Editorial

Welcome to the special issue and launch of International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation (IPP). I'd like to applaud the efforts of Division 52 (International Psychology) and the American Psychological Association (APA) to reach across geographical boundaries and disciplines in founding this journal. This is far from the first initiative by APA aimed at fostering international exchange. The Committee on International Relations in Psychology was founded in 1944, and the Office of International Affairs in 1974 (Hogan & Vaccaro, 2007). Division 52 itself originated in 1997, so for over half a century APA has been promoting international perspectives. Moreover, several other APA journals (as well as the Division 52 newsletter/journal, International Psychology Bulletin) include, or focus on, international issues. So why establish yet another journal? It has become a truism to say that the world is shrinking, but for both theoretical and pragmatic reasons it has become essential for psychologists to extend a more global reach (see Stevens & Gielen, 2007). This journal brings a fresh and broader perspective to the discipline of psychology, and it has the potential to bring new and previously unexamined issues to the fore. Through articles appearing in IPP, psychologists living and working in the United States and Europe can learn about exciting discoveries and advances being made in other parts of the world, by means of studies that often address compelling difficulties faced by many of the world's people. In return, scholars and practitioners in countries in which psychology is still an emerging discipline can gain access to cutting-edge research from around the world.

The specific history of IPP traces to an agenda item of the 2007 Division 52 board meeting in San Francisco.¹ The idea of a formal journal sponsored by the Division meshed well with the APA's plan to initiate a journal on global mental health. The result was IPP, a journal that aims to become the primary source for state-of-the-art information on how psychology and psychologists can effectively confront global problems such as poverty, economic disparity, health crises, intergroup antipathy, conflict, and natural disasters.

Essential to the journal's mission is the recognition that research findings, interventions, and solutions are embedded in particular nations, cultures, and circumstances. To that end we plan to include the context for the research studies and evaluations we publish. What local factors, cultural traditions, and environmental conditions influence findings?

To accomplish our mission, we have put together a superb team of editorial board members, who include scholars from 32 countries, six continents, and disciplines that include not only diverse fields of psychology but also sociology and medicine. We also enjoy outstanding support from the staff of the American Psychological Association and from the officers of Division 52. Rather than risk omitting an individual name, I would like to express my gratitude to all of our supporters. We expect that our team's efforts to create, distribute, and apply knowledge globally will be rewarding and the results of integrating our diverse perspectives, intellectually rich.

Once more, welcome to the inauguration of International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation. In this special issue, we are republishing articles that have already appeared in APA journals. These are prototypical articles that would have been appropriate for publication in IPP. We hope you enjoy these as well as the future issues of International Perspectives in Psychology. We ask that you help to spread the word as we embark on this exciting endeavor.