Research Into The Factors Affecting The High Level Of Professional Identity Among The Post-Graduates Of Psychology

With the rapid development of society, the popularization of higher education is becoming a trend. As a result, the number of graduate students is increasing meanwhile the scale of undergraduate students is continuously expanding. Compared to undergraduates, the post-graduates have a bias toward the professionalization. The professional identity of post-graduates has an influence on their emotions, behavior, enthusiasm, initiative and efforts on their academic studies, which further impact on the quality of post-graduate training. The professional identity among the post-graduates of psychology directly impacts on the quality of professionals training of psychology at the university. This research attempts to identify the affecting factors in high level of the professional identity among the post-graduates of psychology and how those factors impact the learners’ identity on their majors, from the perspective of positive psychology together with the quantitative and qualitative researching methods.Three sections are included in this research.The first section:Through The Survey on Professional Identity of College Students,300post-graduates of psychology were investigated. The top27%students with highest identity of explicit attitude were screened. More information about the current situation on post-graduate students of psychology in our country was grasped from this survey. Of them, the66students screened had an average score of identity among4.09to4.96. Therefore, the professional identity among post-graduates of psychology in our country is at a medium level.The second section:Through Single Category Implicit Association Test,24with positive implicit attitude towards their major of the group of66students were further screened.The third section:Qualitative research. Among the24students screened in the second section,4of them were chosen by using convenient sampling, combining the objective and students’ will of being investigating. The4students were samples of researching the factors affecting the high level of professional identity, using interviewing method and grounded theory. The result is:the personal development, the high professional quality of other people in their major fields, personal traits and professional matching degree, the level of exploration in their majors, competency and sense of value in the professional practice and the rationality to negative situation brought by academic studies impact on the identity of post-graduates with the high level professional identity towards their majors.In conclusion:First, the high level of professional identity among post-graduates of psychology in China is at a medium level.Second, the majority of post-graduates of psychology with high level of professional identity have positive implicit attitude towards their majors.Third, the personal development of the post-graduates of psychology with high level of professional identity impacts on their identity towards their majors.Fourth, personal traits and professional matching degree of the post-graduates of psychology with high level of professional identity impact on their identity towards their majors.Fifth, the high professional quality of other people in their major fields impacts on the identity of the post-graduates of psychology with high level of professional identity towards their majors.Sixth, the level of exploration in their majors impacts on the identity of the post-graduates of psychology with high level of professional identity towards their majors.Seventh, the competency, sense of professional value and self-value in the professional practice impact on the identity of the post-graduates of psychology with high level of professional identity towards their majors.Eighth, the rationality to negative situation of the post-graduates of psychology with high level of professional identity impacts on their identity towards their majors.