Multicultural Psychology in Iceland: Meeting the Needs of a Changing Society

Cultural diversity in Iceland has increased substantially in recent years, but research on multicultural topics within Icelandic psychology is still very limited. Icelandic psychologists' self-reported multicultural competence and motivation to engage in multicultural learning and work were examined in relation to their perceived threat of international immigrants in Iceland, their contact with immigrants, and their attitudes toward them. One hundred thirty-one Icelandic psychologists (87 women, 44 men) participated in the study. A canonical correlation analysis (CCA) revealed that lesser perceived threat of immigrants to Icelandic customs, culture, economy, and security, and more positive attitudes toward and contact with people of international origin were associated with greater knowledge of and greater motivation to work with that population. It was also found that more positive attitudes and greater perceived threats to economy and security were associated with increased multicultural awareness. These findings have relevance for the development of multicultural training for current and future psychologists in Iceland.