About DGPs

The German Psychological Society (DGPs)

The German Psychological Society (DGPs, referred to as the Society) is a registered association of qualified psychologists involved in research and teaching. Its mission is to advance and promote scientific psychology.

The Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the following objectives:

  • Organizing psychology conferences, typically held every two years.
  • Fostering communication within the entire field of psychology.
  • Supporting psychological and interdisciplinary research initiatives.
  • Promoting publications in the field of psychology.
  • Protecting and strengthening the status of psychology at universities, research institutes, and other scientific institutions, as well as in education, occupational fields, and the public sphere.
  • Supporting the next generation of scientific psychologists by promoting postgraduate qualifications and encouraging international scientific exchange.
  • Contributing to the regulation of training and testing procedures in psychology.
  • Collaborating on the continuing education of graduate psychologists, particularly in relation to the scientific aspects of these programs.
  • Appointing experts and consultants for research funding and other institutions.
  • Preparing statements on scientific issues in psychology.
  • Cooperating with psychological organizations, related disciplines, and other scientific societies to advocate for the scientific interests of psychology.
  • Participating in international scientific associations and organizations.
  • Educating the public about the current state and trends in psychology.

The Society is headquartered in Berlin and currently has over 5,300 members. Membership can be either full or associate.

 

The Executive Committee is responsible for managing the Society. The current officers for the 2024–2026 term and their roles are outlined below. Members of the Society elect the Executive Committee every two years. You can find the German site with photos of the current and past Executive Committee members of the DGPs here.

President

Prof. Dr. Eva-Lotta Brakemeier, Greifswald

First Vice President

Prof. Dr. Annette Kluge, Bochum

Second Vice President

Prof. Dr. Jörn Sparfeldt, Saarbrücken

Treasurer

Prof. Dr. Matthias Nückels, Freiburg University

Honorary Assessor

Prof. Dr. Robert Kumsta, Luxemburg

Representative for junior scientists

Dr. Matthias Sperl, Siegen

In addition to the Executive Board and the General Assembly, the administrative bodies of the DGPs are the Court of Honour as a disciplinary body and the committees or commissions. The Executive Board can set up committees to deal with specific scientific and organisational issues. The Executive Board decides on the task, composition and convening of committees. The General Assembly can also request the appointment of a committee for a specific task by a majority of the voting members present.

DGPs-Commissions

An overview of the commissions (in German) can be found here.

 

The Federation of German Psychological Societies serves as the international representative of the DGPs and the BDP. The presidency alternates on a two-year cycle, with the DGPs holding the presidency in odd-numbered years.

The Federation of German Psychological Societies is a member of the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS), the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA), and the International Test Commission (ITC).

The Federation also oversees various expert committees in psychology. An overview of these expert committees (in German) can be found here.

 

 

The 17 divisions were set up by the DGPs to promote subdisciplines of psychology. Below you will find a list of all divisions which are linked to the respective subsites where you can find a short discription of each discipline and recent announcements. Each division has a speaker group and its own website. In addition, all divisions have appointed experts from their ranks who can provide information on specific topics.

List of DGPs divisions:

Division membership: Division membership can be indicated directly in the registration form when applying for DGPs membership. If you are already a DGPs member and would like to apply for additional division membership, simply send an e-mail to Ms. Hannemann ().

The German Psychological Society represents psychologists working in research and teaching. Its more than 5,800 members represent from all subdisciplines of psychology.

As a member of the DGPs

  • you receive the Psychologische Rundschau, the official organ of the DGPs, four times a year
  • you receive discounts and reductions on registration fees for congresses, conferences and workshops
  • you can use the online job market PsychJob free of charge to post (and receive) job offers
  • you receive special conditions for access to trade journals and databases
  • On request: you will be included in our expert database

If you would like to find out more about the benefits of membership of the DGPs, please click here.

 

Do you want to become member of the DGPs?

A person may be admitted to the DGPs as a full member, an associate member or a student member if he or she is proposed for admission by at least two ordinary members as guarantors and provides evidence of academic qualifications in the field of psychology or related subjects. The admission of a ordinary member, associate member, student member, institutional member or sponsoring member is completed when the Executive Board has unanimously approved a proposal for admission.


Ordinary member: In order to become a full member, academic qualifications are deemed to be proven if a doctoral degree from a university or other higher education institution has been obtained and if at least one other academic publication exists in addition to the dissertation. Please state the title of your dissertation. In addition to the dissertation, which can be an individual thesis or a publication-based dissertation, at least one further academic publication must be proven. This should be at least one contribution that has appeared in the form of an article in a recognized journal, in a monograph or in a scientific anthology and is demonstrably at least “in print” (please indicate the page numbers in each case). Publications that are directly related to a dissertation are not included. As a rule, this refers to publications that represent precisely the studies (or: analyses of large data sets; simulations; overviews; theoretical discussions) that were part of the dissertation.

Associate member: Anyone who does not or does not yet meet the requirements for a scientific qualification can become an associate member if the scientific qualification is a Diplom, Master of Science or equivalent degree in psychology or - e.g. in the case of a related subject to psychology - a comparable university degree. Associate members must be involved in postgraduate doctoral programs, research projects, research-relevant practice, application of psychological research results or interdisciplinary contributions to psychological research. Applicants without a diploma or M. Sc. in psychology should enclose a transcript of records from their degree program as well as a certificate of an equivalency examination, proof of at least two years of participation in a scientific project in psychology or proof of participation in a scientific publication in the field of psychology.

Student member: Students in Master of Science degree programs in psychology or equivalent degree programs can become student members. Applicants without a degree in psychology should enclose a transcript of records from their degree program.

General information: Please download the guarantor PDF form below, have the guarantors fill it out and upload it again as a PDF along with their application. You cannot complete the application without two guarantor forms! If you have any questions about the application, please contact geschaeftsstelle@--no-spam--dgps.de.

 

Guarantee form (german)

Guaranteeform.pdf

 

Membership fees

for ordinary members
Annual membership fee € 120

Annual fee with simultaneous membership in a professional
association (BDP, BÖP, SGP) or a state chamber of psychotherapists

€ 108
for associate members
Annual membership fee
The reduced annual membership fee for associate members is only granted for the first five years of membership.
After that, the regular annual membership fee is € 120.00
€ 55
for student members
Annual membership fee (with certificate of enrollment)
The reduced annual membership fee for student members is only granted for the first three years of membership.
After that, the annual membership fee is € 55.00. After a further five years, the regular annual membership fee will be charged.
€ 25
Division membership fee

Annual membership fee
Annual division fee per membership in a division                                                                                                                         

€ 12

 

Membership application forms