Identifying Perceived Personal Barriers to Public Policy Advocacy Within Psychology

Public policy advocacy within the profession of psychology appears to be limited and in its infancy. Various hypothesized barriers to advocacy within the field are analyzed in this study. Findings indicate that those who advocate do so regardless of whether the issue is specific to the profession of psychology or specific to another field. Furthermore, several components, including disinterest, uncertainty, and unawareness, were identified as barriers to advocacy. However, all barriers were subsumed by a lack of awareness of public policy issues. By identifying barriers to advocacy in psychology, programs promoting advocacy could be fine-tuned to address the lack of knowledge, which inhibits students, professionals, and clinicians from engaging in the essential role of public policy advocacy.