Several past Psi Chi leaders have had a strong interest in and involvement with international psychology. These include Roger Russell (National President, 1963-64), Florence Denmark (National President, 1978-80), Charles Spielberger (National President, 1980-83), Michael Wertheimer (National President, 1990-91), and more recently Slater Newman (National President, 1997-98) and Harold Takooshian (National President, 1998-99). All have sought to enrich Psi Chi by publishing articles on international topics in the Psi Chi newsletter or in Eye on Psi Chi. In addition, all have promoted the introduction of an international perspective for Psi Chi. I like to imagine that each one anticipated a time when Psi Chi would become the International Honor Society in Psychology. Perhaps the time has arrived for that dream to become a reality.
     Population demographics illustrate the importance of international understanding and involvement. In the year 2005 the global population was 6.477 billion (Population Reference Bureau, 2005); by the year 2025 it is estimated that it will be almost 8 billion. The 2005 U. S. population is roughly 296.5 million, slightly less than 4.6% of the world population. Whether psychology is defined as the scientific study of human behavior, thought, or experience, it assumes that it is the study of all people. However, up to the present time the research in psychology has sampled only a very tiny percentage of the human population. While the number of psychologists is increasing rapidly in many countries (Rosenzweig, 1999; Stevens & Wedding, 2004), nearly 50% of the published research in psychology comes from the United States and approximately half of the research psychologists are in the United States (Rosenzweig, 1992). With such a large percent of the world's people outside the United States, clearly there is a pressing need to expand beyond the U.S. 
     The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 made it clear that we in the United States are no longer protected from foreign enemies by the two great oceans, nor even by our government's ability to threaten massive retaliation against enemy governments (Davis, 2004; Gaddis, 2004). Chaos and conflict anywhere in the world can generate threats to American lives. We can not afford to ignore problems in other countries. For a variety of reasons it is in our own self-interest to become knowledgeable about people in developing countries and to care about their welfare. 
     Primary among these reasons is the fact that, as a result of technological advances, political changes, and economic forces, humanity grows more interconnected and interdependent each day. Differing cultures are mixing in interesting ways, overlapping, and sometimes colliding. The people of the United States today have great opportunity as well as great responsibility for working cooperatively with others throughout the world. We psychologists should play a central role in preparing ourselves and the American people for increasing our knowledge and understanding of the great diversity of human experience and customs. Whether they are working as therapists or clinicians with increasingly diverse populations at home, or in some international context, American psychologists need to know much more about the 95% of the people beyond our shores. And, of course, the psychologists who devote their careers to scientific research must strive toward drawing their samples from the entire human population if psychology is to truly be the science of human behavior. Remember our statistics and research methods classes: we can generalize our research findings to a population of humans only to the extent that we have appropriately sampled that population.
     As the interdependence of all peoples continues to accelerate, an understanding of cultures other than one's own gains increasing importance. University graduates with a good knowledge of the people of other nations, of cultural perspectives different from their own, and of the global context will find they are well equipped to enjoy and profit from the opportunities and challenges in today's world. This is especially true of honor students who will be the leaders in tomorrow's world. If they are to be effective, these students must develop a clear understanding of the differences between various cultures and also must develop empathy for world views different from their own. Understanding this, university professors in many fields are now including multicultural/global perspectives in their curricula. Psi Chi needs to keep pace with this trend.
     Because Psi Chi's mission is to promote the science of psychology, Psi Chi should play a part in the international development currently taking place in universities and in all aspects of our society. In every way possible, Psi Chi should expedite the process of making students and faculty members more aware of and empathetic toward other peoples of the world. Establishing international affiliate chapters in various countries will be a superb way to do this.
     Psi Chi is the psychological organization best positioned to have an impact on the future of psychology. This is true not only because the members of Psi Chi (like members of the American Psychological Association [APA]) represent all the states in the nation, but also because they are younger than the members of the APA and will therefore have more years ahead of them to shape the future of psychology. 
     These are compelling reasons for moving our society to international status; thus, internationalizing Psi Chi seems to make very good sense. However, some problems arise when we consider this course of action. First, at present the name of the society includes the word "national" and, second, the specific requirements that a psychology department must meet in order to qualify to have a Psi Chi chapter have been tailored specifically to higher education in the U.S. 
     Happily, these problems are not insurmountable. A name change from "national" to "international" would simply require a constitutional amendment. However, the matter of chapter qualification is a more thorny issue presenting several technical obstacles to increasing the number of Psi Chi's international affiliate chapters. In the United States, Psi Chi chapters can be chartered only at colleges and universities that qualify for tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) designation. Another is identifying the top 35% of students based on grade point average. Third is that the university must be accredited by a regional accrediting body. The purpose of these requirements is to ensure that chapters are chartered at universities that meet rigorous academic standards. These standards are also important in promoting Psi Chi internationally, yet the specifics of the criteria used to ensure they are maintained will differ from country to country and will need to be worked out separately for each country. In doing so, we must ask: "What were the original purposes for establishing the specific technical requirements for new Psi Chi chapter charters? How do these requirements serve the primary mission of Psi Chi?" In doing this, I believe, we can find ways to expand Psi Chi internationally and craft specific requirements for international affiliate chapters that, though they will differ from the U.S. requirements, will clearly reflect Psi Chi's mission. 
