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Psychology in the U.S.has been regularly criticized as being too insular, referencing overwhelmingly our own work, ideas and accomplishments relative to that of other nations. This criticism is probably more true of earlier years but may still be true in part. Some would say,where major foreign influences are concerned, there's the continuing impact of Freud, Jung, Piaget, Eysenck and some others, but that contemporary therapies, assessments, psychological science, educational-psychological interventions, etc., that get attention in contemporary American psychology are primarily home-grown. However, there is a big world out there of psychological ideas, science and practice that we can learn from. Indeed, we need to pay more attention to foreign-based psychological research for one very important reason—some of the very basic findings on U.S. samples can be substantially different when studied on samples in some other countries! This strikes right at the heart of the generalizability of psychological science.
So, how does one access information on global psychology? Below is a non-exhaustive list of sources to provide a flavor of what is available.If you need further information you will need to search online under several of the sources I mention, or contact me.
1. Books, Journals and Newsletters:
A leading book I would recommend is M.J.Stevens & D. Wedding (2004) (Eds.) Handbook of International Psychology.New York: Brunner-Routledge. There are also many good English-language journals that will provide examples of work being done in a number of nations or cross-nationally, including Applied Psychology (published by the International Association of Applied Psychology); Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology; International Journal of Psychology; Interamerican Journal of Psychology (English and Spanish, covers the Americas)to mention a few. Very informative newsletters are The International Psychologist (published by the International Council of Psychologists); Psychology International (published by the American Psychological Association,APA, Office of International Affairs); International Psychology Bulletin (published by APA Division 52); Interamerican Psychology Newsletter (published by the Interamerican Society of Psychology); and The European Psychologist (published by the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations.
2. Some Useful Websites:
The website of APA's Division of International Psychology (Division 52) is good (apa.org/division52), as is APA's Office of International Affairs (http://www.apa.org/international/). The APA Office publishes a newsletter (see above). It maintains a directory of over 80 national psychological associations from the Afganistan Psychological Association to the Zimbabwe Psychological association, with email addresses, phone or FAX, mailing addresses, and contact person where known. It also has a directory of most international and regional psychological associations, numbering in the dozens. The APA Office also maintains a calendar of international conventions and meetings. Other useful websites include:International Association of Applied Psychology (http://www.iaapsy.org/),International Council of Psychologists (http://icpweb.org/), Interamerican Society of Psychology (http://www.sipsych.org/english/home.htm),European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (http://www.efpa.eu/), and the European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations (www.efpsa.org).
3. International Psychological Associations (this section is particularly useful if you are a psychologist or psychology student and might be able to go to an international convention and see international psychology up close).
A) International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), which has a convention in a different country every four years that showcases some of the best ideas and work from around the world. There are 17 divisions in IAAP, such as Division of Clinical and Community Psychology, Division of Health Psychology, etc..
B) International Council of Psychologists (ICP)meets every year in a different country (Spain this September 2012). It publishes a newsletter (see above).
C) Interamerican Society of Psychology (SIP) meets every two years in a different country in our hemisphere. In 2011 it met in Columbia, 2009 Guatemala.
D) APA's Division of International Psychology (Division 52)has a fine international program at the APA annual convention, a useful newsletter (see above), an announce-only listserv, and a website (see above).
4. National Psychological Associations:
Dozens of countries have their own national psychological association, with annual conventions, publications, and so on. A list of these, as noted above, is maintained by the APA (http://www.apa.org/international/).
If you have any questions about international psychology do not hesitate to contact me.
Frank Farley, Ph.D, is L.H.Carnell Professor, Temple University, Philadelphia, and former President, American Psychological Association, its Division of International Psychology, and the International Council of Psychologists. He can be reached at frank.farley@comcast.net.
