BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY Psychology:

 Psychology is the study of mind and behavior. It encompasses the biological influences, social pressures, and environmental factors that affect how people think, act, and feel Gaining a richer and deeper understanding of psychology can help people achieve insights into their own actions as well as a better understanding of other people. British psychological society History: It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as The Psychological Society, the organization initially admitted only recognized teachers in the field of psychology. The ten founder members.

 • Robert Armstrong-Jones

 • Sophie Bryant

 • W.R. Boyce Gibson 

• Frank Noel Hales

 • William McDougall

 • Frederick Walker Mott

 • William Halse Rivers

 • Alexander Faulkner Shand

 • William George Smith 

• James Sully 

Its current name of The British Psychological Society was taken in 1906 to avoid confusion with another group named The Psychological Society. Under the guidance of Charles Myers, membership was opened up to members of the medical profession in 1919. In 1941 the society was incorporated. Mission: The Society aims to raise standards of training and practice in psychology, raise public awareness of psychology, and increase the influence of psychology practice in society. Specifically, it has a number of key aims, as described below. Setting standards of training for psychologists at graduate and undergraduate levels. Providing information about psychology to the public. Providing support to its members via its membership networks and mandatory continuing professional development. • Hosting conferences and events. • Preparing policy statements. • Publishing books, journals, the monthly magazine The Psychologist, the Research Digest blog, including a free fortnightly research update, and various other publications (see below). • Setting standards for psychological testing. • Maintaining a History of Psychology Centre. Organization: The Society is both a learned a professional body. As such it provides support and advice on research and practice issues. It is also a Registered Charity which imposes certain constraints on what it can and cannot do. For example, it cannot campaign on issues which are seen as party political. The BPS is not the statutory regulation body for Practitioner Psychologists in the UK which is the Health and Care Professions Council. The Society has a large number of specialist and regional branches throughout the United Kingdom. It holds its Annual Conference, usually in May, in a different town or city each year. In addition each of the sub-sections also hold their own conferences and there is also a range of specialist meetings convened to consider relevant issues. Membership: Subscribers, in all fields of psychology, 20,243 of whom were Chartered Members.[5] There are a number of grades of members: • Student: (no post-nominal) The grade for students of psychology who do not meet the requirements for the following grades. • MBPsS: Member of the British Psychological Society - Awarded to graduates of an undergraduate degree accredited by the society, or have completed an accredited conversion course. • AFBPsS: Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society - Associate Fellowship may be awarded to nominees who have satisfied one of the following conditions since first becoming eligible for graduate membership: i) Achieved eligibility for full membership of one of the society's divisions and been successfully engaged in the professional application of a specialized knowledge of psychology for an aggregate of at least two calendar years full-time (or its part-time equivalent). ii) possess a research qualification in psychology and been engaged in the application, discovery, development or dissemination of psychological knowledge or practice for an aggregate of at least four years full time (or its part time equivalent). Society publication: The BPS publishes 11 journals • British Journal of Clinical Psychology 

• British Journal of Developmental Psychology

 • British Journal of Educational Psychology 

• British Journal of Health Psychology

 • British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology

 • British Journal of Psychology 

• British Journal of Social Psychology 

• Journal of Neuropsychology 

• Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.

 Reference: i. Clarke, V.; Ellis, SJ.; Peel, E. & Riggs, DW (2010). Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans and Queer psychology: An introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978- 0521700184. ii. Velmans, M. (2009) Understanding Consciousness (2nd Ed). London: Routledge/Psychology Press