 2,000 experts in more than 100 topic areas, visit www.siop.org.