Maras Pamela

International Psychology: the importance of national and regional partnerships

As the global body for psychology, the International Union of Psychological Science is committed to world-wide representation and application of psychological science; the involvement of psychologists from all geographic regions is central to this aim. I will briefly outline three areas where a global view of psychology is needed:

1. the application of psychological measures developed in one context to research in other geographic areas, where language, culture and social context may differ from that where the original measures were developed;
2. the involvement of local researchers as partners in areas where theories of psychology largely developed from a Euromerican position are applied;
3. ways that mutual respect and positive interdependence can ensure that psychology is at the forefront of international and local policy making where decisions on human behaviour are involved.