Joint Activities with Other Associations

The original Articles described one of the ways in which the objectives of the Association could be reached as: “the interchange of information relating to this subject between the members and other associations throughout the world towards an international achievement of these objects and purposes.” A look at the present formal links and joint activities between our and other associations shows that over the years the leadership of our association has taken this early recommendation more than seriously.

Ever since 2003 there is a formal agreement between the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) whereby five of their doctoral students can participate in our Summer Schools and five of ours can participate in theirs. A similar more recent agreement exists with the Society of Australasian Social Psychology (SASP).

For years EASP and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) have worked together towards the organization of (annual) conferences attractive to members of both societies alternating between North America and Europe. The two conferences held jointly by EASP and the Society for Experimental Social Psychology (SESP), one at Leuven/Louvain-la-Neuve in 1992 and the other in Washington in 1995, constitute yet another example of the Association’s orientation towards cooperation with comparable organizations outside Europe.

A reading of some of the correspondence between the members of the early Executive Committees reveals a mixed attitude towards these international contacts. On the one hand they were considered important towards the development of research in Europe, but on the other hand there was a certain amount of fear that ‘the Americans would dominate if not take over’. The scene has changed greatly since then. Looking at the situation nowadays it can best be described as one in which our Association and its members are interacting on equal footing with organizations in other continents, with great mutual respect for each other’s traditions and orientations.