Psychology and Labour: A Relationship of Neglect

Abstract

Traditionally, industrial psychology has tended to neglect the area of organized labour and trade unions. This is especially so in South Africa where little reference is made to the issues of labour in industrial psychological texts used at universities. Two questions are posed: (i) Can industrial psychology make a valid contribution to the area of industrial relations, or is its neglect a function of its irrelevance? (ii) Why has industrial psychology ignored the issues of labour for such a long time? Concerning the first question, it is suggested that most systems approaches to the study of industrial relations acknowledge a role for psychological investigation. In answering the second question, it is posited that, among other factors, industrial psychology's historical association with management, its endeavour to be Accepted 00 as a ‘science’, and its misconceptions concerning the nature of ‘conflict’ have facilitated its indifference to the area of labour-management relations.