Our March time machine

At the beginning of each month, we will revisit some past issues. What did you miss? How have the ideas within the articles stood the test of time?

Remember, if you visit our 'Archive' page, you can 'Jump to year' right back to when The Psychologist metamorphised from the Bulletin of the British Psychological Society, in January 1988.

Let's set the controls for March…

In March 2024, we had a series of interviews with psychologists and authors around time and memory, as well as meeting Kate Tchanturia and Fiona Duffy to talk eating disorders.

The psychedelic revolution was under consideration in March 2023, along with a collection on 'making research matter' featuring Linda Tropp, Claudia Hammond and John Drury.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect and groupthink were our cover features in March 2022. We talked misinformation with Tom Buchanan, and long covid with Andy Siddaway.

In March 2021, we were feeling lost.

Our 2020 issue featured Deanne Bell on bystanding social justice and decolonising psychology. We had Sarah Atayero on the need for diversity in training and the workforce, and Binna Kandola and David Murphy in conversation about the BPS Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce. Naomi Fisher considered the arguments for self-directed education and Emma Young asked if character is caught or taught.

In March 2019 we presented the winners of our first ‘Voices in Psychology’ programme, who answered: ‘Why do we need psychology? And what does psychology need?’ We also featured Elian Fink and Claire Hughes on children’s friendships, Graham M. Davies and Alan Costall on mass observation, and Adrian Furnham on personality at work.

For our 2018 issue, Ella Rhodes spoke to psychologists about what’s needed in our urban spaces. Merim Bilalić looked at experts, Philip Kirby gave a brief history of dyslexia, and Paul Stenner told us about the interconnected circles of life.

In 2017, Gareth Gaskell considered the enigma of sleep, Alan Price looked at foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and traumatic childhood experiences, and Huw Green had a historical take on agency in madness. A number of psychologists, including Uta Frith, revealed the roots and fruits of their most famous contributions.

Our March 2016 issue featured Ian O’Donnell on resilience and growth in solitary confinement, Graham Towl and David Crighton on sex offender treatment, Adrian Needs on rehabilitation, and Joel Harvey on the experience of imprisonment. Naomi Moller and Victoria Clarke explored embryo donation and voluntary childlessness. Philip J. Corr reflected on the life and work of Hans J. Eysenck.

In 2015 Simon Oxenham and editor Jon Sutton considered the causes and consequences of bad writing in psychology. We had Y. Barry Chung, Tiffany K. Chang and Ciemone S. Rose on managing and coping with sexual identity at work. Lisa Calvano looked at the impact of caring for spouses and parents. Tracey Loughran paid tribute to the men who suffered in the First World War, while Michael A. Smith looked at glucose effects on memory, and Kate Williams asked if we’re mindful of how we talk about mindfulness.

In 2014, Sian Williams reported on the responsibilities of broadcasters towards those they interview. Ray McBride investigated secular ecstasies, Angelica Ronald considered the heritability of ASD and ADHD, and Anna Abramowski looked at active procrastination. Stuart C. Carr and Malcolm MacLachlan presented a manifesto for tackling global inequalities at work. Tadhg MacIntyre, Aidan Moran and Mark Campbell shed light on the origins of psychology in Ireland.

Our March 2013 issue featured the globalisation of mental illness, genetic influences on politics, prejudice and religiosity, and involuntary autobiographical memories. We also looked at the ‘winner effect’, and the rest cure in the works of Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden.

Our March 2012 issue was a special on paediatric clinical psychology, covering intensive care, brain tumours, coping and acceptance in chronic conditions, and adjusting family life to chronic illness. We also looked back at personality theorist George Kelly.

In 2011 we discovered the value of pets, asked how it feels to be outsourced, and looked at the belief that psychology is not science. We examined parent abuse, and looked back at tropical neurasthenia. 

Our March issue in 2010 was a pregnancy special, with articles on the maternal brain, nausea and vomiting, taking up space, disadvantaged young fathers-to-be, ‘normal’ pregnancy, and perinatal care.  Alison Gopnik told us about the exploratory, bright butterflies that are children, and we looked back at retrospective language analysis.

We asked if humour can make students love statistics in 2009, and if exercise can delay dementia. We examined stigma research and cognitive task analysis. We looked back at the erotic novel Story of O, and at the work of Alfred Binet.

In our 2008 issue, we saw how our names might determine our fate, why vaccinations are interesting to psychologists, and what made Adam Smith a proto-social psychologist.

We had a special issue on refugees and asylum seekers in March 2007 featuring: working with refugee children and families, community psychology and refugees, working with interpreters, working with asylum seekers in clinical settings, and the politics of working with refugee survivors of torture.

In 2006, we revisited the notion that groups and power corrupt, received recommendations on building partnerships with voluntary and community sectors, investigated conflict, and highlighted the microgenetic method.

In March 2005, we looked at suicide bombing, estimating public opinion, psychology in Japan, and how head injury affects relationships.

Our 2004 issue questioned social constructionism, considered the psychological implications of thought-controlled computers and looked at culture in psychology. In 2003 we had a special issue on positive psychology.

In March 2002 we featured eye movement desensitisation, gender and the body, bullying in prisons and ethics in authorship. Our 2001 issue had articles on depersonalisation, and the link between genes and behaviour, and in March 2000 we featured language acquisition.

We’ve reached the 1990s, where you’ll find discussion and debate on racism and contributions to paediatric medicine. When we reach 1997, issues are available only as whole pdf downloads… Find false memory, mime, qualitative methods, and specials on health psychology, the psychology of women and education. There’s also prison riots and developmental psychology.

Finally, our March 1989 issue includes the psychology of caring, and our 1988 issue looks at the psychology of the stock market. 

Remember, you can explore our complete archive or use the search function via the homepage.