Is psychology good for introverts?
The ratings for the 4 roles we compared are close together: contact with others runs from 4.1 to 4.5 out of 5, so the choice of role inside psychology changes less than you might hope.
Clinical and counseling psychologists rate teamwork as less important than almost any other occupation. Industrial-organizational and school psychologists rate it high and speak to groups more often.
These roles usually need graduate study, so check the education column before choosing a route.
We compared the psychologist occupations in the federal data: industrial-organizational, clinical and counseling, school psychologists, and the rated specialties in the all-other group. This is about psychologists, not every job a psychology graduate might do. The ratings come from O*NET, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, where workers answer questions about what their job involves.
What the data shows
- Contact with others ranges from 4.1 out of 5 for psychologists, all other (closest to "contact most of the time") to 4.5 for clinical and counseling psychologists (closest to "constant contact").
- After contact, the biggest difference is in working in a team: 3.1 out of 5 for clinical and counseling psychologists, against 4.6 for school psychologists.
- The next biggest is distracting or uncomfortable noise: 1.6 out of 5 for industrial-organizational psychologists, against 2.9 for school psychologists.
- 2 of the 4 occupations with their own pay data involve more contact with others than the typical US occupation.
- 76% of psychologists, all other say they have face-to-face discussions every day, compared with 92% of school psychologists.
- 2 of the 4 rate working in a team as very important or more.
- Among occupations with their own pay data, the lowest-contact one is psychologists, all other, at a median $110,840 a year. The best paid is industrial-organizational psychologists, at $193,950.
Social demands, side by side
Each figure is an O*NET average on a 1 to 5 scale. Lower means less of it. Hover a heading for the exact question.
| Role | Contact | Face-to-face | Phone | Speaking | Customers | Teamwork | Conflict | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 1.9 |
| School Psychologists | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 2.9 |
| Psychologists, All Other | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
Pay, entry and outlook
| Role | Median pay | Typical entry education | Typical training | Growth 2025-35 | Projected openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologists | $193,950 | Master's degree | Internship/residency | +6.5% | 300 |
| Clinical and Counseling Psychologists | $100,580 | Doctoral or professional degree | Internship/residency | +11.7% | 4,100 |
| School Psychologists | $95,990 | Master's degree | Internship/residency | +0.8% | 3,400 |
| Psychologists, All Other | $110,840 | Master's degree | Internship/residency | +2.3% | 3,500 |
Each role in detail
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists
Contact with others: 4.2 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 37% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 84% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a month or more". Teamwork rated "extremely important"; dealing with customers or the public "important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $193,950 a year. Typical entry education: master's degree, with internship/residency. About 300 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Provide advice on best practices and implementation for selection.
- Develop and implement employee selection or placement programs.
- Develop interview techniques, rating scales, and psychological tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for the purpose of employee selection, placement, or promotion.
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
Contact with others: 4.5 out of 5, closest to "constant contact", more than 61% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 88% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "once a week or more". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "important"; dealing with customers or the public "important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $100,580 a year. Typical entry education: doctoral or professional degree, with internship/residency. About 4,100 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others.
- Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans.
- Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, records, or reference materials.
School Psychologists
Contact with others: 4.4 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 51% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 92% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a month or more". Teamwork rated "extremely important"; dealing with customers or the public "very important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a month or more".
Median pay $95,990 a year. Typical entry education: master's degree, with internship/residency. About 3,400 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Report any pertinent information to the proper authorities in cases of child endangerment, neglect, or abuse.
- Interpret test results and prepare psychological reports for teachers, administrators, and parents.
- Maintain student records, including special education reports, confidential records, records of services provided, and behavioral data.
Psychologists, All Other
Contact with others: 4.1 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 30% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 76% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "once a week or more". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "important"; dealing with customers or the public "very important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $110,840 a year. Typical entry education: master's degree, with internship/residency. About 3,500 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Conduct neuropsychological evaluations such as assessments of intelligence, academic ability, attention, concentration, sensorimotor function, language, learning, and memory.
- Write or prepare detailed clinical neuropsychological reports, using data from psychological or neuropsychological tests, self-report measures, rating scales, direct observations, or interviews.
- Interview patients to obtain comprehensive medical histories.
What the numbers can't tell you
- O*NET ratings are averages of worker answers on a 1 to 5 scale. Some questions ask how much (contact), some how often (face-to-face, phone, public speaking, conflict, noise) and some how important (teamwork, customers). They are shown on their own scales.
- The ratings describe the job, averaged across workers and workplaces. A particular employer, team or shift can be very different.
- They don't measure personality, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.
- Pay and openings are national figures from the BLS. Local pay varies.
Common questions
Which psychology job involves the least contact with others?
Of the 4 roles compared here, psychologists, all other report the least, at 4.1 out of 5 on O*NET's contact rating, closest to "contact most of the time".
Do these psychology jobs need a degree?
All 4 occupations with BLS education data typically need more than a high school diploma to start.
Do these ratings measure personality?
No. They are averages of what workers say their job asks of them. They describe the work, not the people doing it, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.