Appendix IX:
Chronological History of Divisions
When the amalgamation of the American Association of Applied Psychology (AAAP) and the American Psychological Association took place in 1945, the first 19 divisions were shown in the first bylaws as charter divisions. The divisions did not get formally organized, however, until 1948.
Changes in name are indicated in parentheses.
Division 1 — Society for General Psychology
(Named General Psychology prior to 1999.)
Division 2 — Society for the Teaching of Psychology
(Named Teaching of Psychology prior to 1996.)
Division 3 — Experimental Psychology
(Named Theoretical Experimental Psychology prior to 1949, when divisions 3 and 6 joined using the new name: Division 3 — Experimental Psychology.)
Division 4 — The Psychometric Society: A Division of the APA
(Decided not to become a division in 1948. Division 4 remains vacant.)
Division 5 — Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics
(Named Evaluation and Measurement prior to 1989, when petitioners of a proposed division on assessment joined this division.)
Division 6 — Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology
(Named Physiological & Comparative Psychology prior to 1948. Merged with Division 3 in 1949 (see note at Division 3). Council approved its reestablishment in 1963 using the old name. Adopted current name in 1995.)
Division 7 — Developmental Psychology
(Named Childhood and Adolescence prior to 1954.)
Division 8 — Society for Personality and Social Psychology
(Named Personality & Social Psychology prior to 1982.)
Division 9 — Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues: A Division of APA
Division 10 — Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts
(Named Esthetics prior to 1965. Renamed Psychology and the Arts from 1965-2002.)
Division 11 — Abnormal Psychology and Psychotherapy
(Division was short-lived. By 1946, it had joined Division 12 for the Division of Clinical and Abnormal Psychology. Division 11 remains vacant.)
Division 12 — Society of Clinical Psychology
(Named Clinical Psychology prior to 1954. Renamed Clinical Psychology from 1954-98.)
Division 13 — Society of Consulting Psychology
(Named Consulting Psychology prior to 2001.)
Division 14 — Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
(Named Industrial and Business Psychology prior to 1960. Renamed Industrial Psychology from 1960-72, and Industrial and Organizational Psychology from 1972-83. Adopted current name in 1983.)
Division 15 — Educational Psychology
Division 16 — School Psychology
(Named School Psychologists prior to 1969.)
Division 17 — Society of Counseling Psychology
(Named Personnel and Guidance Psychologists prior to 1951. Renamed Counseling and Guidance from 1951-53, and Counseling Psychology from 1953-2003. Adopted current name in 2003.)
Division 18 — Psychologists in Public Service
Division 19 — Society for Military Psychology
(Named Military Psychology prior to 2004.)
Divisions 12, 13, 14, 15 and 19 were sections in the old AAAP; they go back to 1938, except for 19 which was established in 1945. The AAAP members in military service were included after the lists of sections in the 1943 AAAP directory.
Division 20 — Adult Development and Aging
(Named Psychology of Adulthood and Old Age in 1945. Renamed Maturity and Old Age in 1946-70.)
Division 21 — Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychology
(Named The Society of Engineering Psychologists: A Division of the APA in 1956. Renamed Division of Applied Experimental and Engineering Psychologists from 1983-96.)
Division 22 — Rehabilitation Psychology
(Named National Council on Psychological Aspects of Disability: A Division of the APA in 1958. Renamed Psychological Aspects of Disability from 1960-72.)
Division 23 — Society for Consumer Psychology
(Named Consumer Psychology from 1962-88.)
Division 24 — Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology
(Named Philosophical Psychology in 1963. Renamed Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology from 1980-2004.)
Division 25 — Behavior Analysis
(Named Experimental Analysis of Behavior from 1965-2000.)
Division 26 — Society for the History of Psychology
(Named History of Psychology from 1966-2003.)
Division 27 — Society for Community Research and Action: Division of Community Psychology
(Named Community Psychology from 1967-90.)
Division 28 — Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse
(Named Psychopharmacology from 1967-90.)
Division 29 — Psychotherapy
(Named Psychologists Interested in the Advancement of Psychotherapy prior to 1968.)
Division 30 — Society of Psychological Hypnosis
(Named Psychological Hypnosis from 1969-2001.)
Division 31 — State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Association Affairs
(Named State Psychological Association Affairs from 1969-2005.)
Division 32 — Society for Humanistic Psychology
(Named Humanistic Psychology from 1972-2007.)
Division 33 — Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
(Named Mental Retardation in 1973. Renamed Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities from 1989-2007.)
Division 34 — Society for Environmental, Population and Conservation Psychology
(Named Population Psychology in 1974. Renamed Population and Environmental Psychology from 1976-2011.)
Division 35 — Society for the Psychology of Women
(Named Psychology of Women from 1974-99.)
Division 36 — Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
(Named Psychologists Interested in Religious Issues in 1976. Renamed to Psychology of Religion from 1992-2011.)
Division 37 — Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice
(Named Child and Youth Services in 1978. Renamed Child, Youth and Family Services from 1982-2007.)
Division 38 — Health Psychology (1978)
Division 39 — Psychoanalysis (1980)
Division 40 — Society for Clinical Neuropsychology
(Named Division of Clinical Neuropsychology from 1980-2013.)
Division 41 — American Psychology-Law Society
(Named Psychology and the Law prior to 1984.)
Division 42 — Psychologists in Independent Practice (1982)
Division 43 — Society for Family Psychology
(Named Family Psychology from 1985-2008.)
Division 44 — Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues
(Named Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian and Gay Issues in 1985. Renamed Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issues: A Division of APA in 1997-2009.)
Division 45 — Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues (1986)
Division 46 — Society for Media Psychology and Technology
(Named Division of Media Psychology from 1986-2012.)
Division 47 — Exercise and Sport Psychology (1986)
Division 48 — Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology Division
(Named Peace Psychology from 1990-1998.)
Division 49 — Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy
(Named Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy from 1991-2010.)
Division 50 — Society of Addiction Psychology
(Named Division on Addictions from 1993-2010.)
Division 51 — Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity (1995)
Division 52 — International Psychology (1997)
Division 53 — Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (1999)
Division 54 — Society of Pediatric Psychology (1999)
Division 55 — American Society for the Advancement of Pharmacotherapy (2000)
