SFPJ – French Society of Psychology and Law

Created in May 2013, the Société Française de Psychologie Juridique (SFPJ) – the French Society of Psychology and Law – is a learned society based in the Paris-Sud University. According to its statutes, its mission is:

– “To participate in and support research in the field of Psychology and Law ; to contribute to gathering fundamental knowledge applicable to the subject; to reflect on problems stemming from this field; to organise conferences, symposia and other related events;

– to work towards the development and recognition of this subject in France and abroad;

– to encourage closer ties between legal specialists (academics, magistrates, lawyers…) and those of sciences of the mind (psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists…);

– to contribute to a high-quality education of students, researchers and practitioners in psychology and Law;

– and more generally, to contribute to the development of the subjects of Psychology and Law.”

The SFPJ aims to bring the impetus of a great reflection debate on the links between psychology and law, and more generally, on those linking law and the psyche.

Psychology and Law studies should schematically follow two lines of research: psychology law (studies on the legal handling of questions concerning the conscious mind, the subconscious, intent, will, psychologists’ activities…) and the psychological analysis of law (studies on the psychological impact of law and justice on an individual, of psychology on law, lawyers or magistrates…)

In its research activities, the SFPJ has privileged relations with the CERDI (Panthéon-Sorbonne and Paris-Sud Universities), the CLIPSYD (Faculty of Psychology, Paris-Nanterre University), the GDR NOST (Normes, Sciences et Techniques), the LIER (CNRS-EHESS, Paris), the Laval University in Quebec (Canada) and EAPL (European association of Psychology and Law).

Administration

Professeur de droit privé émérite de l’Université Paris II - Panthéon-Assas Membre de l’Institut de France Membre du Comité scientifique de la revue Psycho-Droit

François Terré

Honorary Chairman

Professor of law Emeritus at the Paris II – Panthéon-Assas University
Member of the Institut de France (Academy)
Member of the scientific Committee of Psycho-Droit review

Jean-Pierre Relmy

Founding President

Professor of law at the Paris-Sud University
Member of the CERDI (Panthéon-Sorbonne & Paris-Sud Universities)
Founding-Director of Psycho-Droit review.

Lucia Romo

Vice-President

Professor in Clinical Psychology at the University Paris-Nanterre
Director of the CLIPSYD laboratory (University Paris-Nanterre)
Member of the Scientific Committee of the Psycho-Droit review

Estelle Scholastique

Vice-President

Professor (agrégée) of the Faculties of Law
Professor of Law at University Paris-Sud

David Libeskind

Vice-President for external relations with the professionnals

Phd in Law, Trial lawyer, Member of the Paris Bar
Associate Member of the CERDI.

Benjamin Lévy

Psychologist, PhD in psychopathology and psychoanalysis
A graduate of Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris (Ulm)
Research Fellow at Paris VII-Diderot University
Editor in chief of Psycho-Droit review

Laure Parès

Assistant Secretary General
Clinical Psychologist, (Toulouse, France)

The subject matter

Initiated at the end of the 19th century, under the impetus of French psychologist Alfred Binet (1857-1911), the study of the relationship between Psychology and Law has mostly been illustrated in the medical and criminal criminal fields. Numerous works have thus been dedicated to the subject in Europe and across the Atlantic (psychology and law, psycholegal studies, legal psychology, forensic psychology…).

“Psychology and Law” (“psychologie juridique”) as it was referred to by Dean Carbonnier, is the ideal means to stimulate a high-level reflection process on the psyche, psychic phenomena, psychological sciences, and the relationship they maintain with law and legal sciences.

The subject matter, as approached by the SFPJ, consists in the systematic study of the relationship between Psychology and Law, in their broadest conceptions.

This innovative field of research requires, in particular, to lead “psycholegal” studies, i.e. studies of objects and/or subjects made using the knowledge of law professionals and specialists of the psyche.

Psychology and Law Studies allows to work in a very concrete manner in an interdisciplinary environment. To acquire a full vision of what is entailed by the psyche and psychic phenomena, it is necessary to defer to the knowledge of psychologists, psychiatrists, and, more generally-speaking, to the entirety of the subjects concerning these objects (neurosciences, philosophy, linguistics, criminology…).

Combining the methods, the knowledge, and the abilities of legal professionals and sciences of the mind specialists, research in Psychology and Law should result in a better implementation of law and justice, by allowing a better information on the ins and outs of individual and social psychology.

