This is more a call for partners. e are looking for coleagues in terested in recent history of psychology in Central-Estern Europe

1. TRANSFORMATION OF PSYCHOLOGY IN EASTERN EUROPE
AROUND THE MILLENNIUM
Csaba Pléh
Eszterházy College, Eger, Hungary and
CEU, Budapest
Talk at the Eighth International Interdisciplinary Symposium Encounter
of Cultures
Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad
(1 – 2 December 2014)

2. Outline
• Some of the key issues
•
• Institutional changes in teaching, research, academic psychology at
large. de-Marxization.
• Publication changes: national language periodicals, translation and
publication of classics (Freud etc.), and modern literature. Language
policies. Soft psychology, esoteria, and scientific psychology.
• The fate of psychoanalysis..
• Rebirth of psychology and modern social transformations. Gender
issues, industrial society, psychology and politics.

3. Some historical features of the area
Moving area between West and East
Jenő Szűcs
Central Europe is the key for salvation
Milan Kundera

4. Some psychological parallel attitudes/ issues
• Western, individualistic image of
man: pro-psychology
• Western antipsychology:
psychology proper
• too spiritualistic too materialistic
• Radical:Parameters are too slow
• Radical: it is
• too slow
Conservative:
anti-Volk and anti church

5. Some typologies of change
• Liberation from Societ-Russian
monolithy : Baltic
• Integration to Western own
culture: GDR
• National and state speration:
Czech, Yougoslavia
• Modernization: Poland, Hungary
•
• Within psychology
• Purification e.g. East Germany
• Total liberal Hungary
• Combinations
• Language issues in several areas

6. Changes in education
• Spreading, multiplication
• Increase of studentship
• Who controls the curriculum?
• Accreditation and state and professional bodies
• Internationalization in two regards:
• standards
• Student mobility

7. Some features in Hungarian high ed
• dramatic increase of students
• at the same time, full time faculty from 16.157 to 16.771
• great increase of full time at universities, part time in Special Colleges
• questioning the value od diplomas
• Most popular: law, business, informatics, psychology, communication

8. 0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
350000
400000
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
student full time
Increase of students, changes in teacher-student
ration in Hungary Student-teacher ratio
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

9. Standardisation in a developing human service
profession: Psychology
• EFPA (European Federation of Psychological Associations,
Tuomo Tikkanen) 1 psychologist per 1850 inhabitants, 2010
estimate is 1 psychologist to 1500 inhabitants.
• There is a growing student population
• Fears of standards deteriorating
• Accompanied by fears of work force mobility form the new
countries
An international group lead by Ingrid Lunt, London works on a
joint, shared curriculum for 8 years

10. Psychologists and students : Two patterns
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
EU New members
Psychologist
Students

11. Outlines of the ideal curriculum proposed in
EuroPsyd

12. Quality control aspects
• Knowledge, skills, and attitudes
• Actual list of competencies to be expected
• Applied aspects and social setting specifically emphasized
• Output on MA level as well. Not called a psychologist. ‚behavior
analyst’
• Supervised practice new element

13. Presuppositions of the EuroPsyD proposal
• It is a quality benchmark, not a detailed joint
curriculum
• The supervised practice and the internship during
the MA phase will test the institutions in may
countries
• Three targeted main applied fields:
clinical, education, work
• Supervised competencies judged in at least one

14. Critical issues in the preparation
• Is BA/MA obligatory? No, but 5 + 1 yes. % can be unified or divided.
• Generic or specialist? Compromise. Entitled for independent practice
in the supervised field, for dependent practice in all fields.
• Number of years varies in Europe.
• Competencies. Some are general, like numeracy or communication,
some more specific, like intervention planning

15. Phase Component Individual Group Society Total
1st Phase:
(“Bachelor”
or
equivalent)
Orientation The curriculum should include orientation
to psychology, its sub-disciplines and areas
of professional activity
Min 125
Max 135
Theoretical
courses and
practical
exercises
Max 95 Min 20 Min 20
Academic skills Academic skills training should be
included
Methodology Min 30 Min 45
Max 55
Non-psychology
theory
Min 15 – Max 25
Total 180
2nd Phase:
(Masters or
equivalent)
Theoretical
courses,
seminars,
assignments etc.
Min 30 Max 60
Placement Min 30 Min 60
Research project
/ thesis
Min 30
Total 120
3rd Phase Supervised
Practice
Min 60 Total 60

16. Primary competences
• Grouped into professional roles
A. goal specification
B. assessment
C. development
D. intervention
E. evaluation
F. communication.

17. • The procedure will indirectly evaluate universities and their programs
• A real possibility for quality assurance
• The supervised practice year already a new element
• The EuroPsyD will not be an obligation, but it will help in mobility
• Several non regulated details, such as language requirements for
licensing, connections to specialist requirements will be immediate
national tasks
Some relevance towards broader European
processes

18. Some aspects of the Bologna process as it unfolds
• The structuring of the two levels
• How to make B level applicable?
• What is happening to the Specialist Colleges? Do they really fade?
• Cost reduction and cost sensitivity
• Who would bring new money in? What foreigners to attract

19. Some broader educational issues
Where to train psychologists? The fight of the faculties. Philosophy,
education, med school.
The clinical issue. It is still almost 80 %. Where should they belong?
Research and education., Research institutes.
Language issue is basic.

20. Research aspects
• Presence in Western publications
• Status of local languages. Do we still write in …
• Emmigration, Immigration and reintegration. Numbers, issues

21. PsychLit material for Hungarians
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
<60
60-65
65-70
70-75
75-80
80-85
85-90
90-95
95-00
00-05 m
a
Publications
English

22. Hungarian presence a 14 times increase
Still small 2 ‰
0
0,0005
0,001
0,0015
0,002
0,0025
60-65 Today

23. The birth of PopPsy
issues: democracy
quality
misunderstanding

24. The spread of the profession
• Reconsideration of the psychological society
• Rebirth of psychoanalysis
• Rediscovery of the forgotten past

25. Take home message
• The changes conditioned by drastic political and social changes
underwent under our vision, and still only analyzed with anecdotal
evidence and cursory looks.
• The main issues are how psychology was fairing in an authoritarian
social system, and how did change to a freer political organization and
towards market economy influenced the spread of psychology both
as a practical and as an intellectual attitude.
• The talk is part of a larger project that shall combine essayistic
analysis of modern trends, collection of oral history archives,
historical analysis of archival materials