臨床心理士資格の「奇跡」はどのように起こったか

資格認定団体の方針と女性志望者の参入意図に注目して

抄録

　Based on interviews with women applying for the post of a clinical psychologist (CP), this paper analyzes the manner in which the number of CPs has increased.　In Japan, the clinical psychology profession has the following three features. First, it is a new profession established as recently as 1988 by the Japanese Society of Certified Clinical Psychologists (JSCCP). Second, individuals aspiring to become CPs are required to attend graduate school. Third, despite unstable employment, a rapid increase in the number of CPs has been observed since 1988.　Approximately 70 percent of CPs are women, although the JSCCP does not welcome only female CPs. However, the reason women aspire to become CPs is different from the reason that they pursue other traditional occupations such as a nurse, a nursery school teacher or a librarian.　In order to make the profession of clinical psychology as advanced as that of medicine, the JSCCP applied two strategies that resulted in mostly women working as CPs. First, the JSCCP stopped making an effort to secure the employment of CPs. Second, they expanded educational institutions and demanded that those applying for the post of CP have a master’s degree.　Both these strategies attracted highly educated women who were not looking for work to support themselves or for a career. Rather, they were motivated to work for the following two reasons. First, they wished to work as a CP for pleasure while managing other housework. Second, they had academic backgrounds that enabled them to attend graduate school without expending a great effort.　As a result, the JSCCP inadvertently placed women at an advantage in becoming CPs. This paper suggests that this will result in CPs becoming a new occupation that is suitable for women.