The Field of Psychology and Law
Psychology and
Law is a healthy and growing area of research interest within the discipline
of Psychology. Few psychology departments offered even a single course
in psychology and law before 1973. By 1982, 1/4 of psychology graduate
programs had at least one course, and a number had begun to offer minors
and/or joint J.D./Ph.D. programs. Psychology and Law's scholarly
output is represented in specialty journals (e.g., Law and Human Behavior);
in introductory psychology, social psychology, and psychology and law textbooks;
in reviews in the Annual Review of Psychology; and in the American
Psychological Association by Division 41. The surprising element
in this history is that it has taken so long for the specialty to develop.
If psychology is the study of human behavior, it necessarily includes law,
which is a primary instrument used by society to control human behavior.