It's 2040. Psychology has changed. How?

To tie in with the British Psychological Society's Annual Conference theme of 'Psychology of the future: Changing landscapes', we asked contributors for their '2040 visions'.

08 July 2020

The British Psychological Society's Conference 2020 should have taken place in Leeds on 30 June and 1 July, with the theme 'Psychology of the future: Changing landscapes'. It went ahead online, and you can find coverage here on our website. 

In our special summer print edition, themed entirely around 'Towards the new normal, and beyond', we published several contributions answering the question 'It's 2040. You're still working in Psychology, but it has changed. How?'

'We can only go forward from here'The winning entries from a BPS Conference 2020 student competition, around the theme of Psychology of the Future: Changing Landscapes. When the job hunts youLinda Kaye on putting our online data to work. ‘We now fit the system to the person’As psychologists working clinical health, we have been close to the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic and the lessons that are ours to seize and hold on to. We have dared to imagine a progressive (perhaps utopian?) future, written from the perspective of a new graduate, and we invite you come along with us… A green perspectiveJan Maskell with two visions from a warming planet. Restoring and honouring community Sally Zlotowitz, with thanks to Ebinehita Iyere and Rachel McKail from MAC-UK. Work, workers and workplacesRoxane Gervais on flexibility and leadership. What could Psychology look like?Alison Clarke with a call to action. Psychology as a thing of the pastProf-bots or a psychologically informed future? You decide, says Angel Chater. ‘We live in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world'New British Psychological Society President Dr Hazel McLaughlin follows up last month’s interview with a focus on change and the future. See also: ‘Nothing could be worse than a return to normality’Can psychology save the world in a ‘new normal’? Lee Rowland curates 10 quotes… ‘The levers that government are pulling are psychological’Our editor Jon Sutton hears from Kathryn Scott, Director of Policy for the British Psychological Society. Which utopia, whose future? Gavin Miller considers science fiction and psychology. Illustration: Nick Taylor We would be happy to consider more contributions on this theme. What have we missed? Engage on Twitter @psychmag