This manuscript provides an introduction to the JSI special issue on The Intersection of Psychology and Globalization. We provide both theoretical and applied rationale for why the discipline of psychology would be well served by entering into the academic discourse on globalization. We present a multifaceted definition of globalization and review extant social science research on globalization that speaks to the psychological implications of globalization. We also discuss Bronfrenbrenner's ecological model as an appropriate theoretical framework to link individual health, behavior and attitudes to macro socioeconomic processes. With this as a backdrop we introduce each of the manuscripts in this special issue with a focus on their specific contributions to developing a theoretical and empirical foundation for understanding and responding to the relationship between psychology and globalization.

This article provides a case study of Haiti within the context of both its distant history of colonialism and its recent history of globalization. We then provide a discussion that highlights the relationship between globalization, poverty, and mental health in low and middle‐income countries and describe the development of Pwogwam Santé Mantal, a community‐based mental health program in Jeremie, Haiti. We present results of focus groups and interviews that provide a sense of how mental health issues are discussed in this region and present results from a pilot survey which corroborate focus group and interview data. We describe a mental health seminar that took place in July of 2010 and present outcome evaluation data for the seminar. We end with a discussion of how these data and this mental health program address the problematic relationship between globalization and mental health and highlight implications for future research and program/policy development.

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In this article, the author describes an undergraduate course entitled Psychology and Globalization. The intent of this course is to facilitate students' critical global consciousness. Content analysis of narrative data from the course showed that students developed a complex and nuanced understanding of globalization that integrated cultural, economic, and psychological elements. In addition, many students grasped both the positive and negative aspects of globalization and developed an awareness of themselves as individuals situated within globalized systems of production and distribution of food and non-consumable goods. The author also presents students' suggestions for action responses to some of the negative aspects of globalization discussed in class.In this article, I describe an undergraduate Psychology and Globalization course and an assessment of how students' understanding of globalization changed across the semester. Course materials defined globalization as a global system of production and distribution of food, non-consumable goods, and communication (e.g., social networking sites). This course used a psychological lens to help students understand the implications of globalization for individual and community psychosocial well-being.