Title: Annual Report of the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS)
Abstract: This report covers the period January to December 2012. The International Union of Psychological Science is an organization composed of National Member organizations (national societies, associations, or committees of scientific psychology, national academies of science, or similar organizations), comprising not more than one National Member per country. Eleven charter Members founded IUPsyS in 1951. At December 31, 2012 the number of National Members was 82. As a Union, IUPsyS holds membership both in the International Council for Science (ICSU) and in the International Social Science Council (ISSC), Special Consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and Consultative status with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) as well as Official Relations with the World Health Organization. Countries with National Membership in IUPsyS in 2012 were: Nine new members were elected at the 2012 General Assembly (Botswana, Brazil, Cyprus, Grenada, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, and Trinidad and Tobago). In addition, one country, Colombia, changed the body representing national membership: the adhering body for Colombia is now the Colombian College of Psychologists (Colegio Colombiano de Psicólogos). Eighteen organizations are now affiliated with IUPsyS: ASEAN Regional Union of Psychological Societies (ARUPS) Association de Psychologie Scientifique de Langue Française (APSLF) European Association of Counselling Psychology (EACP) European Association of Psychological Assessment (EAPA) European Association of Social Psychology (EASP) European Association of Personality Psychology (EAPP) European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCOP) Interamerican Society of Psychology/Sociedad Interamericana de Psicologia (SIP) International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP) International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR) International Council of Psychologists (ICP) International Neuropsychological Society (INS) International School Psychology Association (ISPA) International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD) International Society of Comparative Psychology (ISCP) Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) In addition, Special Liaison relationships have been established with the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations (EFPA) and the International Test Commission (ITC). Two of the current Affiliates were elected at the 2012 General Assembly (the International Association for the Psychology of Religion and the International School Psychology Association). At the end of the year, several applications for Affiliate Status with IUPsyS were under discussion. Number of National Members: 82 Number of Affiliated Organizations: 18 Number of Publications: 3 (International Journal of Psychology; Psychology Resources Around the World; IUPsyS Newsletter) Number of Scientific Meetings: 1 quadrennial International Congress (2012 in South Africa); 1 biennial Regional Conference Periodic focal meetings This section contains information on the planning, management and administrative work of the Union. Since the 2008–2012 quadrennium closed at the conclusion of the 2012 International Congress of Psychology (ICP2012) in Cape Town, particular emphasis during the first half of the year was given to reviewing the Union's progress against the 2008–2012 Strategic Plan and the development of the Strategic Plan for the 2012–2016 quadrennium. The new Strategic Plan for 2012–2016 was adopted at the Assembly meeting held in South Africa in July. The outgoing President, Rainer Silbereisen, assessed progress on the priorities and actions of the 2008–2012 Strategic Plan in his report to the 2012 Assembly as well as in periodic reports to National Members in the IUPsyS Newsletter and in his end-of-year letters during his term of office. Brief details are given below. During the quadrennium, strategic reviews were conducted in five key areas: capacity-building; communications and publications; HealthNet; psychology education and training; the role of IUPsyS at the UN (New York). Details of these reviews are available on the National Members area of the Union website, and their outcomes helped shape the new Strategic Plan. The five Strategic Priorities from the 2008–2012 Plan were: capacity building international representation service to national members service to the discipline communications and dissemination. In reviewing achievements in addressing these priorities, then President Silbereisen particularly noted: the wide range of regional and national capacity-building activities international representation at the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UN (New York) the development of informational resources for National Members and for psychology more widely the developmental work under way on psychology education and training communication and dissemination through the International Congress of Psychology, International Journal of Psychology, and the IUPsyS information services. The new Strategic Plan is available on the Union website. It follows a similar structure to the earlier plan, with a clarification and refinement of the framing statements and operating principles. The priorities remain the same as those listed above, although with a greater emphasis on capacity-building and developing educational and training frameworks. The plan proposes strategic reviews in a number of further areas: international representation, the Union's policy role and activities, and membership. Each of these priorities has targeted specific actions. Strategic planning is guided by the work of the Standing Committee on Strategic Planning chaired by the current President, Saths Cooper, assisted by the Secretary-General, other Officers and members of the Executive Committee. Strategic reviews of international representation, policy, and membership were initiated in July 2012. The Officers of the Union for the 2008–2012 quadrennium were: President (Rainer K. Silbereisen, Germany); Secretary-General (Pierre L.