Psi Chi

The National Honor Society in Psychology

Member of the Association of College Honor Societies

What is Psi Chi

Psi Chi is the National Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purpose of encouraging, stimulating and maintaining excellence in scholarship and advancing the science of psychology. Membership is open to graduate and undergraduate men and women who are making the study of psychology one of their major interests and who meet the minimum qualifications. Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is an affiliate of the American Psychology Association and the American Psychological Society. Psi Chi functions as a federation of chapters located at more than 875 senior colleges and universities in the U.S. A National Council, composed of psychologists who are Psi Chi members and who are elected by the chapters, guides the affairs of the organization and sets policy with the approval of the chapters.

Goals of Psi Chi

Psi Chi serves two major goals — one immediate and visibly rewarding to the individual member, the other slower and more difficult to accomplish, but offering greater rewards in the long run.

The first of these is the society’s obligation to provide academic recognition to its inductees by the mere fact of membership.

The second goal is the obligation of each of the society’s local chapters to nurture the spark of that accomplishment by offering a climate congenial to its creative development. For example, the chapters make active attempts to nourish and stimulate professional growth through programs designed to augment and enhance the regular curriculum and to provide practical experience and fellowship through affiliation with the chapter.

In addition, the national organization provides programs to help achieve these goals, including national and regional conventions held annually in conjunction with the psychological associations, research award competitions and certificate recognition programs. Also, the society publishes a quarterly Psi Chi newsletter, which helps to unite and inform the members and recognize their contributions and accomplishments.