Globalization and psychology: The present challenges and future perspectives in the Arab World

MENA Dubai 2003 Abstract

Author Adnan Al Farah
Copy Globalization has affected all fields of our modern life. Psychology is one of the dynamic sciences that takes responsibility in building human behavior and helping in the adaptation process to anything new. This paper highlights the responsibility of the psychologist in reviewing many theoretical and practical practices within these fast and complicated changes accompanying globalization. The paper examines the effects of globalization on the psychology professions and specialties, and its role in supporting the different outcomes of globalization. The paper examines the positive outcomes of globalization and the problems and challenges on psychological professions resulting from globalization.

The paper examines the reality of psychology in the Arab world and the difficulties that are encountered by workers in this field and their ability to face globalization and the changes that affect all fields of life.

This paper also examines the needs of the staff in teaching psychology in the Arab world and a new vision for preparing and training students to preserve the privacy of the culture and to face the stress of globalization.

The paper shows the necessity for psychologists to take responsibility in rebuilding psychology programs and their different branches. This way the content of these programs will suit the challenges of globalization. The paper encourages the teaching of new orientations in psychology, and to develop its many curriculums in all nations and in the U.S.A. in particular, in order to accept diversity and to confront human suffering.

The paper concludes by presenting some suggestions and strategies that could be adopted to confront globalization effects. It also suggests training psychologists in different branches especially in educational and social psychology in order to coordinate with nonprofit associations and governmental institutions and organizations to confront human problems such as poverty, unemployment, violence and human rights.