SPSSI | Forward Winter 2026 COVER

Kala J. Melchiori		From Our Editor Kala J. Melchiori, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, James Madison University “The American cultural ideal of the self-made man, of everyone standing on his own feet, is as tragic a picture as the initiative-destroying dependence on a benevolent despot. We all need each other. This type of interdependence is the greatest challenge to the maturity of individual and group functioning.” —Kurt Lewin, The Practical Theorist: The Life and Work of Kurt Lewin Teaching is, fundamentally, about community. My goal as an educator is to build community with my students to create understanding, share knowledge, grow our minds and outlooks together. In times of political and social upheaval, I am heartened by my fellow educators and have hope in our interdependence. Continue reading this article here
Kimberly Barsamian Kahn		Reflecting on our Lewinian roots through teaching: Taking learning out of the classroom to enhance the social good" Kimberly Barsamian Kahn, Ph.D., SPSSI President, Professor, Department of Psychology, PI of the Gender, Race, and Sexual Prejudice (GRASP) Lab, Portland State University Happy New Year SPSSI members! Despite continuing to face significant societal challenges, I am energized seeing our newest SPSSI Teaching Award winners and the inspiring work they are conducting inside and outside of the classroom. They represent the very best of teaching practices, igniting students’ interest in psychology and challenging views of the social world to inspire new possibilities. I reflect back on past SPSSI President Kurt Lewin, and how we mirror his values in our teaching. Lewin believed that good research is both basic and applied, and that sentiment relates to teaching as well. He championed action research, in which psychological knowledge is used to address social problems through social action. We see this same orientation in “action teaching,” in which education goes beyond classroom learning to enhance the societal good. Field experiences embed students into the social context and create meaningful real-world change on the systems they are studying. Observation is key to developing sound theory – so let’s take that observation beyond the “lab” of the classroom to see real world phenomena in action. And beyond simply observing, we can intervene and improve our local context and beyond. While creating meaningful educational experiences for our students, we simultaneously teach them to be the agents of change that Lewin championed. Continue reading this article here
Elizabeth R. Cole Patrick R. Grzanka		JSI in a Moment of Precarity and Potential: The Next Chapter of Social Issues Research Elizabeth R. Cole, Ph.D., University of Michigan Patrick R. Grzanka, Ph.D., University of Michigan Incoming Co-Editors, Journal of Social Issues JSI has a strong reputation as the leading venue for the psychological study of social issues; it’s also the standard-bearer for SPSSI. In the coming years, we hope to strengthen its position as the forum for psychologists and other social scientists who seek to push boundaries and move scholarly and policy conversations forward. We are committed to maintaining and strengthening JSI’s reputation as the premier publication venue in social issues and critical psychology. To do so, we intend to deepen JSI’s interdisciplinary and intradisciplinary engagement. Continue reading this article here
We hope you will join us for #SPSSICON26 in New Orleans, LA!