-J. Ritchie, Canada); Vice-President (Kan Zhang, China); Past-President (Bruce Overmier, USA); Treasurer (Michel Sabourin, Canada); Deputy Secretary-General (Ann Watts, South Africa). The Executive Officer (Nick Hammond, United Kingdom) is an ex officio non-voting participant in Assembly, Executive Committee, and Officer meetings. The regular members of the Executive Committee for the same period were: Helio Carpintero (Spain); Peter Frensch (Germany); James Georgas (Greece); Laura Hernández Guzmán (Mexico); Maria Larsson (Sweden); Pam Maras (United Kingdom); Janak Pandey (India); Gonca Soygüt (Turkey); Barbara Tversky (USA). The Editor of the International Journal of Psychology, Michèle Robert (Canada) and the Editor of Psychology Resources around the World, Merry Bullock (USA), also attend meetings of the Executive Committee. The Union Assembly met in July 2012 in conjunction with the 30th International Congress of Psychology in Cape Town, South Africa. The Assembly business included elections for President, Vice President and regular members of the Executive Committee. In addition, the Assembly ratified the appointment of the Secretary-General, Treasurer, and Treasurer-Designate (a new position, created as the current Treasurer plans to retire in 2014). Following the elections, the members of the Executive Committee for the 2012–2016 quadrennium were as follows. The Officers of the Union are: President (Saths Cooper, South Africa); Secretary-General (Ann Watts, South Africa); Vice-President (Tor Levin Hofgaard, Norway); Past-President (Rainer K. Silbereisen, Germany); Treasurer (Michel Sabourin, Canada); Treasurer-Designate (Jean-Pierre Blondin, Canada). The Executive Officer (Nick Hammond, United Kingdom) is an ex officio non-voting participant in Assembly, Executive Committee and Officer meetings. The regular members of the Executive Committee are: Oscar A. Barbarin (USA); Laura Hernández Guzmán (Mexico); Pascal Huguet (France); Pam Maras (United Kingdom); Janak Pandey (India); Alicia Salvador (Spain); Gonca Soygüt (Turkey); Kazuo Shigemasu (Japan); Ava Thompson (Bahamas); Jianxin Zhang (China). The Editor of International Journal of Psychology, Michèle Robert (Canada) and the Editor of Psychology Resources around the World, Merry Bullock (USA), also attend meetings of the Executive Committee. Other outcomes of the 2012 Assembly meeting were the election of nine new National Members and two organizations gaining Affiliate status (detailed above). The Assembly voted to approve, in principle, the proposal to hold the International Congress of Psychology in 2020 in Prague, Czech Republic. There were changes to the Union's Statutes relating to changes in the Officer roles, clarification of the eligibility for nominations from the floor at the Assembly, and the adoption of changes to the policy on the Universality of Science to ensure conformity with the ICSU statutes. Two meetings of the Executive Committee also took place in Cape Town: a meeting of the outgoing Executive Committee and a meeting of the incoming Executive Committee. The focus of the meetings was, respectively, on reviewing the past quadrennium and preparing for the Assembly meeting, and on assigning roles and responsibilities for the new quadrennium. The Officers held three face-to-face meetings in 2012: in April, at Marbach, Germany, where the main focus was on preparation for matters to be considered at the Executive Committee and Assembly meetings in July; and in Cape Town in July, where a meeting of the outgoing Officers reviewed that past quadrennium and plans for the Assembly, while the incoming Officers met to consider planning for the start of the new quadrennium. In addition, regular Officer teleconferences, at approximately two-monthly intervals, were established in the second half of 2012. Smaller groups of Executive Committee members and Officers met when possible in conjunction with other activities. Detailed financial statements, independently audited, have been completed and submitted to the Executive Committee and the Assembly, and to other organizations where required, as part of reporting on the use of external grant funds. The Treasurer, Michel Sabourin, presented a comprehensive report to the Executive Committee in 2012, and an overview report to the Assembly. In line with strategic planning, the Union's budget is now developed and managed within a quadrennial framework. The increase in non-dues income, from the publishing contract, grants in support of the WHO ICD initiative, from ICSU, the Jacobs Foundation and elsewhere, mean that the finances are in a strong position and that the Union has been able to expand some of its activities. The National Membership dues are now based on an assessment of National Member status, computation of a National Member score and the banding of these scores into six National Membership categories with associated dues levels. The new dues are being introduced in a graduated manner through to 2014. As noted in previous annual reports, some National Members continue to have difficulty in rendering timely dues payments; this is typically due to economic and currency problems in their respective countries. The International Psychology Development Fund (IPDF) was established in the 2004–2008 quadrennium to build an endowment for capacity-building. This was an important first step in securing the Union's long-term commitment to support for capacity-building initiatives. Notwithstanding global financial difficulties, the IPDF has grown modestly, with sufficient