Psychology In Pakistan

Educational System In Pakistan:

Pakistan is considered as developing countries of the world. Still Pakistan
Ahmadi Muslim Scientist “Dr. Abdus Salam” took Nobel Prize is Physics
and raised the name of Pakistan in the world with pride. Although
Pakistan has been successful in very attractive and positive educational
policy for the state but due to several laps and lop holes in the
management as well as in the negative intentions of the corrupt
politicians of the state which have not implicated and are unable to give
practical demonstrations for the country. This negative approach has
adversely affected the literacy rate of the country. According to the
consensus of 2011 Pakistan is currently ranking as 113th among the 120
countries countries of the world as far as literacy rate being considered
which is a big shame for the representatives of the country. The overall
literacy rate of the country is 56% which is very low but as far as analysts
expected to grow to almost 61% till 2015.
History Of Psychology In Pakistan:

At the time of independence(1947) only two colleges taught

psychology: 1) The Government College, Lahore, where psychology, was
as a common practice until the 1960’s was taught as part of the
philosophy syllabus. 2) Forman Christian College, Lahore.

The first independent psychology department was founded at Karachi

University with Qazi Muhammad Aslam, whose academic background was
in philosophy. Psychology achieved independent status at the
Government College, Lahore (University of the Punjab) in 1962, with Dr.
Muhammad Ajmal as its first chair. The psychology department at the
University of Sindh became independent in 1960, with Dr. Rafia Hasan as
chair. Syed Muliammad Hafeez Zaidi observed in Frontiers of
Psychological Research in Pakistan (Karachi, Pakistan, 1975) that the
tradition was for philosophy teachers to become psychologists. This
resulted in the adoption of traditional indigenous psychology that was
also oriented toward philosophy. Hafeez Zaidi wrote two articles on the
early days of Pakistani psychology (American Psychologist, 1959, 14, 532-
536; Psychologia, 1958, I, 187-190)

Then Psychologists were feeling the need of having their organization,

the idea which matured in 1964 in the form of Pakistan Psychological
Association. Another landmark in the history of Psychology is that the
National Institute of Psychology, Islamabad came into existence in
1978. The advanced Centers of Clinical Psychology at the Universities of
the Punjab and Karachi in 1984 are the outcome of the President (M.Zia-
ul-Haq) of Pakistan’s keen interest in Psychology.

Present Situation:
Currently 49 universities of Pakistan are teaching BS Psychology, 20
universities of Pakistan are teaching MS/M.Phil Psychology and 14
universities are teaching Doctorate Psychology. Some universities are
teaching all of these courses but I have counted them separately. It can
be estimated that nearly 60,000 students are studying psychology in
Pakistan. Clinical Psychologists in Pakistan are approx 300. There are
many other psychologists who are doing jobs in social welfare sector,
educational sector, doing research or doing their private practices. The
current problem of developing Psychology in Pakistan is that most of the
people take Psychology degree from Pakistan and go abroad due to
increasing demands of psychologists in Western countries. There are
many known Pakistani psychologists which are working abroad and serving
humanity.

Today there are three Psychology journals of Pakistan: 1) The Pakistan

Journal of Psychological Research (PJPR), 2) The Pakistan Journal of
Psychology (PJP), and 3) The Journal of Behavioral Sciences (JBS). These
journals publish the research articles of Pakistani Psychologists. The best
research articles on psychology are written by the students of Quaid-e-
Azam university Isalamabad and University of Karachi.

The ranking of Psychologists in the world depends on years of education,

experience and research. This is the reason that being a Psychologist you
can discover many new aspects of human behavior and about life too.
Psychology also effects our mind but the ratio of effected Psychologists is
very minor so that it is neglected.

Now a days the field of Psychology is developing in Pakistan due to

increasing cases of mental patients. It has been estimated that there are
14 million mental health patients in Pakistan, the majority of which are
women. In Pakistan 6000-8000 people commit suicide(does not include
suicide bombers) every year and the trend is increasing. Major mental
disorders in Pakistan are depression (6%), schizophrenia (1.5%) and
epilepsy (1-2%). To treat these mental patients there are many Fountain
houses, Mental health hospitals and Mental care clinics in Pakistan.

Future Of Psychology In Pakistan:

Psychology future in Pakistan is very good and there are many options
available for psychologists in Pakistan. Students with Masters in
Psychology are usually employed, depending upon their specialization, by
multinationals, health and education sectors. In multinationals they are
employed in research, human resources and training. In health sector
they are employed as clinical psychologist, psychometric, addiction and
family counselor and education sector employed them as school
psychologist, guidance counselor and teacher. Beside that many students
opt for teaching profession (psychology) in public and private institutions.

A bright fortune can be predicted from the fact that the younger
generation is taking keen interest in its development. Some young
Psychologists have gone so far as to bring psychologists of all Eastern
countries together in the form of Asian Psychological Association. An ad-
hoc committee, to consider the possibility of this organization is formed
and the spade work has already been done. Another significant to be
noted is that the Psychologists, especially the younger ones are fully
participating in the organizations like Psychiatric Association Islamic
Conference on Mental Health etc. All these activities and the numbers of
researches the departments of Pakistani Universities are producing nearly
prove the old prediction that the this century is going to be that of
Psychology.