PSYCHOLOGY AND PROFESSION IN SPAIN. THE EARLY YEARS OF THE SPANISH PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Abstract

The creation of the Spanish Psychological Association (Spanish acronym, COP) was of enormous significance in the establishing of psychology in Spain, and in the creation of its identity. Since the publication of the 1980 Law of Creation [of the COP], this organization—aimed at regulating and representing the psychology profession—has not stopped growing, despite the serious internal and external issues it has had. The Spanish Psychological Association has gone through different stages over the past 40 years, which reflect and help us to characterize the short history of Spanish psychology, in particular the history of its delimitation with respect to other professions. This article presents an extensive legislative and documentary review, particularly based on its representative publication, Papeles del Psicólogo/Psychologist Papers. We analyze the complicated early years, up to 1993, under the direction of Carlos Camarero and Adolfo Hernández, a phase marked by the internal configuration of the organization, a serious challenge for the profession, and the fight to approve the master’s degree.

Keywords

• key words: spanish psychology
• spanish psychological association
• history
• public image