funds to allow support to be provided for the ARTS2012 programme held in association with the International Congress of Psychology. A further call on the IPDF for focal capacity-building is anticipated in 2013. The Union has been successful in attracting external funding to support a number of its activities. These include: funding from the Jacob Foundation to support developmental activities for young psychologists, held in conjunction with ICP2012 funding from the American Psychological Association to support the Union's contribution to the World Health Organization's revision of the International Classification of Diseases funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to support a continuing workshop series on bereavement, held in the Caucasus and Central Asia funding from the International Science Council (ICSU) to support a capacity-development workshop on Psychological Intervention after Disasters in the Asia and Pacific Region (held in February 2012) funding from the Dogan Foundation in support of the Mattei Dogan Prize in Psychological Science. The Mattei Dogan Prize was awarded for the second time at ICP2012 funding from the National Psychology Bodies of Canada, Germany, Japan, UK and USA in support of ARTS2012. The Executive Officer, which expanded from a half-time to a 60% position at the start of 2012, has been in post since October 2009. The Executive Officer manages the Union secretariat among other duties. From November 2011, Jason Dunn has been working part-time as the Union's Executive Assistant assigned to the Union secretariat. Ann Watts, appointed as Deputy Secretary-General at the 2010 Assembly, continued in this role until the 2012 Assembly. The post of Deputy Secretary-General was terminated through change of Statutes at the 2012 Assembly. The then incumbent Secretary-General, Pierre Ritchie, did not seek a new term, and Ann Watts' appointment to the Secretary-General position for the 2012–2016 quadrennium was ratified by the Assembly. This was preceded by a planned transitional process in 2010–2012. At the 2012 Assembly, outgoing Secretary-General Pierre Ritchie expressed appreciation to fellow Officers, Executive Committee members and the many colleagues with whom he worked across the globe. He noted the accomplishments of the 2008–2012 quadrennium and prospects for the future, which are partly the result of strengthening the Union's administrative capacity to support core activities and strategic priorities. ICP2012 took place in Cape Town, South Africa, 22–27 July 2012. Organised around the theme Psychology Serving Humanity, it is the first time in its 123 year history that this flagship event of the IUPsyS has been held in Africa, and only the second time that it has been held in the Southern hemisphere (it was held in Sydney in 1988). Some 6000 delegates from 103 countries attended the Congress. The scientific programme included 133 invited addresses from all parts of the world. The Congress Abstracts were published by Psychology Press and were available at the Congress. The Congress Proceedings will be published in 2013. The 31st ICP will be held in Yokohama, Japan, in 2016. The Executive Committee has received regular progress reports on preparation for the Congress from the Union Liaison Rainer Silbereisen. The meeting of the Executive Committee in 2013 will be held in Yokohama and a major focus will be to review progress and to work with the ICP2016 team. The 32nd ICP will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2020. An initial site visit to Prague by the President and Secretary-General took place in December 2012. The 2011 Regional Conference of Psychology was held in Nassau, Bahamas in November 2011. A report of RCP2011 was included in the 2011 Annual Report. The 2013 Regional Conference will be held in Kampala, Uganda, 6–8 November 2013. The Union liaison to RCP2013 is Ann Watts. The IUPsyS publications program is guided by the Standing Committee on Publications and Communications. The Standing Committee was chaired by Past-President Bruce Overmier for the duration of the 2008–2012 quadrennium, and is chaired by Past-President Rainer Silbereisen for the 2012–2016 quadrennium. International Journal of Psychology remains the major regular scientific publication channel of IUPsyS. The current editor, Michèle Robert, has continued the work of previous editors to give the journal an identity and to increase its importance, recognition, and value in advancing psychology as a science and the applications of that science. The scope of the journal has expanded to include articles that evaluatively review special science and applications topics. The International Platform Section of the Journal (Editors: Pierre Ritchie and Ann Watts in 2010–2012, and Ann Watts thereafter) continues to serve as a quick-access information forum on major national and regional developments in scientific psychology. In 2011, the current IJP editor announced that she will not seek a renewal to her contract which runs until the end of 2013. A Call for Nominations was issued early in 2012, and the appointment of the new editor will be announced in 2013. The contract with the Union's publishers, Psychology Press (part of the Taylor & Francis Group) also runs until the end of 2013. In 2012, the Executive Committee came to the decision to issue an open tender for alternative publishing arrangements. Accordingly, in November 2012 the Union issued a Request for Proposals from publishing companies to contribute to the Union's publications objectives. The outcome of this process will be announced in 2013. A major development, started in 2011, has been the development of the previous Psychology Global Resource (issued as a CD-ROM) in the form of a web-based portal. This development, renamed Psychology Resources Around the World, was launched at ICP2012 in South