R3E 1B2. This article is based on a chapter of a doctoral dissertation submitted by the author to the Department of Psychology of the University of Manitoba. I wish to thank F. L. Marcuse for his many valuable suggestions on an early version of this paper.ABSTRACT: In spite of the numerous sociopolitical implications involved in the practice of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology, social scientists working in industries have been operating under the erroneous assumption that they are merely providing an apolitical service that will impact favorably on employers and employees alike. The main argument advanced in this paper is that while I/O psychology is potentially capable of serving the needs of workers, it is used primarily to protect the interests of managers and owners. This article exposes the ideological underpinnings of I/O psychology and the practical ways whereby it contributes to uphold the industrial status quo. Ethical dilemmas facing social scientists in the workplace and methods whereby they can challenge — rather than ratify — the industrial status quo are also discussed.Both as a theoretical endeavor and as an applied profession psychology can serve as a vehicle for promulgating the reigning capitalist ideology (Ingleby) psychology reaffirm the current state of affairs in society. The purpose of this paper is to expose the ideological underpinnings of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology and the practical ways whereby it contributes to uphold the industrial status quo.As an applied field, I/O psychology affects the life of thousands, if not millions, of workers around the world (see, for example, Bass and at University of Leeds on June 5, 2016 crs.sagepub.com Downloaded from