Agenda of the Congress

Social influence is one of the central themes of social psychology, but in public debate it is presented in a simplistic and sensational way. Here we analyze this impact in depth, looking at the following issues:

Social Influence Under the Microscope: How to Persuade in a Responsible Way?: When and how social influence actually works, where persuasion ends and manipulation begins, and why “mind programming” is more often a myth than a science.

Psychology in Business vs. Psychological Business: what in practice gives the psychology of organization and consumer behavior, and what is the marketing promise of “miraculous” techniques of influence without a scientific basis.

Between Cultures: Why We Misunderstand Each Other — and Whether We Can Change It: how cultural differences affect communication, trust and cooperation and how to translate scientific knowledge into integration, management and migration policies.

Information Warfare: How Disinformation Shapes Modern Conflicts: mechanisms of susceptibility to false narratives, the role of emotions and group dynamics, and methods of building the informational resilience of individuals and institutions.

Psychology plays an essential role in understanding the relationship between human behavior and societies and the climate crisis. To better understand the mechanisms at work here, we will look at them in the following contexts:

Fast fashion and greenwashing: psychological mechanisms of the need to own and succumb to fashion and ways of distinguishing real pro-ecological actions from appearances.

Ecological anxiety: emotional responses to the climate crisis, their consequences for mental health, and strategies for reinforcing agency and reducing apathy.

Activism and Climate Change: psychological barriers to acceptance of scientific data and the effectiveness of pro-climate activism.

Challenges of climate migration: the psychological and social consequences of climate change-induced migration for individuals, communities and social systems.

Digital technologies have become an integral part of everyday life, influencing ways to regulate emotions, build relationships, learn and make decisions, and aid therapy. So we look at the following issues:

AI and Human Functioning: the possibilities, risks and limits of the use of AI in the understanding of what it means to “think” and “feel”, and in diagnosis and psychological assistance.

Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Polish Labor Market.

Computer games: the psychological mechanisms behind games “pulling” us in (e.g., rewards, challenges, and the illusion of control) and turning them into a harmful habit.

Smart Vehicles and Moral Dilemmas the psychology of morality towards the decisions of autonomous machines, responsibility for the effects of the operation of algorithms and social acceptance of technology.

Psychological Interventions on the Internet: technologies (e.g. apps, VR, chatbots) in prevention and psychological support and scientific evidence.

There are phenomena that we know well, but which today, in the light of the progress of knowledge and technology and cultural changes, acquire a completely new meaning. We look here, therefore, at how psychology confronts the widely discussed challenges of the modern age. This includes the following threads:

New Faces of Weight Loss: psychological, social and ethical consequences of pharmacological weight regulation, cultural pressure of thinness, and changes in the understanding of eating habits.

Neurodiversity and gender: gender differences in the diagnosis of neurodiversity, the phenomenon of symptom masking, and the relationships between neurodiversity and gender identity.

New Masculinity: redefinition of masculinity in the modern world, its impact on identity, interpersonal relationships and psychological well-being of men.

Loneliness and its monetization: psychological effects of the commercialization of loneliness, digital relationship substitutes, and technological “management” of the need for closeness.

Close relationships remain a key social environment in which individual development takes place and well-being is shaped. These relationships are currently undergoing dynamic transformations. We will look at the various aspects of these changes and the resulting conclusions in the following thematic threads:

How Are Modern Families and Interpersonal Relationships Changing? New forms of family life, their social conditions and their importance for well-being.

Romantic Relationships: contemporary expectations of romantic relationships, the tension between closeness and autonomy, and the psychological underpinnings of lasting relationships.

Psychology of Dating: mate selection mechanisms, the impact of dating apps and the causes of dating fatigue in the modern world.

Mental Health Crisis Among Children and Adolescents.

Domestic Violence in Poland: Fear and Pain Behind Closed Doors.

Physical Health and Mental Health: a holistic approach to health, integrating mental and somatic processes in everyday lifestyle, prevention and therapy.

Where does the norm end in the pursuit of orgasm? The modern world offers unprecedented access to a variety of ways to satisfy sexual needs and enhance sexual satisfaction, including pornography and psychoactive substances. The line between normative use and compulsive and harmful abuse can blur, affecting relationships and mental health.