Africa. The editor is Merry Bullock. The web portal provides: an up-to-date and authoritative source for information on the psychology organizations, structures, and resources in every country in the world; an overview of regional and global psychology, conferences, networks and events; resources for teaching, research, service and application; links to codes of ethics, constitutions, data archives and portals, interest groups, reference material. The IUPsyS Website (www.iupsys.net) developed significantly during 2012. It is managed by the Executive Officer and provides a wide range of information on the Union and its current and past activities of international significance. The Union's Newsletter, edited by James Georgas during the 2008–2012 quadrennium and Laura Hernández-Guzmán during the 2012–2016 quadrennium, publishes articles on the work of the Union and other matters of broad interest, and facilitates communication with National Members. The Monthly Bulletin, first introduced in 2010, continues to be circulated by email to National Members and other interested parties. The Bulletin provides brief information and updates on the work and activities of the Union and related regional and international matters. Capacity-building is guided by the work of the Standing Committee on Capacity Building; in the 2008–2012 quadrennium this was chaired by Executive Committee member Laura Hernández-Guzmán. Key activities in 2012 were as follows. Conference on Psychology Education and Training (May 2012). Based in part on a survey of more than 40 countries undertaken by the Work Group on Education of Psychologists (Chair, Executive Committee member Janak Pandey), the aims of the conference were to address how Psychology Education and Training is handled in many countries across the world, and to examine the international regulation and standards concerning curricula and accreditation. Held in Dornburg, Germany, and chaired by then President Rainer Silbereisen, the conference participants were 22 international experts plus young scientists. The outcomes include a book, to be published in 2013. The recommendations (also known as the Dornburg Accord) form an integral part of the Education and Training component of the 2012–2016 Strategic Plan. Work Group on National Capacity Building (Chair, Executive Committee member Pam Maras). The Group held a workshop in Cape Town, South Africa, in July 2012 on “Strengthening psychology organisations in Africa.” The leadership of the African psychology organizations present crafted the Cape Town Declaration to form the Pan-African Psychology Union (PAPU). Further workshops to plan the formation and launch of PAPU will be held in Ghana, South Africa, and Uganda in 2013. A workshop will also take place at the ARUPS Congress in Manila, The Philippines, in October 2013. Regional Capacity-Building Initiatives. The Union runs special initiatives to focus on developing research capacity and the capacity of national associations in developing countries and countries in transition, with support funding from external sources. A series of capacity-building workshops for countries in the South Caucasus and Central Asia region on the general topic Bereavement Research and Practice were held in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The series was supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The events have proved highly successful as well as rejuvenating IUPsyS National Membership in the region. With the support of a grant from the International Council for Science (ICSU) as well as funding from the Chinese Psychological Society and local support from the Chinese Institute of Psychology, the Union ran a workshop in Beijing, China, in February 2012 on Psychological Intervention after Disasters in the Asia and Pacific Region. Following the success of this workshop, a proposal was submitted for support from ICSU to run a further workshop in 2013, with a focus on building individual and organizational capacity. The proposal was successful and a workshop will be held in Beijing in 2013. Advanced Research Training Seminars (ARTS). ARTS is administered by the Union according to a protocol between IUPsyS and the International Association of Applied Psychology. IACCP withdrew from the protocol following the 2012 ARTS. The ARTS Steering Committee is chaired by the Union's Executive Officer (Nick Hammond); Executive Committee member Gonca Soygüt served as the Union's Liaison to ARTS. The 2012 ARTS Programme was held in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in conjunction with ICP2012 and the Conference of the International Association of Cross-Cultural Psychology. The three seminars in the 2012 Programme were: Coping with the Strains of Globalization: Culturally Appropriate Methods for Research on Health and Wellbeing; Analyses of Psychological Data with R; Research as Praxis: Action and Theory-Making and Application in Community Psychology Research. The ARTS2012 report is available on the IUPsyS website. During the 2008–2012 quadrennium, the Work Group on Awards (Chair, Past-President Bruce Overmier) developed four new awards: Young Investigator Awards (one in basic science, one for applied work), Lifetime Career Award, and Achievement against the Odds Award. These awards were bestowed at ICP2012 in South Africa. The award winners were: Young Investigator (Basic Science) Award: William Cunningham, University of Toronto, Canada Young Investigator (Applied Science) Award: Naomi Eisenberger, University of California, Los Angeles, USA Achievement Against the Odds Award: Saths Cooper, previously Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Durban-Westville, South Africa and current IUPsyS President Lifetime Career Award: Albert Bandura, Stanford University, USA. The Union also awarded the Mattei Dogan Prize in Psychological Science at