FIUCUP Psychology Congress “Contemporary Vulnerabilites” (8-10 July 2026, UCLy, Lyon, France)
The IFCU International Research Group in Psychology (FIUCUP) will hold an International Congress on the topic of Contemporary Vulnerabilities on 8-10 July 2026 at the Catholic University of Lyon, Lyon, France.
At the dawn of the 21st century, what has become of the bonds that connect human beings to themselves, to others, to their environment and to the world?
Current changes expose contemporary individuals to unprecedented complexities: the acceleration of time, disenchantment with the world, and increasing uncertainty. In a society where the digitisation of everyday life is combined with the bureaucratisation of control, where economic rationality is allied with conservative morality, humans often find themselves in a state of profound loneliness that cannot be masked by multiple memberships of social networks.
Drawing on various disciplines of psychology – social, cognitive, clinical, occupational, developmental and others – we will examine these transformations and their effects on contemporary forms of connection, subjectivity and suffering. Axiological reference points clash as new forms of conjugality and parenthood emerge. The place of religion is dissolving, becoming entrenched, manifesting itself in new beliefs or becoming radicalised. The anthropological relationship to the body is taking on unique forms. The biological reality of the body can be modified or transfigured, regenerated or augmented through the hybridisation of “immersive” technologies. Artificial Intelligence is supplanting our human capabilities and disrupting our relationship with the world. It is subject to strong demands in terms of image, gender and sexual identity issues, and recent standards.
Themes of mental health, suffering at work and depression are prevalent in the public arena. We are seeing new expressions of malaise, interpersonal conflicts and addictive or depressive pathologies. Biopolitics is accelerating in classifications that tend to reduce the socio-psychic aspect. Palliative medication for distress is constantly on the rise.
However, the psychological scene is returning under the broad term of trauma, which can be more or less complex. We are becoming a traumatised society, with individuals exposed and powerless in the face of multiple forms of violence, whether private, collective or societal. On the world stage, dramas are unfolding that undermine the principles of international law by amnesiac societies that paradoxically or cynically call for the duty to remember. Policies are being developed in the wake of governments now referred to as ‘illiberal’. The ecological threat is becoming more pressing, fuelling eco-anxiety with the prospect of climatic and human disasters. The conditions of exile are subject to major constraints and migration is hampered by xenophobic movements. Discrimination is flourishing in unlikely places. Paradoxes are accumulating, but they are not preventing the resurgence of various utopias.
In this changing world, we will examine the notion of vulnerabilities in relation to all the disciplines covered by psychology. What are the analyses and contributions of the multiple psychological disciplines to the phenomena at stake? What responses can each of them construct to address the vulnerabilities and suffering generated by this context?
This event will provide a unique opportunity for scientific and clinical dialogue between different disciplines and cultural contexts.
Join an international conversation shaping the future of psychology on the topic of contemporary vulnerabilities!
REGISTRATION FEE: 400 €
ABSTRACTS: send your abstract on 30 March at the latest at: fiucpsychologie2026@univ-catholyon.fr
Researchers, academics, doctoral students, and practitioners are invited to submit abstracts. We welcome innovative, research-based, and practice-oriented contributions that engage critically with the congress theme and reflect the richness of psychological inquiry within Catholic and partner universities.
CONTACT FOR ANY QUESTION: Mrs Brigitte BLANQUET, bblanquet@univ-catholyon.fr
