As we close out 2025 with this issue of the Monitor, we find ourselves divided as a society. Hostility and incivility have reached levels that previously felt unimaginable. Our field has worked tirelessly to navigate this tumultuous environment, but it has been challenging to achieve the level of impact we know we can have. As we turn toward a new year, let us ask ourselves: How do we change that?
In our increasingly interconnected world, APA has deepened its commitment to fostering international relationships. We now maintain formal partnerships with psychological associations in nearly 80 countries. Through summits addressing critical societal issues, meetings at the United Nations, and global conferences, we are learning from one another—strengthening psychology worldwide.
From these exchanges, three insights stand out.
- First, we need to use the full breadth of our science and training to see clearly what is happening around us. As experts in human behavior, we should be the least susceptible to psychological strategies that fuel manipulation and division. When fear and misinformation are used to divide people, we should not only recognize these tactics ourselves but also help inoculate others. Yet too often, we find ourselves caught in the same mental and emotional cycles that trap others. We simply cannot afford this luxury. Our field’s credibility depends on our ability to model clear thinking even when—especially when—the stakes feel personal.
- Second, our field must remain unified. Unity does not imply that we agree on everything. It means backing up the words “we are stronger together” with action. Diversity of perspective is essential to the growth and success of both our association and our field, but we must demonstrate to ourselves and others that psychology is a discipline and profession where people can vehemently disagree in civil ways and come together when it matters. Our colleagues in physical health do this well, with cardiologists, anesthesiologists, primary care physicians, and more, banding together to amplify medicine’s voice on Capitol Hill and in other advocacy arenas. As a field, we must emphasize less where we differ and more where we are aligned, like in our shared desire to use psychology to improve the human condition.
- Finally, we must be willing to lead. Even more important for our field than understanding the scientific complexities of human behavior is showing others what navigating these complexities looks like. Psychology also has a responsibility to model the way forward for broader society. When people are fearful, overwhelmed, and angry, psychology has the tools and knowledge to provide direction, but only if we make the commitment to lead with courage and purpose.
In 2026, let us rise to the challenge—and show the world the full power of psychology to heal, unite, and lead.