| AdminHistory | On the 21st October 1901 ten people got together to form a Psychological Society. Membership was restricted to 'recognized Teachers in some branch of psychology or who have published work of recognized value' by 1902 there were 13 members. Subscription is set at half a guinea. According to the minutes from 1904 an normally annual booklet was issued with the names and addresses of members, the rules of the Society and forthcoming meeting. In 1906 the Society changed its name to the British Psychological Society and after in 1914 the preexisting British Journal of Psychology was acquired subscription was raised to one guinea and membership lists and forthcoming meeting were including in the Journal.
A widening of the membership criteria to those in 1919 and creation of specialised sections led to a rise in members from 98 to 427.
The 1921 Membership list (printed in Volume 12 Issue 1 of British Journal of Psychology) mentions that the list was maintained by Miss M L St George. It also includes the includes the rules of the British Psychological Society which said that every candidate for election was to be recommended by at least two member who 'shall be prepared to furnish information as to the candidates qualifications for membership. Every candidate had to be submitted to the Council or by a Sectional Committee [Medical, Industrial, Education and Aesthetics Sections were founded in 1919-1920] and then if approved were nominated for election at the next general meeting of the Society or at the next meeting of the Section. The secretary would send out ballot papers to members a week before the meeting - if unable to attend a postal vote could be sent. One vote in five was enough to exclude a potential member. Members had to pay an annual subscription of one guinea with an additional fee for each section they joined.There were 700 members in 1921
According to Beatrice Edgell [British Journal of Psychology Vol 37, issue 3 page 130] 'In 1937 during the Extended General Meeting at Manchester a morning session was occupied with a discussion of the question, “ What is a Qualified Psychologist and for What Work should he be Qualified?” There was a general feeling that the Society ought to protect the interests of trained psychologists, and that by requiring a high standard of professional training from everyone admitted to a certain category of membership, it would enable the public who made use of the services of such members to be ensured against inefficiency and charlatanism. The existing [membership] register might be regarded as providing a first step towards differentiation in the qualification of members, but the Council realized that, if the Society was to accept the function of safeguarding professional interests, it would require to alter its constitution. From 1936 to [1941] a “Professional Status Committee” and the Council spent much time considering this question of constitution. Their labours resulted in a draft constitution which enabled the Society to seek incorporation. The proposed constitution, while it safeguarded the rights and privileges of all existing members, enabled the Council to institute different classes of membership and thereby to establish what may be briefly described as “a professional register”. The draft of this constitution was laid before members at the Extended General
Meeting held at Nottingham, April 1941, and met with their approval. '
According to the by-laws of the newly incorporated Society printed in 1941 - the British Psychological Society was obligated to keep a register of members, their qualifications and appointment. There were, by then, two forms to be completed when applying for membership - one with name of proposer, seconder and name and address of applicant. Applicants were further asked to provide their date of birth, academic qualifications - date and university as well as well as whether psychology was included as part of the qualifying examination for the degree or diploma and whether psychology was part of any thesis. Other information included positions held: academic, medical, administrative or any other; psychological publications and membership of offices held. Once elected a member had to sign a form agreeing to abide by the rules. There was a separate form for student members. Membership was considered by a Standing Committee of Council, Chaired by The President, this was by 1955 known as the Standing Committee on Membership. The decisions were ratified at Council meetings which include name of candidate and their proposers.
In 1974 the BPS signed a contract with Pyramid Computer Services to computerise membership records (and accounts).
The Standing Committee on Membership was superseded by the Membership and Qualifications Board (MQB) in 1988 and its subcommittees the Postgraduate Admissions Committee (laster Admissions Committee) and Graduate Admissions Committee (later Graduate Qualification Accreditation Committee GQAC) when the Society began (until 2008) to be the body for the registration of chartered psychologists. |