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| Social science luminaries |
Psychology has been and remains a science that equally attracts and fascinates the public opinion and practitioners of the field. Last year at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Bucharest, the competition was 22 candidates for one budget place in the Psychology specialization and 27 candidates for the Cognitive Sciences specialization. The explanation offered by the representatives of the academic environment would consist in the need to increase "personal efficiency" and in the high demand for psychological services:
"That old custom that going to a psychologist means that I definitely have a problem (sn) is starting to disappear, maybe I want to go to a psychologist because I want to be better at what I do."
FLORINDA GOLU, vice-dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, UNIBUC
"There are many opportunities for those who graduate. There is a great demand for psychological services, often people come to us for whom we cannot recommend specialists unless they wait a few months to enter a counseling or therapy session (sn). Then we must recognize that we have a sufficiently large number of candidates who graduated from another faculty."
ADRIAN OPRE, dean of the Faculty of Psychology, UBB
In reality, the boundary between counseling (which assumes the absence of a condition) and therapy (which assumes the existence of a condition) is very loose because an interesting mutation is taking place in the sphere of psychological intervention. The problem is that the labor market is already saturated. In Romania, there are over 34,600 unique psychologists, but there are 61,300 free practice certificates (!) indicating that many psychologists hold multiple specializations with an average of almost 2 certificates per psychologist according to official data provided by the Romanian College of Psychologists (COPSI) and Verificapsiholog.ro .
These data show that through the number of practitioners, psychology has long reached the threshold of satisfying the social demand in relation to other professions with high social impact (the quality of the service is another issue):
From a strictly formal point of view, at this number and this coverage at the level of the social body, psychology seems to have achieved its goal, all the more so since there is a scrupulous legitimation and verification of the practitioners of the profession which, theoretically, should prevent and sanction the violation of the deontological and moral code of this profession. At this scale of intervention in society, the question of the field's efficiency, credibility and social image arises. In this case, beyond the internal validation of practitioners within the field, the feedback obtained from the beneficiaries of psychological intervention is essential for the credibility of the profession, just as the behavior of psychologists is essential for the social perception of the field.
In particular, the behavior of leaders and personalities in the field is defining for the credibility of the field and its practitioners.
Psychologists should respect a mandatory code of ethics and morals for a profession that manages such a sensitive field that, through the legislation in force, exercises a form of social control over other professions.
Magistrates, airplane pilots, law enforcement officers, military personnel, guards, and security agents need a psychologist's opinion, just like when obtaining a driver's license and a gun license.
Beyond the tragicomic paradoxes generated by this approach to the psychological field (a citizen cannot be hired as a security guard without a psychological opinion, but can be elected parliamentarian or president!), other anomalies appear at the level of the social body.
Magistrates, who have a vital role in society because they represent the judicial power, cannot practice without a prior psychological evaluation, but psychologists are exempt from this legal norm applied to others because in their case it is considered only a "moral obligation" (
According to the law ( art. 48 paragraph (10) of Law no. 303/2004 ) magistrates cannot practice if they were part of the former Securitate , but psychologists who examine the former are not expressly prohibited from doing so and no sanction is provided for psychologists who were part of the former Securitate (unofficially it was said that "we cannot prohibit them from practicing"). Moreover, for the position of president of the Romanian College of Psychologists, only a "moral obligation" was stipulated, so zero sanctions for those who were part of the former Securitate and violated human rights:
4. It is mandatory that all candidates proposed for the position of president of the College of Psychologists of Romania bring in person or send by mail a declaration on their own responsibility that they did not work as a political police officer and did not collaborate with the security service (sn) before 1989 (this must be written by hand).” ( http://www.copsi.ro/ index.php?option=com_content& task=view&id=494&Itemid=91 )
Finally, by the nature of the field and its social mission, the moral and deontological code of this sensitive profession should be validated by the power of example by the leaders, personalities and administrators of the field. It should, but the reality is different.
Romanian psychology has become the maneuvering space for those who violate the professional, deontological and moral norms they demand of others.For service seekers, but also for ordinary psychologists, the field of psychology has become an obstacle course, without rules, but with fees, at the end of which they end up being cheated, having their money taken, and sexually assaulted (if they are women).
For young psychologists, entering the profession involves an endless series of "professional access" interviews and fees:
Let's compare this bureaucratic madness, but extremely financially profitable for administrators in the psychological field, with the professional website of psychologists in the UK:
It is clear that we are talking about different planets where psychology is practiced with different purposes and with completely different results for the administrators of the field and for its practitioners.
