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As psychologists, we should be well aware of the primacy of first impressions and clothes
have a strong influence on first impressions. If you want to be a psychologist then you
should learn to dress like a psychologist, which is not easy because few guidelines are
available, at first sight psychologists dress however they like and the traditional academic
tweed jacket and slacks went out about 19651.
As a male psychologist myself, I have held off finishing this paper for about 20 years,
hoping that I would be able to classify female psychologists dress codes too. I am afraid
that I still cannot because women tend to adhere more to the caprices of fashion and
greatly complicate the lazy participant observers task by often dressing entirely
differently on different days, sometimes for no apparent reason at all. All I have been able
to come up with is that most female psychologists position themselves in dress
somewhere along three dimensions: Smart versus casual; Gendered versus non gendered;
Fashionable versus unfashionable. For instance many Clinical Psychologists in training
end up wearing dark coloured trouser suits which are relatively non gendered, smart and
just over the mid line towards fashionable. To dress less neutrally than that requires
greater confidence in ones professional competencies and persona than most trainees
have. But, again, unlike men, most women sometimes completely switch look just
because they feel like it. It helps that generally speaking they get fewer sarkie comments
from their colleagues should they do this. If you are woman, a psychologist, and need to
dress professionally then the advice here seems sensible: http://
www.mastersincounseling.org/what-not-to-wear-therapist-edition-part-one.html
Not all women in Universities feel the need to follow such guidelines, but most working
with clients or patients do.
Except among visiting North Americans who have been watching too much Inspector Morse before
entering the country.
2
The Seven basic male looks
The Neuro-something-something-ist!
The Londoner3!
The Clinical!
!
!
You can do neuro-whatsit or Londoner on the shoe front, or even venture as far as
slip-ons.
Self-coloured socks, like red, blue or green.
A blue suit, or a beige type jacket and trousers that is nearly a suit, or a solid
coloured sports jacket and (you guessed) blue or beige trousers.
A button down shirt in a solid colour.
A personality type tie well were all different at the end of the day
They do not wear coats much they get straight in their cars cos theyre in a
rush.
The Im still the same guy I was when I was when I was doing my PhD!
2
3
Cheap-looking boots or shoes out the sports shop, even if they cost 130 and can
cover five leagues in one bound whilst trampling polar bears.
3
You cant see the socks: There might not be any; there could be serious darning
required.
Jeans are likely but any kind of trousers will do as long as they are neither pressed
nor fit.
A tee-shirt but the slogans are by this stage in the career small or non-existent.
Any jumper will be ill-fitting, black and have holes in it.
Leather jackets are good, but fleeces will do, or a very old tweed jacket.
Black shoes
Black Socks
Black Jeans
Black shirt or tee shirt, or maybe white if the ironings up to date
Black Jacket
Tie? Eff off Mate!
Lace-up shoes
Black socks
A dark blue suit
White or pale shirt
A quiet tie
A waterproof coat of some kind
The All-American4!
Those comfortable shoes that you can bend so the toe meets the heel
White socks
Slacks in one of the earth tones like sand or mud
Short-sleeved shirt in cream or pale blue with the collar pressed flat open
No tie
A sports coat, as the Americans say, in a light wool-polyester mix, but it is rarely
actually worn.
Optional accessories
Of course you dont have to be American -- its an aspiration too -- and most American psychologists in
Britain use one of the other looks.
4
5 Although
6
Male academics favour additive principles of aesthetics. If a tie is nice, or was nice when received at
Christmas 1983, then logically wearing it adds to the niceness of the total ensemble.