Four Fundamental Propositions

The summit meeting held in Norman, Oklahoma at the end of January was a signal event. Not only was the conference APS's first official convocation, but it brought together for the first time representatives from a number of independent societies and APA Divisions to discuss issues of broad and common concern with implications for the future of psychology as a discipline. The theme of the meeting was strengthening Psychology's Research Base, but inevitably, organizational issues, and even more particularly, the role of APS, were secondary themes. In brief welcoming remarks, I stated that APS was founded on four fundamental propositions. Psychology as a discipline should be preserved A decade or so ago, this assertion would have been regarded as so self-evident that it did not have to be said. However, as has been more recently observed, psychology is becoming increasingly balkanized.