As a consequence, there may be a discrepancy between the expectations of those who request psychological assistance and the profile of authorized specialists offered by the system, generated by the mentality and values of those who manage this field.
Unfortunately for honest practitioners of the field and for those who request their services, the biggest problems are raised by the behavior of those who should be the top representatives of the guild.
Theory and practice of psychological and sexual abuse
These social science luminaries (some former university professors) use the prerogatives of their position and profession, violating with impunity the ethical, professional and moral norms specific to a democratic and civilized country through absolutely scandalous behavior characteristic of marginal subcultures of a society, not of individuals with academic training:
Alfred Bulai
Marius Pieleanu
Ion Duvac
Let's see now what these alpha males have in common besides abusing female students and patients. Cristian Andrei founded the "Institute of Human Relations" (?) where he could fulfill his "professional" desires despite the Romanian College of Psychologists, and the others have elective affinities in common, as Goethe would say.
Alfred Bulai and Marius Pieleanu are former professors at SNSPA, the successor to the famous "Stefan Gheorghiu Academy" from the communist era that trained management staff in the system.
The relationships in the system at that time have crossed the ages and have been maintained even after the fall of communism.
"...noticing that I was a Psychology graduate, he called two contacts from the phone book that he put on speakerphone, with voices unmistakable to me, two of my former professors from the faculty (one of psychoanalysis – Vasile Zamfirescu, and the other of several types of "psychology" – Mihai Anitei)"
" Marius Pieleanu told me that, although he is looking for an assistant, he has a recruitment company for the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant in collaboration with my former teachers whom he had called , and because he really likes me for being smart, he is thinking of offering me another position."
https://www.aktual24.ro/tot-mai-multe-marturii-nu-mi-e-frica-de-marius-pieleanu-mi-e-scarba-pieleanu-am-muncit-peste-de-35-de-ani-sa-fac-un-exit-poll-de-care-sa-fiu-mardru/#goog_rewarded
Marius Pieleanu is famous for political polls tailored to the tastes of political clients and the sexual harassment of former Justice Minister Ana Birchall.
The result of the collaboration between the three luminaries was a recruitment firm that sent a specialist in sexual therapy to the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant.
The crown jewel of the Romanian College of Psychologists remains Ion Duvac, former president of the Ethics Committee of the Romanian College of Psychologists, former member of the Ethics Committee of the Romanian College of Psychologists.
This macho mentality based on coercive control has deep roots and is not related to humanistic psychology, but to the military field, namely the former Ministry of Interior (MI) in communist Romania.
Tudorel Butoi, a forensic psychologist and former Militia officer, offers us an eloquent radiography of the MI mentality, according to which the best psychologists (forensics) are not those trained in college ("in a test tube"), but those who come ... from among those who have had run-ins with the law:
"Now, they're talking about the underworld. Clans? Well, did clans exist in our time? There were other professional secrets. For example, in those days, in the street, when we confronted a criminal with "I won't give you my ID, not so-and-so", we would beat them up in the street (sn). We would take them to the shop and there we wouldn't deal with them anymore... Well, how could that guy hit me on the head, ask me if I had..."
Violation of the social contract. Lack of professional and moral legitimacy of some academics, supervisors and therapists. Toleration and implicit encouragement of abuse
Essentially, through the forums that manage the new Romanian psychology, the field legitimizes abuse and the trauma caused, abolishes deontology and moral norms.
In the absolutely scandalous case of psychologist Ion Duvac and according to the principle "a crow does not gouge out its eyes", the president of the Romanian College of Psychologists invokes bureaucracy and evades the deontological and moral norms of the field:
Journalist Antena 3 CNN : What will happen to the position of Mr. Doctor within the abuse commission that he has? Until the situation is clarified, can't you suspend him from the position that he has?
Dr. Constantin-Edmond Cracsner : No, the president of the College does not have such an attribute, such a quality, to suspend members. No, such a thing is not possible.
https://www.antena3.ro/actualitate/locale/psiholog-din-comisia-anti-abuzuri-catre-o-clienta-esti-o-fu-acioasa-in-draci-colegiul-psihologilor-spune-ca-nu-il-poate-suspenda-778334.html
It is worth noting that on behalf of the Romanian College of Psychologists, President Constantin-Edmond Cracsner refuses to suspend the right to practice of a member of the Ethics Commission who has seriously violated the profession's code of ethics.