     Article II of the Psi Chi Constitution describes Psi Chi's mission as follows: "Psi Chi is a national honor society whose purpose shall be to encourage, stimulate, and maintain excellence in scholarship of the individual members in all fields, particularly in psychology, and to advance the science of psychology." The promotion of international affiliate chapters is clearly relevant to this mission. 
     This was evident to the Psi Chi leaders cited above and, as a result of their interest and commitment, some steps have already been taken to move our society toward becoming an international organization.
     Recently, the constitution was amended to allow the chartering of international affiliate chapters. Article XII, Section 2 now states: "International affiliate chapters may be established according to uniform criteria determined by the National Council. Accreditation of the institution by the appropriate governmental body in that country will be regarded as the appropriate accrediting agency." International affiliate chapters are mentioned again in Article IX, Section 3 which states that such chapters will be assigned to one of the existing U.S. regions as determined by the National Council.
     Clearly, then, some of the past National Councils of Psi Chi have encouraged the establishment of international affiliate chapters and, in fact, currently there is one Psi Chi international affiliate chapter. It was chartered at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada in April, 2003.
     With this success under our belts, it now behooves us to start seriously recruiting international affiliate chapters. I believe the time to move forward is now! We are fortunate that several current members of Psi Chi's National Council have strong international interests and expertise. With their help we can systematically define and approve the criteria that are appropriate for chartering international affiliate chapters in the core of English-speaking countries: Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Costa Rica. Mexico should also be included. All these countries have well-established higher education systems and national psychologies with many similarities to U.S. psychology. We need to provide a description of the potential benefits of Psi Chi membership to each of these countries and suggest that their psychologists give serious consideration to the establishment of Psi Chi international affiliate chapters. In addition, we need to determine whether there is an equivalent to the U.S. system of honor societies and whether the top 35% of the students can be easily identified in each of the countries. When these steps are taken, I believe we will be ready to add many international affiliate chapters from countries around the globe to Psi Chi's membership. And it is encouraging to note that Dr. Virginia Andreoli Mathie, Psi Chi Executive Director, has already contributed substantially to this effort. Dr. Mathie has provided the National Council with an excellent report on the Canadian equivalents to U.S. requirements for chartering a Psi Chi chapter. 
     Not only will the process of establishing international affiliates make Psi Chi a more effective member of the modern world, but also international status will have many benefits for our American Psi Chi members. International chapters will open many doors to study abroad or participate in student exchanges. Both are wonderful educational and life-changing experiences. I just received a letter from a Psi Chi member and former student who was delighted to report that she has been accepted for a master's program at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. Such opportunities will be possible for many Psi Chi members with the help and cooperation of chapters in other countries.
     But the establishment of many international affiliate chapters in Psi Chi is still a few years in the future. What can you do NOW as a Psi Chi student to prepare yourself for today's world and to open yourself to the many mind-expanding and life-enhancing possibilities of an international outlook? Koch (2005) has suggested that Psi Chi members look to the future of psychology and consider their role in shaping that future. There are several avenues easily available to you. You can use your student rate to subscribe to a good news magazine with world-wide coverage (such as The Economist) and read regularly about the events in other countries. You can join one or more of the four international psychological organizations that I described in an article in Eye on Psi Chi (Davis, 2000). You can subscribe to at least one of the following: the APA International Division (Division 52) newsletter, International Psychology Reporter, or the APA International Affairs Office newsletter, International Psychology. These newsletters reach more than 3,000 psychologists in more than 80 countries and have a wealth of information about psychology around the world. Also, students can become members of the Population Reference Bureau for a nominal fee by going to www.prg.org. As well as informing you about becoming a member, this website gives much interesting and timely demographic information. It also publishes the annual World Population Data Sheet that is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to gain a quick overview of the world. And one more suggestion: I urge you to include one or two courses in world history, one or two courses in world geography, and serious study of a foreign language part of your education. 
     For many years I have followed this advice in both my personal and my professional life. My international interests have allowed me to travel to all parts of the globe and have enriched my life in countless ways. I have also done considerable research and publishing in this field. Similar advantages and exciting challenges are available to all members of Psi Chi. I encourage you to take advantage of them.


