Psychology
The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American
Document Type
Article
Abstract
This article proposes that psychological research published in APA journals focuses too narrowly on Americans, who comprise less than 5% of the world's population. The result is an understanding of psychology that is incomplete and does not adequately represent humanity. First, an analysis of articles published in six premier APA journals is presented, showing that the contributors, samples, and editorial leadership of the journals are predominantly American. Then, a demographic profile of the human population is presented to show that the majority of the world's population lives in conditions vastly different from the conditions of Americans, underlining doubts of how well American psychological research can be said to represent humanity. The reasons for the narrowness of American psychological research are examined, with a focus on a philosophy of science that emphasizes fundamental processes and ignores or strips away cultural context. Finally, several suggestions for broadening the scope of American psychology are offered. © 2008 American Psychological Association.
Publication Title
American Psychologist
Publication Date
2008
Volume
63
Issue
7
First Page
602
Last Page
614
ISSN
0003-066X
DOI
10.1037/0003-066X.63.7.602
Keywords
cultural psychology, international, philosophy of science, second psychology, universals
Repository Citation
Arnett, Jeffrey J., "The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American" (2008). Psychology. 737.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_psychology/737