Defence, Security, Psychology

Psychology plays many important roles in defence and security and the BPS can have a greater hand in supporting the way in which professional psychologists contribute to this area of practice.

The BPS works to increase the influence of psychology in society and there is perhaps no higher priority for any society than its defence and security.

Every member of our community is affected by the many ongoing security challenges, including economic, environmental, social-justice, terrorism, cyber-crime, as well as fragile states overseas.

The BPS Defence and Security section aims to bring together psychologists from academia, government and industry facilitate the discussion of issues faced by psychologists in the area, to promote best practice, and to share knowledge and expertise.

The community of psychologists in Defence Psychology is diverse in experience and ever growing, and it is high time this community became more connected. The specific aims of the Society for the next 12 months are to:

1. Develop and promote a community by increasing the membership of the Section.
2. Identify areas of interest to the community in order to direct the Sections focus.
3. Bring together practitioners and researchers from the Defence and Security areas in order to share knowledge and expertise.

In Defence and Security common issues such as ethics, confidentiality and duty of care present themselves in unique contexts. We believe that a Defence and Security section will bring together the many perspectives we have within the Society so that we can tackle the psychological issues in defence and security together and in the best way we can. 

More generally, the new section aims to:

• further the understanding of the psychological issues in defence and security
• promote appropriate research
• provide a forum for discussing scientific, practical and ethical issues
• bring together researchers and practitioners

This section also aims to work closely with other Sections, Divisions and Special Groups of the BPS and promote helpful external collaborations.

Let me close by saying thank you to everyone who voted for the formation of the BPS Defence and Psychology Section. The Section will have its first Annual General Meeting in early 2019 and, in the meantime, we hope that you will join us at the 6th Annual Military Psychology Conference on the 8th of November as we mark the formation of the Section and discuss one of the most pertinent issues in Defence and Security today - Misinformation.