Saturday 25 July 11:25 - 12:55

Hall: 19 - Room 16 SPT

Chair and Presenter: Zirkler Michael

Division: Division 3: Psychology and Societal Development

In an increasingly complex world, psychology faces the dual challenge of opening up innovative research fields while also redefining its societal responsibility. For decades, Western traditions have dominated the discipline, yet culturally embedded knowledge systems from diverse regions of the world provide meaningful answers to fundamental questions of health, social life, work, and justice. They represent emerging fields within psychology and offer valuable resources for building a sustainable and globally relevant science.
This symposium presents different perspectives: the African philosophy of Ubuntu, Indian Psychology, the communal living and working models of the Israeli Kibbutzim, and a concluding reflection on how such approaches can be integrated into Western-European contexts. Together, these contributions initiate a transdisciplinary and transcontextual dialogue between psychology, sociology, management studies, and philosophy, addressing questions of well-being, social cohesion, and sustainable development.
Special emphasis is placed on societal applications: How can culturally grounded practices strengthen trust, responsibility, and hope - thereby fostering democratic values and resilient communities?
The symposium aims to provide a platform for exchange on global knowledge systems and to explore their potential for shaping a transformative and context-sensitive psychology of the 21st century.