Our August time machine

At the beginning of each month, we will revisit some past issues. What did you miss? How have the ideas within the articles stood the test of time?

Let's set the controls for August…

We were previewing the European Congress of Psychology in Brighton in 2023's July/August issue, with contributions from all keynote and invited speakers.

2022 saw our special issue around the BPS policy theme 'Tackling class-based inequality'. We also met Dr Kesi Mahendran, and visited an ASMR exhibition.

2021 was our combined July/August issue around the BPS policy theme 'From poverty to flourishing'. A particular highlight was a chapter from Darren McGarvey's Poverty Safari.

In 2020, Elizabeth Michaelson Monaghan looked at the allure of mysteries, while Ute Liersch explored chronic pain. We had two articles on climate change – Lorraine Whitmarsh on psychology's role, and Rosie Jones, a psychologist who is committed to opposing climate change.

In our August 2019 issue, we had Michael West and Maria Kordowicz on creating compassionate cultures in the NHS. Ella Rhodes explored the contradictory nature of the self. Fergus Murray described a unified theory of autism, and Eloise looked at autism in women. 

In 2018, Joe Smith asked how selfish the search for happiness is, G. Neil Martin asked what we've learnt from studying famous brains, and Emilia Misheva asked if neurodevelopmental disorders are discrete conditions. Mats Alvesso argued that we may have underestimated the value of 'functional stupidity'.

Our 2017 issue featured Stephen Skippon and Nick Reed on the future of transport. We had Loren L. Toussaint and Everett L. Worthington Jr on forgiveness, and Mariella Miraglia and Gail Kinman on presenteeism. Derek Larkin and colleagues looked at mental health in elite sport, and G. Neil Martin asked if exposure to the colour red can change behaviour. 

In August 2016 David Robson looked at heroes and villains in literature. G. Neil Martin considered 007 in the laboratory and Derek Collett looked at the novels of Nigel Balchin. Stacey A. Bedwell argued that we need animal research in psychology. Lucia Giombin outlined her work on anorexia, and William Todd Schultz offered a psychobiography primer.

In 2015 Jessica de Bloom took a tour of vacation research. We also had a special feature on methods including:
-       Pluralism and mixed methods, from Rachel Shaw and Nollaig Frost
-       Using qualitative analysis to understand Milgram's studies, from Stephen Gibson
-       Digital and online research, from Sarah Riley and colleagues
-       A history of qualitative methods in psychology, from Anna Madill
-       Phenomenology in qualitative psychology, from Joanna Brooks

Our August 2014 issue featured creativity, rational emotive behaviour therapy with athletes, executive coaching, and (the end of?) dyslexia. In 2013 we investigated the psychology of stuff and things. We also looked at voices others cannot hear, social support following stroke, and interpreting effect sizes.

Our 2012 issue was a special on time, including:
-       Experiencing time in daily life
-       How emotions cloud our sense of time
-       Is brain time the same as clock time?
-       Time and sleep
-       Time perception when on drugs
-       Children and time
We also featured LEGO building and violence in institutions. 

In August 2011 we looked at holidays, the 'brain training' industry, deception in research, and Phineas Gage. In 2010, we investigated what computers have shown us about the mind. We looked at place attachment and blues music, considered what it's like to be a British Muslim gay man, and examined attentional bias in addiction and anxiety disorders.

Our 2009 August issue was a sleep special, featuring:
-       Dream research
-       Stress and sleep
-       Sleep paralysis
-       An interview with Allan Hobson

In 2008 we looked at leadership in athletics, and gave a history of sport psychology. We considered the use of robots and virtual reality to help autistic children, argued for a psychological approach to participation in public engagement, and described the latest techniques to construct the face of a criminal.

Our August 2007 issue explored the chemical brain, marketing psychology, altruism, and qualitative research. We looked at how organised psychology should respond to torture.

Our 2006 special issue on criminality considered the origins of antisocial behaviour, children behaving badly, high-risk families, parenting and prevention.

In 2005 we described why emotion is social, we unravelled fetal psychology, and we asked what we gain from close relationships. In August 2004 we had a special issue on intersexuality. We also looked at psychology in the English-speaking Caribbean and learning to read.

Our 2003 issue looked at the rise of pro-anorexia websites. We also covered beliefs about delusions and asked if music is important. 

In 2002 we had a sport special, taking a look at stress and anxiety, participation motivation, perceptual and cognitive expertise, mental imagery, wellbeing, and ethics and regulation.

In our August 2001 issue we had a number of peer commentaries on evolutionary psychology. In 2000 we featured economic behaviour, ethical dilemmas in our profession and repression.

In 1999 we looked at the menstrual cycle, children's road safety, and had an interview with personality assessment expert Boris Semeonoff. Our 1998 issue considered psychology teaching. Now that we're back in 1997, issues are in whole PDFs. That year we looked at video games and aggression.

Further back, find articles on parapsychology, women in science, music, memory for everyday things like coins, psychology in Northern Ireland, and a special on cognitive psychology. In August 1990 we featured child sexual abuse.

In 1989, we looked at psychology in the real world, and in our first-ever August issue, in 1988, we introduced the theory of comparative narratives.

Remember, you can explore our complete archive or use the search function.