Depression — Myths and Facts: a contemporary view of depression and the variety of its symptoms and the effectiveness and limitations of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.

Social and Mental Health.

Mobbing at work: psychological mechanisms of mobbing and bullying at work, their consequences for health and strategies for recognition and counteraction in the professional environment.

Working Between Toxicity and Self-Destruction: contemporary problems of professional functioning associated with excessive perfectionism, procrastination and abusive relationships.

Biological conditions form the basis of human capabilities. However, many myths and simplifications can be identified here. We will review them in relation to the following topics:

Intelligence, creativity and mind: what intelligence and creativity are, how to measure and interpret them, and how to distinguish sound empirical conclusions from common myths and simplifications.

The Role of Heredity in Human Behavior: how to understand the heritability of traits, gene-environment relationships, and why “innate” does not mean immutable or resistant to the influence of experience.

Psychedelics in therapy: the clinical potential of psychedelic-assisted therapy, the conditions of safety and efficacy, and the risks arising from abuse and non-medical uses.

Healthy aging: cognitive and emotional changes in later life and strategies to support healthy aging and maintain fitness despite increasing health burdens.

Aesthetics for Well-Being: How Does Living Space Affect Quality of Life? How the brain responds to the art and aesthetics of the everyday environment, and how beauty affects emotions, decisions, and well-being.

Creative Work and Burnout: psychological costs of creative work, job pressure and uncertainty, and ways to protect mental health in creative professions.

The city is not only an infrastructure, but also an environment of daily psychophysical functioning. We are therefore interested in topics such as:

Walkable City: How Pedestrian-Friendly Urban Design Influences Health, Social Activity, Mental Well-Being, and Residents’ Quality of Life.

City that Supports Psychological Restoration: The Role of Greenery and Aesthetic, Quiet Urban Spaces in Reducing Stress and Supporting Rest.

Place Identity and Social Relationships: How Urban Spaces Foster a Sense of Belonging, Social Bonds, and Local Engagement.

War is one of the key events of a potentially traumatic nature, not only for individuals, but for entire societies. Understanding the psychological context is crucial for preventing the escalating mechanisms that result in armed conflict, as well as for effectively helping those struggling with their effects. So, we will discuss the following topics here:

War and Peace: how the threat of conflict and the experience of war affect affective well-being, social attitudes, and relationships, and why trauma can sustain a spiral of hostility rather than foster peace.

Historical trauma: identity and relationships: how collective memory and intergenerational transmission affect identity, prejudice, and reconciliation, and when the past helps and when it blocks development.

Ideological Polarization in Poland in 2026 (Report)

Radicalization of social relations and politics: psychological sources of polarization, its costs for dialogue and governance, and strategies to limit the escalation of social conflict.

Psychology provides an empirical framework not only to describe and understand, but also to enhance well-being and quality of life. Here we will look at the mechanisms of well-being studied in the following areas:

Well-being and happiness: what is the good life, what are the psychological alternatives to the pursuit of happiness and how to develop competences that promote lasting well-being.

The power of sleep for human health: the role of sleep in mental, physical, cognitive and social health and the causes of sleep disorders and methods of their reduction.

Can money buy happiness? Relationships between well-being and money, consumption, experiences and relationships, and the limits of material sources of happiness.

In quest for happiness and meaning: a debate focusing on a multidimensional approach in discovering the essence of well-being and mature inner life.

Frontiers in Psychology explores the tensions between knowledge based on empirical evidence, the professional application of psychology, and its presence in popular culture. We will do this in relation to the following issues:

Psychology in the public space: where the line runs between the reliable popularization of psychological knowledge and its oversimplification, infantilization and loss of scientific responsibility.

Can anyone become a psychotherapist? : the differences between psychology and psychotherapy, the importance of methods based on scientific evidence, and criteria for the effectiveness and ethics of therapeutic work.

The role of  mind in sport: the importance of mental preparation in achieving sporting success, coping with pressure and failure and the transfer of psychological competence to everyday life.

Criminal Psychopathy: Myths, Theory, Research, and Practice: confrontation of popular notions about psychopathy with research findings and implications for diagnosis and practice.

The functioning of learners and learners at school depends on a complex interplay of individual, relational and institutional factors. Psychology helps to understand how to make this experience actually pro-developmental. We will review what is known about it in relation to the following areas:

Protective and risk factors at school: how the school environment can support or threaten the mental health of students and teachers.

