Keynote speakers: Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett & Dr. Lene Arnett Jensen

Call for Papers:  Deadline 1 December 2026

We are excited to invite submissions for the inaugural meeting of the Perugia Psychology Conference in beautiful Perugia in central Italy and are thrilled to share that our conference will feature two esteemed keynote speakers:  Dr. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett & Dr. Lene Arnett Jensen, Senior Research Scholars at Clark University in Massachusetts who will be giving separate keynotes. Drs. Arnett and Jensen have together authored multiple books on emerging adulthood and received the 2025 Textbook Excellence Award from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association for Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach (3e). Dr. Arnett is particularly famous for identifying (and coining the term) “emerging adulthood” as a distinct period of human development and was the Founding President and first Executive Director of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood. Arnett ventures into novel territory in his new book, Imaginary Realities: The Psychology of Everyday Delusions.   Dr. Jensen’s “cultural-developmental approach” has influenced thinking on how culture shapes development and has edited major handbooks, including The Oxford Handbook of Human Development and Culture: An Interdisciplinary Perspective and Bridging Cultural and Developmental Psychology: New Syntheses for Theory, Research and Policy.

The organizers of the Perugia Psychology Conference invite scholars, practitioners, educators, and students to explore the many ways in which culture influences psychological development, learning, identity, well-being, and human growth. The conference will feature an exciting range of presentation formats, including keynote addresses, paper sessions, posters, creative interactive formats, and opportunities for community-based engagement (see the Conference Home tab for more information). 

Submitting Your Work

We welcome submissions on a broad spectrum of topics but especially those that consider culture as an important context of human functioning, examine challenges and opportunities created by rapid social change, and reflect on how psychology can contribute to more equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive communities. We look forward to a wide-ranging conversation that may include, but is not limited to, topics such as:

• Culturally-Responsive Pathways to Well-Being and Resilience
• Culture, Identity & Social Change in the Age of AI and Globalization
• Cultural Influences on Family Dynamics & Child/Adolescent Development 
• Prejudice, Stereotypes & Group Identification
• Cross-Cultural Psychology
• Cultural Influences on Learning, Language & Pedagogy
• Educational Policy, Equity & Inclusive Clinical Practice
• Cultural Neuroscience & Neurodiversity-Informed Care

Formats and Types of Submissions.  We welcome data-based empirical projects as well as theoretical/conceptual papers. Possible formats are individual papers, posters, symposia with 2-3 presenters (one of whom may be the chair/organizer) and a discussant, and conversation-hour roundtables. Individual papers will be grouped thematically into panels with multiple papers. To the extent possible in a medieval city and in a medieval building, we are committed to as accessible a conference as possible; please contact us to ask about accommodations. Graduate students and top undergrads presenting with advisors are welcome. If you are a junior scholar and need help with your abstract, contact the conference organizers at [email protected]

See the conference’s website for more information on fees and registration, as well as (especially) other conference FAQs. 

All submissions must be written in English; all sessions will be in English and in person; there are no Zoom/virtual options.

Deadline for submissions:   11:59pm US Eastern time, 1 December 2026

Notifications of acceptance status: 1 February 2027

Ready to submit? Fill out the form here: