#re I have a bs in psychology and spent a year prepping for a higher degree in psychology

[medicaldoctordana]

Re Fox “not a psychologist” Mulder

He has a very valid point when he says this.

While in the pilot he is described as “an Oxford educated psychologist” and utilizes his knowledge of psychology for profiles in the violent crimes unit and on the x-files, he is very much not a psychologist.

At least here in the US, you earn the title of “psychologist” after you have obtained a masters degree or higher (such as a PhD or PsyD) and/or accreditation from a society/state/etc. (PsyD is a doctor of psychology which is different from an MD who practices psychiatry- psychology and psychiatry have differences as well) This is very nuanced and in laymen terms is questionably acceptable to use the term psychologist in reference to Fox Mulder, however, technically he is correct— he is not a psychologist.

The reason is due to credentialism and ethics, anyone can get an associates or bachelors in psychology but “higher education” is a way to gatekeep the profession and to protect the utilization of the knowledge you learn as a psychology student due to the nature of the study. There is higher moral and ethical stakes the more educated you are so only the highest educated may claim the title of psychologist. This concept falls into “scope of practice” and is most applicable in medical and related fields.

(Disregarding moral and societal implication of this act- it’s a complicated issue)

For example, You shouldn’t try hypnosis on someone until you’ve been adequately trained on the technique and consequences (neutral term). These standards are often set by entities such as the American psychological association and is often why you cannot practice psychology without a license- a degree alone is not enough to prove capability and responsibility.

In Dreamland 2 we see his diploma from Oxford University and he has a bachelor’s of science in psychology. He is not trained in clinical psychology, educational psychology, industrial psychology, school psychology, etc. His degree in psychology is one of science so it’s very likely his education had a focus on research and statistics more so than broad theory and principles. (Difference between a Bachelors of Science and a Bachelors of Arts in psychology).

All in all, yes he has a degree in psychology but he is not a psychologist. It’s very likely he would have had the time to get at least a masters before recruitment to the FBI but it is never established he has more than a bachelors from Oxford. I am also not well versed on psychology degrees in the UK and how the education and credits transfer to the US.