Abstract

The establishment of Laurea Degrees in Psychology at the Universities of Padua and Rome represented a decisive turning point and the opening of a season of growth and progress in Italian psychological research and professions. Over the years, Laurea degrees in Psychology have multiplied along the Peninsula, university education has aligned with the standards of the most advanced countries, and Italian research has gained positions of great prestige worldwide in most psychological disciplines. The establishment of Departments, the institution of the Register of Psychologists and the regulation of psychotherapy represent important steps in the consolidation of Italian psychology as a science and profession. However, there remain problems that, if not addressed, may jeopardize the major contribution that Psychology could make to the socioeconomic development of our country. These concern the contribution of psychological knowledge to the public policies of health, education and labour and therefore to the more direct involvement of psychologists in building a more equitable and inclusive society.