XXXIX INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF PSYCHOLOGY

It is both my privilege and my pleasure to welcome you to the XXIX International Congress of Psychology 2008 (ICP 2008). ICP 2008 will be hosted by the German Federation of Psychological Associations, under the auspices of the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS), and will take place in the city of Berlin. The major purposes of the International Congress are to present an outstanding scientific program and to promote international exchange. The Scientific Committee of ICP 2008, along with the IUPsyS national member societies, has selected world renowned scientists as invited speakers and symposia conveners.The invited speakers and conveners represent all fields of psychology and come from all over of the world. ICP 2008 offers an exquisite scientific program that will include more than 80 invited addresses with speakers from over 40 countries and more than 200 invited symposia with conveners from over 60 countries. In addition to symposia, thematic oral sessions, and interactive poster sessions, we introduce a new format in Berlin that we hope will stimulate discussion during the meeting. Controversial Debates will focus on topics that are both inherently important and interesting to all of us as psychologists. The debates will take place once a day at a prominent time slot and will be chaired by some of the best psychological scientists in the world. Berlin is ideally suited to provide an atmosphere of true international spirit as the city has learned to deal successfully with the diversities of systems and the coexistence of different cultures. Today, the German capital is a modern, lively, vibrant, fascinating city in the center of Europe with historic, cultural, scientific,and modern achievements, a city you will enjoy to visit. The scientific Berlin comprises 17 universities and colleges and 70 non-university research institutes where more than 40,000 scientists and 140,000 students work and study. The XXIX International Congress of Psychology will be an event that covers the whole of psychology in an exciting social environment, that extends our knowledge, improves our practice, and widens our friendship networks. This will be the main psychological meeting in the year 2008. We do hope that you will make it a priority to attend.