Challenges of the modern school and good practices: the real problems of education, the role of teachers and school leaders and effective solutions to promote well-being in schools.

What About School? Young Voices on Education, Well-Being, and Change: the voice of students as a key resource in the design of a school that supports the well-being, agency and development of young people.

A collection of exhibitions and ephemeral events centered around the Centennial Hall. Guests of the congress and the audience of the festival will be able to see an artistic installation in the historic interior of the Church of St. John of Nepomuk, experience fleeting phenomena that will happen in the shade of the pergola surrounding the fountain and Szczytnicki Park in one central evening of the festival and visit the exhibition in the huge hall of Space-Time. The highlight of this part of the program is the evening preceding the shortest Midsummer Night of the year, and its main theme is the observation and experience of phenomena from the borderline of dawn and imagination, sensuality, a state of suspension and a dreamy poetic atmosphere. The three-day exhibition and installation will also touch on a broadly defined theme of sleep, expressed through various media.

Partners:

Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw
Raft Foundation (Spacetime)
Open Cultural Space (Church of St. John of Nepomuk)

As part of the Re_Mind Festival, the Book Zone will take place at Czasoprzestrzeń in Wrocław — a space dedicated to literature and beyond. Over the course of three days, Festival participants will have the opportunity to join inspiring conversations with writers, illustrators, and book designers, as well as take part in debates and film screenings.

One of the highlights of the Book Zone programme will be the Book Rave Tutaj Podcast — an event combining literature with a relaxed atmosphere and ambient music.

In addition to talks and discussions, the programme will also include workshops, as well as exhibitions of books and illustrations.

Partners:

Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław
Tajne Komplety

A two-day program dedicated to reflection on the role of public spaces in shaping the psychophysical well-being of people and other species. A well-designed environment really improves the quality of life. The aesthetics and harmony of the urban fabric are the foundation of a friendly place to live, offering conditions for regeneration, rest and building neighborly relations. The health-promoting environment, understood in this way, is a space created and maintained for the comfort of residents. It strengthens the resilience of the community and prepares it to face environmental, social and health crises effectively.

People who are looking for answers on how conscious planning and design can actively promote health, instead of just preventing disease, we invite you to lectures, debates and walks led by designers and artists, activists and activists working in this area.

Partners:

Wrocław Institute of Culture (Barbara)
BWA Wroclaw (Zijnia)
Think Thank City Foundation

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On the green areas of the campus of the Polish Olympians Academy of Physical Education in Wrocław, we invite you to a program addressed to young people, prepared jointly with experts and experts of the university. In order for the programme to respond effectively to the needs and interests of young people, a Youth Council has been set up to co-create it. It is a platform through which young people can contribute the demands of their environments directly to the academic and expert world.The topics indicated by the Council are psychological well-being, relationships, personal development and the challenges of the modern world.

Youth Town activities combine workshop, discussion and artistic elements, creating a safe space for exchanging experiences and building community. And also a lot of fun and the possibility of various physical activities, which are, after all, the foundation of mental health.

Partners:

Polish Olympians Academy of Physical Education

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For three days, the area of the historic Clinics of the Medical University in Wrocław will be transformed into a lively Miasteczko Młodych Plus - a space for meetings, inspiration and exchange of experiences created for seniors. These will be days filled with reliable knowledge, good energy and real support, directed to those who want to live consciously, actively and healthily.

The program includes three main thematic zones:

MedEx Scene

A space for inspiring speeches and conversations with experts in the field of mental and somatic health. In an accessible, practical way, they will present issues that are particularly important from the perspective of the senior age — from disease prevention, through mental well-being, to a modern approach to longevity.

Health Space

Zone of practical prevention and inspiration for action. Diverse stands promoting healthy lifestyles, consultations, educational materials and activities encouraging movement and self-care — all in one place, accessible and friendly.

Workshop Stage

A place for dialogue and active participation. Here you not only listen - here you talk, exchange experiences and acquire specific skills. The program includes workshops on the recognition of disinformation, conscious use of the media and building resistance to manipulation.

Partners:

Medical University of Wroclaw — Centre for Medical Discovery

Wroclaw Centre for Social Development

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