ICP2012. The prize was established in 2006 by the Union under the generous auspices of the Mattei Dogan Foundation, and was awarded for the first time to Michael Posner at ICP2008 in Berlin, Germany. The 2012 prize was awarded to Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK. Further details of these awards and of the winners may be found on the Union's website. The Union continues to maintain strong relations with the International Council for Science (ICSU). In the 2008–2012 quadrennium, Past-President Overmier served on the ICSU Executive Board; Secretary-General Ritchie served on the Committee for Scientific Planning and Research; and Vice-President Kan Zhang served on the Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in the Conduct of Science. Previously a member of the Planning Group on Human Health and Wellbeing, Secretary-General Ritchie was appointed (2012–2015) to the Scientific Committee for the new International Interdisciplinary Program on Human Health and Wellbeing. Union Treasurer Michel Sabourin served as Treasurer of CODATA. In 2012, Merry Bullock (editor of Psychology Resources Around the World) was appointed (2012–2015) to serve as a member of the ICSU Committee for Freedom and Responsibility in the Conduct of Science. Union Treasurer Michel Sabourin served on the ISSC Executive Committee and was elected Treasurer of ISSC in 2010, and continues in that role. He is also Chair of the Steering Committee for the World Social Science Forum 2013. Official relations between the Union and the World Health Organization (WHO) were established in 2002 and have been renewed regularly. For the 2008–2012 quadrennium, then Secretary-General Pierre Ritchie served as the Union's Main Representative to WHO and continues in this role until the end of 2014, with current Secretary-General Ann Watts as the additional representative. The Union is committed to supporting the development of the next edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), with particular focus on Chapter V: Mental and Behavioural Disorders. With the support of a major grant from the American Psychological Association, the Union has seconded Geoffrey Reed to WHO as Senior Project Officer for the ICD revision. The Union is represented by Ann Watts on the International Advisory Committee for the ICD revision. She is also a member of the Consultation Group on the Classification of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms in Neurocognitive Disorders for ICD-11. WHO is developing its own new strategic initiative entitled mhGAP related to the gap between the demonstrated need for mental health research/services and the insufficient capacity to meet the need in many parts of the world. The Union is planning its contribution to this initiative. At the United Nations Secretariat in New York, the Union continues to hold Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is a recognized Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with the Department of Public Information. In 2011, the Union undertook a strategic review of its role and activities in relation to the UN (New York) under the direction of then Deputy Secretary-General Ann Watts. The recommendations of the review, adopted by the General Assembly in 2012, propose that the Union maintain representation at the UN Secretariat in New York and that this engagement should occur in a coordinated and well-planned manner, with the focus on policies that are aligned with the Union's goals and strategic priorities. This annual report highlights the Union's shift to more strategically oriented planning, and the consequences for the way it conducts its business. Many of the key areas of the Union's activities have been the subject of Strategic Reviews, with others currently under way. Capacity-building remains central to the Union's core vision, as reflected in the 2012–2016 Strategic Plan. Historically, for example through its International Congresses, Regional Conferences of Psychology, national capacity-building and ARTS, the Union has demonstrated the importance it accords to capacity-building. The new Strategic Plan reaffirms the Union's commitment to this area, and the wide range of capacity-building activities during the year is testament to the implementation of this commitment. The great success of ICP2012 in Cape Town also illustrates the Union's intent to devote resources to supporting the development of psychology in Africa and in other developing areas of the World. The Union continues to make a sustained contribution to international development through strong relations with ICSU, ISSC, the UN Secretariat in New York, and WHO. It continues to seek opportunities to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration in the advancement of science and its applications to human wellbeing. Appointments of a part-time Executive Officer and Executive Assistant have enabled the range of IUPsyS activities and its internal communications and operations to evolve. There nevertheless remains a need to secure additional financial and human resources to achieve the objectives of the Union's current Strategic Plan and future aspirations. The International Union of Psychological Science through the actions of the Assembly, together with the leadership of the Executive Committee and the Officers, in concert with a growing number of National Members, Affiliates, and Liaisons, now works within a strategic framework based on a vision and key priorities. The accomplishments of the 2008–2012 quadrennium are the result of sustained leadership and active participation by the Union's various constituents. Further substantial progress is planned during the 2012–2016 quadrennium.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-10-28
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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