Polish Society for Behavioral Psychology
Affiliated in 2004 (as Polish ABA) as a national chapter of ABAI, and in 2009 as the Polish Society for Behavioral Psychology
Contact Info
Mission/Objectives
The most important statutory goals of the Polish Society for Behavioral Psychology (in Polish, Polskie Towarzystwo Psychologii Behawioralnej, or PTPB) are:
- Developing and promoting psychological knowledge, with special attention paid to behavioral analysis as a science of behavior.
- Improving professional qualifications of the members of the society, as well as of people who set for themselves goals similar to those of the society.
- Supporting scientific initiatives of the members of the society.
- Disseminating knowledge of successful applications of behavioral analysis to unfavorable social phenomena and individual/personal problems.
- Promoting professional ethics and its implementation.
- Educating the general public about behavioral treatment as a form of psychological treatment, as well as disseminating knowledge on its effectiveness.
Description of Membership
PTPB was founded on November 16, 2002, although it has existed formally since October 7, 2004, which is the day it was entered into the National Court Register. The society associates mainly psychologists (university lecturers and clinicians), students of psychology (undergraduates, graduates, and postgraduates), and people representing other helping professions, mainly pedagogues and therapists.
In order to become a member of PTPB, one should fill out an application found at www.ptpb.pl. In 2010, professors William M. Baum and Howard Rachlin became the first honorary members of PTPB.
Annual or Recurring Events
Scientific activity. Since 2005, each year PTPB has organized a scientific symposium commemorating B. F. Skinner’s birthday, as a tribute to his professional achievements. The aim of the symposia is to present theoretical issues, research results, professional experiences, and applications of behavioral psychology. The Scientific Symposia of PTPB provide an opportunity for the most prominent representatives of behavioral psychology in Poland to meet, creating a great forum for them to exchange ideas and integrate.
Educational activity. PTPB has organized trainings and lectures periodically since 2005. The workshops on Rational Behavior Therapy seem to have gained the greatest popularity. PTPB has been involved in creating a set of requirements, which—if met—result in obtaining a certificate as a behavioral therapist.
Activity for psychologists and psychotherapists. The representatives of PTPB participate actively in working on the Act on the Profession of Psychologist, conducted by the Ministry of Work and Social Politics in Poland.
Newsletters/Publications
PTPB published, in cooperation with Dominik Księski’s Wulkan Publishing House, the second edition of Handbook of Rational Self-Counseling by Maxie C. Maultsby (Dominik Księski’s Wulkan Publishing House, Żnin 2008). PTPB is also the patron of the book Contemporary Behavioral Psychology. Selected Topics, edited by Przemysław Bąbel and Paweł Ostaszewski (Jagiellonian University Publishing House, Kraków 2008), and the book Behavior Analysis from A to Z, by Przemysław Bąbel, Monika Suchowierska, and Paweł Ostaszewski (Gdańsk Psychological Publishing House, Gdańsk 2010).
Specifically of Interest to Behavior Analysts
The activities of the PTPB are of interest to behavior analysts due to the goals of the organization and the activities we engage in with respect to behavior analysis (experimental, conceptual, and applied).