Divisions of the APA - Essay Example

APA Division 50 – Addictions The American Psychological Association (APA) has more than a hundred and fifty thousand members/professionals spread across the world who are furthering the association’s mission to advance the study of psychology as a science and as a means to improving the health, education and welfare of the public. The association itself was founded in 1892 by a group of psychologists who had come together from across the American continent. Today, the APA is composed of different divisions and branches of which division 50 is the division the deals with addictions (APA, 2007).

The current president of this division is Dr. Kim Fromme from the University of Texas at Austin. The division oversees the publication of the journals which deal with addiction such as the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors and the Addictions Newsletter. Interestingly, the information provided about the division on the APA website makes it clear that alcohol and smoking are not the only psychological addictions a person can have. It was a new realization for me to note that the division considers things such as gambling, eating, sexual behavior and even spending to be addictions (APA, 2007).

As the history of the division makes clear that the division has been active for many years, the current activities of the division also signify that research works as well as studies on addiction are being conducted by the division at the present time (APA, 2007). I personally feel that the study of addiction is an important aspect of psychology and the department will remain a positive force for the APA and its partner organizations in the future.Works CitedAPA (American Psychological Association), 2007.

‘Division 50 - Addictions’, [Online] Available at: http://www.apa.org/about/division/div50.html