Let's try to find an explanation. Constantin-Edmond Cracsner 's social route is primarily related not to civil structures, but to military structures:
"He is co-founder of the Association of Applied Psychology in the Field of National Security (APADSNRO). He is president of the Psychology Commission for Defense, Public Order and National Security of the College of Psychologists of Romania and President of the Bucharest Territorial Branch of the College of Psychologists of Romania."
Source: https://psihologii.ro/constantin-edmond-cracsner/
In other words, the code of ethics of the psychology profession is developed in the civilian sphere where the Faculty of Psychology exists, but in this case there is an interference of the military sphere with the civilian sphere (in military terms, this means dual command) which creates antinomies and paradoxes and ultimately the application of the principle "a crow does not gouge out its eyes".
In another case where the psychotherapist publicly acknowledged the abuse, the Ethics Commission of the Romanian College of Psychologists has the same reaction parallel to ethics and moral norms and defends the rights of the aggressor:
"Beyond the procedural aspects already mentioned above, we can understand the frustration of the petitioner and it is regrettable that there are psychotherapists who violate elementary principles of professional ethics, but we cannot assume the role of combating such psychotherapeutic abuse, through another abuse, of a legal nature (sn), disregarding the statute of limitations for the acts attributed to psychologists with the right to free practice"
In the current supervision of the psychological field by the Romanian College of Psychologists, established by organic law "to defend the profession of psychologist" (from whom?!), the profession's deontological and moral code has become a joke.
Ultimately, the profound contradiction between the ethical and moral code of this profession and the way in which this field is administered by the courts that control it is evident. As in any other profession, most psychologists are honest practitioners who respect the ethical code of this profession and the dignity of service seekers, but questions remain.
First of all, what is the explanation for the alteration of this humanistic profession and secondly, where does this group of alpha males come from, who through language, attitudes, behavior and values belong to marginal subcultures and who have transformed applicants for psychological services into victims, and practicing psychologists into prisoners of a field captured by bureaucracy.
The deep cause of the alteration of this humanistic profession is the mixing of the military sphere with the civilian sphere and the lack of lustration in the field of psychology (and social sciences in general) which led to the capture of the psychological field.
It is the domain of democratic logic and social normality that the humanities professions cannot be administered in a democracy and in a state of law by former military and former security officers who were trained in the communist system, and the consequences are commensurate. New-type psychology invented the profession of "psychologist in the field of national security" unique in Europe, mixed the civilian sphere with the military sphere, and the psychological field was invaded by representatives of the army and services who "democratically" took over the leadership.
The key moment in capturing the psychological field is the National Convention of the Romanian College of Psychologists (2005) which "twinned" civilian psychology with military psychology and the present and past secret services. The episode was not presented in the mass media, but only in a military magazine. The then military man in the presidium (Constantin-Edmond Cracsner) is now the head of the Romanian College of Psychologists:
The new psychology in Romania claims to defend the profession and its deontological and moral code, but the brand adopted by the Romanian College of Psychologists has divergent priorities with the specifics of the field, the activity of practitioners and the aspirations of those seeking psychological services:
Let's give the floor to one of the founders of the Romanian College of Psychologists:
"In conclusion, through centralized and local academic policies we missed the chance to normalize psychology for at least another generation and reduced its contribution to Romanian science and thus to the country's competitiveness.
We practically "killed" psychology - in its modern form - again, just when a new generation had begun to be interested in its normalization. The communists "killed" it by abolishing it; we "killed" it by "disfiguring" it! I don't know what's worse..." I think Goangă, Gruber, Motru, Mărgineanu, etc. would not be very proud of us. Let the bells ring!"Daniel David - Let the bells ring for Romanian psychology…!
https://www.contributors.ro/sa-bata-clopotele-pentru-psihologia-romaneasca/
After 37 years of democracy, this is the factual and legal state of the psychological field and the psychology profession in Romania.
Given this past and present of the psychological field and the psychology profession, and if the world remains the same, it is likely that after 20-30 years all these problems will disappear and there will be a different state of affairs and law in the field and the psychology profession that will guarantee the safety of those seeking psychological services and will ensure the freedom of action and conscience of psychologists while respecting the ethical and moral code of this profession.
Unfortunately, by then psychologists will reap what they have sown and voted for, and with them, the applicants for psychological services.