References

Davis, J. M. (2000, Spring). Four international organizations in psychology. Eye on Psi Chi, 4(3), 33-37.

Davis, J. M. (2004). Countering international terrorism: Perspectives from international psychology. In C. E. Stout (Ed.), Psychology of terrorism, condensed edition: Coping with the continuing threat (pp. 117-145). Westport, CT: Praeger.

Gaddis, J. L. (2004). Surprise, security, and the American experience. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Koch, C. (2005, Summer). The future of psychology. Eye on Psi Chi, 9(4), 3, 7.

Population Reference Bureau. (2005). 2005 World Population Data Sheet. Washington, DC: Author.

Rosenzweig, M. R. (1992). Resources for psychological science around the world. In M.R. Rosenzweig (Ed.), International psychological science: Progress, problems, and prospects (pp. 17-74). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Rosenzweig, M. R. (1999). Continuity and change in the development of psychology around the world. American Psychologist, 54, 252-259.

Stevens, M. J. & Wedding, D. (2004). International psychology: An overview. In M. J. Stevens & D. Wedding (Eds.), Handbook of international psychology (pp. 1-23). New York: Brunner-Routledge.


Author Note. The support of a Psi Chi/Thelma Hunt Research Grant in the preparation of this manuscript is gratefully acknowledged. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to John M. Davis, Department of Psychology, Texas State University-San Marcos, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666. Electronic mail may be sent to jd04@txstate.edu


John M. Davis, PhD, is graduate professor of psychology at Texas State University-San Marcos. He received his PhD from the University of Oklahoma and his BA with honors from Oklahoma City University. He has completed advanced studies in German language and literature as well as in psychology at the German universities of Heidelberg and Erlangen-Nurnberg. He has taught at Schiller International University in Germany. His research focuses on interpersonal, intercultural, and international relations. In recent years much of his research has been centered around international themes. Recent publications include a chapter on countering international terrorism by drawing on resources from international psychology and a chapter on health psychology in international perspective. He is actively involved with several of the major international organizations in psychology and has taught and conducted his research on three continents. He has served as President of the Southwestern Psychological Association. At Texas State University, he founded the study abroad program in psychology at the University of Kent (Canterbury, England). He has also served as faculty advisor to the Texas State University Psi Chi Chapter for many years and receives enormous satisfaction from the accomplishments of the chapter, the officers, and the members. He has served as Psi Chi Southwestern Regional Vice-President for two terms and is now Psi Chi National President-Elect.

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