Psychologists are raising their voices and sharing their expertise on some of the country’s most pressing issues, including gun violence and climate change. Meanwhile, the field is becoming more diverse, and technology is changing our research, teaching and practice.
American Psychological Association. (2020, January 1). 10 top trends for 2020. Monitor on Psychology, 51(1). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/01/cover-trends
Trends for 2020
Raising our voices on gun violence
Psychology is taking a comprehensive public health approach to addressing this crisis
Elevating mental health on the world stage
Psychologists are key to a global movement by governments and major health organizations to devote more attention, resources and political commitment to improving mental health in low-resource countries
Increasing action on climate change
As the human toll of climate change becomes clearer, psychologists are working with the United Nations, national and local governments, and private companies to understand, mitigate and adapt to the crisis
Designing people-friendly technology
Demand for “UX” psychologists is increasing as industries of all kinds work to improve how people interact with products and services
Enticing new faces to the field
Today’s psychology graduate students are more racially and ethnically diverse, admission to PhD programs is more competitive and master’s degrees in industrial-organizational psychology are hot
Improving care while saving money
Large health systems increasingly recognize that weaving psychologists’ expertise into services improves care and saves money
Answering the demand for services
Underserved communities are driving a heightened need for health-service psychologists
Providing care in innovative ways
As more people get mental health services via apps and telehealth, psychologists are working to ensure their quality
Pioneering new ways to protect privacy
Psychologists are developing new strategies to protect users’ personal data
New technologies are improving psychology education, easing faculty’s administrative burden and helping researchers share their findings more broadly
