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Top Psychology Trends for 2023
Psychologists are increasingly being called on to help solve some of the greatest challenges we face as a society. In 2023, the American Psychological Association sees this trend accelerating along with other major changes to the field.
1. Psychological Research Becomes More Inclusive: Psychologists are challenging traditional thinking about their research, including how it is conducted and what kinds of research is rewarded, with the goal of inclusivity across the entire human experience.
2. Scientists Reach a Wider Audience: Communicating our work is vital for it to have impact. Psychologists, hungry with a new sense of immediacy, are delivering their research faster and in new ways.
3. EDI Roles Expand: The world is looking for leadership around equity, diversity, and inclusion, and psychologists are stepping into many new roles. Psychologists have the skills to lead this work, including managing conflict and having tough conversations, and changing organizational cultures.
4. Worker Well-Being Is in Demand: Attitudes about employee mental health have dramatically shifted and psychologists are leading the charge to help businesses prioritize employee well-being.
5. Psychologists Take Aim at Misinformation: Psychologists are deploying powerful strategies to fight misinformation, using science to find ways to reach people who have already been ensnared, and lessening harm across the globe.
6. Efforts to Improve Children’s Mental Health Increase: Children’s mental health is still suffering. Psychological research is focused on child and teen mental health, showing why they are struggling and what can be done to help those in need.
7. Partnerships Accelerate Progress: Psychologists are joining forces with other professions to tackle big societal problems, from childhood mental health to police violence.
8. Suicide Prevention Gets a New Lifeline: Psychologists remain on the forefront of suicide prevention, serving as critical first responders as part of a new nationwide mental health hotline, and training non-psychologists to help meet the need.
9. Some Faculty Exit Academia: With students feeling overwhelmed, faculty feeling unsupported or overworked, campus tensions are at a boiling point. Some psychologists are leaving academia behind, while PhD candidates are looking for more lucrative positions.
10. Venture Capitalists Shift Focus: Billions of dollars of new funding has allowed venture capital funding for mental health apps to be heavily focused on youth, as well as on platforms that incorporate coaching and artificial intelligence.
11. Psychologists Rebrand the Field: By thinking broadly about the health of entire communities, the field of psychology is positioned to make a bigger impact on policy, education, and so many other areas.
Learn more about how each of these trends are poised to play out in 2023 and follow APA’s ongoing coverage as we bring you the latest scientific research on these and other essential topics.
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