François Terré and Jean-Pierre Relmy at the Institut de France (Paris, june 2015)

Lines of research

1. Psychology and legislation
2. Psychology and contract
3. Psychology and justice
4. Psychology, infringement, penalty
5. Psychology and philosophy of law 6. Science, psychology and law
7. Violence, psychology and law
8. Moods, conditions and law
9. NICTs, psychology and law
10. Personal development and law

1. Psychology and legislation

– Psychology and legislative drafting
– Psychology and public policies
– Status of psychologists
– Medical and psychological emergency units

2. Psychology and contract

– Psycholology and contract negociation

– Consent, commitment and contract

– Psychological assistance and contract

3. Psychology and justice

– Psychological analysis of trials

– Psychology of legal actors

– Persuasion and conviction

– Psychological and legal study of the judgement

– Psychological and legal study of querulousness

– Psychological and psychiatric expert reports

4. Psychology, infringements, penalties

– Psychology of the offender
– Psychological and legal study of penalty
– Improvement, compensation and restorative justice

5. Psychology and philosophy of law

– Psychological and legal relativism

– Psychology of legal professionals

– Epistemology, legal methodology and cognition

– Normativity, normality, marginalisation

– Obeying, breaching the norm

– Indifference to law

6. Science, psychology and law

– Conscious, subconscious and law

– Forensic psychology

– Judging machine- Intelligence and law

– Parapsychology, zetetic (scientific doubting), and law

7. Violence, psychology and law

– Psychological violence and law

– Psychological harassment and psychological and social risks

– Ascendancy and brainwashing

– Psychological and legal study of the masochistic contract

8. Moods, conditions and law

– Mental distress, psychopathologies and law
– Behavioural disturbance induced by law
– Psychological and legal study of addiction
– Psychological and legal study of feelings and emotions

9. NICTs, psychology and law

– Psychology and law online
– Avatar, virtual personality and law
– Sociability, law, and virtual justice
– Psychological and legal study of e-reputation

10. Personal development and law

– Psychological and legal study of coaching

– Psychological and legal study of personal development

– Law and well-being – Law and happiness

Scientific Activities

The SFPJ follows the pattern of a traditional scientific society with the organisation of conferences, research seminars and organisation of at least an international symposium everyyear. The SFPJ follows the pattern of a traditional scientific society with the organisation of conferences, research seminars and organisation of at least an international symposium everyyear.

Since, its creation, the SFPJ has organised many scientific events and Symposiums as :
– SFPJ’s 5th Symposium, “Well-being : Overlapping Perspectives”, Paris-Sud University, May, 2018.
– SFPJ’s 4th Symposium, “Psychology, Law and Regulation”, Paris-Sud University, June, 2017.
– SFPJ’s 3rd Symposium, “Mediation procedure : at the confluence of Law and Psychology”,Paris-Sud University, March, 2017.
– SFPJ’s 2nd Symposium, “Psychology and Law : What Contributions from the One to the Other ?”, Paris-Sud University April, 2016.
– SFPJ, Inaugural Symposium, “Psychology and law: what are the links?” , Paris-Sud University, April, 2015.

The entirety of the works thus created are or will be published in the Psycho-Droit review.

The SFPJ has also organised in collaboration with EAPL (European Association of Psychology and Law), on December, 2015, the First European study day of Psychology and Law.

SFPJ’s 3rd Symposium (Paris, march, 2017)

Workshop SFPJ-EAPL (Paris, december, 2015)

Membership

Any natural person with an interest in Psychology and Law studies or more generally, in the relationship between law and the sciences of the mind, may apply to the SFPJ.

A written membership request and a resume must be submitted to the Society (psycho.droit@gmail.com (mailto:psycho.droit@gmail.com)).

Any application shall be subject to approval by the Executive Board.

All members of the Society, excepting its honorary members, shall be required to pay an annual fee (students: 30 euros ; others: 50 euros) and, on the year of their admission only, an entry right (30 euros).

Legal persons can apply for an affiliation to the Society. The conditions of this affiliation (prerequisites, fee, guarantees, etc.) shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Executive Board, and will take the form of a written agreement signed by the representatives of both parties, renegotiated yearly. The members of the affiliated organisations shall be able to take part in the General Assemblies of the Society only if they have a personal membership to the latter.