Contemporary psychology is unquestionably divided into numerous subdisciplines, orientations and schools. This situation generates an urgent need for a dialog between representatives of various conceptions of practicing the psychology as a science and as a social praxis. But first of all it should be emphasized that there is a very important common area for such a dialog and mutual understanding. Namely there are the abidance by methodological rules and the respect for ethical principles. In this volume of “Chowanna” several the most prominent Polish psychologists, inspired by discussions carried on during the XXXIV Scientific Convention of Polish Psychological Society, which took its place in Katowice on the September of 2011, present their own views and opinions upon the main challenges for the contemporary psychology and the best forms of their undertaking.

The aim of the present article is to consider different aspects of three types of psychology which affect the life of the contemporary society. The first one is practical psychology, the second is common sense psychology, and the third one is academic psychology. The central question to be answered is about a utility of each psychology. In fact, it was found that the relationships between three types of psychology are complex, and these interrelations can’t lead to constructive effects. In other words, it seems that chronic and acute division between academic and practical psychology is a consequence of interaction between this three types of psychology. Thus, common sense psychology appeared to eliminate other two types of psychology from social and scientific discourse.

Main thesis of this article is dealing with description of the cognitive shift in our culture which is influenced by contemporary electronic media. This tendency must be located in large scale of historical changes influenced by emerging the speaking end writing as a new technologies invented by human mind. In the article the new taxonomy of cognitive changes and components of mental competencies are proposed.

This article aims at presenting the assumptions and statements of the Dialogical Self Theory, as well as the most significant research findings gathered in frames of grant realized in Poland. The Dialogical self is defined as “a dynamic multiplicity of voiced positions in the landscape of the mind, intertwined as this mind is with the minds of other people”. The theory inspires research in correlation, experimental and phenomenological approach. In the article the main research findings are summarized and some new thesis based on them are introduced. Adaptive functions of the dialogical self refers to presence of various I‑positions and their flexible organization allowing for dialogue between them, as well as the presence of meta‑position. Internal dialogical activity has some applications in psychotherapy and counseling.

The paper analyses the relationship between temperamental traits and intensity of the symptoms of post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and change of the direction in which both variables influence each other depending on time after the trauma. Longitudinal studies were conducted on about 700 traffic accidents participants: the first assessment took place within 24 months after the accident, the second — 12 months later. The analysis of the cross‑lagged effects showed that in the subgroup studied earlier after accident (N = 362; after 1—6 months) the crucial role of temperamental traits could be identified indicating “temperamental vulnerability” to PTSD. In the subgroup studied later (N = 337; after 12—24 months), the reverse effect of PTSD symptoms on temperamental traits were identified indicating process of “complication”, i.e. temperamental changes caused by PTSD. The role of presented results for the analysis of psychological consequences of trauma was underlined as well as their implications for understanding the “enduring personality change after catastrophic experience” as a diagnostic category in the ICD‑10.

Psychologists’ interest in human olfactory functions seems marginal. Many psychologists hold the opinion that olfaction is a minor sense. New data shows that this opinion is unjustified. The paper starts with the information about the influence of odors on human’s functioning, including emotions. Next olfactory memory is discussed in relation to general psychological knowledge about memory. Data concerning the Proust effect (the ability of odors to trigger autobiographical memories) are also presented. The role of odors in marketing is discussed, showing controversies between scientists and practitioners. The paper ends with data evidencing the importance of olfactory functions diagnosis in different somatic and psychiatric diseases.

The main goal of this paper is to review studies showing the dual nature of money: instrumental versus symbolic. Results from both cultural anthropology and social or economic psychology are presented. They indicate that money is not fungible, i.e., people use it depending on its source. Other experiments show that money regulates social behavior and helps people to cope with existential anxieties. One of the studies indicates that money changes social behavior not only among adults but also among children who do not possess knowledge about its main economic functions.

A starting point for the research presented in the article is a low social and political activity of Poles diagnosed in many different research projects. A psychological explanation of this phenomenon proposed by the author is a negative perception of the present‑day social and political world which discourages people from engaging in the activity in favour of some common good. The source of the negative perception could be parental attitudes and a general family atmosphere. The aim of the two own studies; the first of which was conducted among the students (N = 197), while the second among a representative of adult Poles (N = 850), was to check the relationship between mothers’ and fathers’ attitudes (diagnosed via the questionnaire on parental attitudes) and a general family atmosphere (measured by an author’s scale) and such negative beliefs about the world as social Darwinism, materialism, life as a zero‑sum game, the world as a danger on the part of other people.

The article presents the problem of the power in close relationships and its importance for undertaking different tactics of influence on partner in marriage. Two types of power in marriage were identified: the power based on physical attractiveness and the power based on financial resources. The results of the study in which questionnaire methods were used on a group of 92 married couples aged from 22 to 82 years old were presented. The results showed that the power wielded by husbands based on financial resources correlated positively with the tendency to use coercion and silent treatment tactic and the fact that wives who stayed under their husbands’ financial resources power correlated negatively with undertaking the coercion tactic. The wives’ power based on physical attractiveness correlated positively with the preference of coercion tactic and in husbands’ case it correlated positively with the preference of silent treatment tactic and negatively with the preference of reason tactic.

In the rapidly changing technology in the global world and rising expansion of Asia, our postindustrial civilization to survive must make a shift towards emphasis on creativity and empathy and human ability to adapt to changes to meet the challenges of new consumption based on values and the infuse of values into economy. To flourish and develop the organizations must give way to inventiveness, empathy and meaning. That means that psychological knowledge and skills are crucial in the process in innovation creation, transfer and adaptation (as Poland is characterized by low level of innovativeness should take it into account). Psychology, and especially psychology of organization and innovation, offers models and practical suggestions to make innovativeness processes more successful. Nevertheless, as the research results indicate, there are still psychological barriers in the process of innovation which should be broken by psychologists and their competences to know how to use theoretical knowledge in organizational practice.

The history of the postgraduate training development for clinical psychologists is described. Most influential psychologists are enumerated and their influence on the clinical psychology development in Poland and especially on the clinical psychologists postgraduate training as specialists in the field.