The Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Sarajevo was founded in 1989. Since its founding, the following instructors and associates have taught at the Department of Psychology: Dr. Ismet Dizdarević, Emeritus; Dr. Nedjeljka Gajanović, Emeritus; Dr. Ejub Ćehić; Dr. Ratko Dunđerović; Dr. Renko Đapić; Dr. Petar Stojaković; Dr. Faruk Dilberović; Dr. Asim Omerović; Dr. Jelena Berberović; Dr. Ugo Vlaisavljević; Dr. Amela Kulenović; Dr. Jasminka Babić-Avdispahić; Dr. Mujo Hasković; Dr. Aida Hašimbegović; Ranka Mavrinac, MA; Dr. Slobodan Marković; Tanja Todorović, TA; Ognjenka Đurđev, TA; Aleksandra Fabrio, TA; Dino Đipa, TA; Dr. Jasna Bajraktarević; Dr. Elvira Duraković-Belko; Dr. Eldan Kapur; Dr. Jadranka Kolenović-Đapo; Dr. Nermin Đapo; Dr. Saša Drače; Dr. Sibela Zvizdić; Dr. Enedina Hasanbegović-Anić; Dr. Dženana Husremović; Dr. Indira Fako; Dr. Maida Koso-Drljević; Dr. Sabina Alispahić; Dr. Amela Dautbegović; Dr. Đenita Tuce; Mirna Marković, MA; Dr. Ratko Đokić; Nina Hadžiahmetović, MA; Aida Muheljić, MA.
In addition to the aforementioned instructors and associates, numerous visiting professors from the Department of Psychology at the University of Zagreb have taught at the Department: Dr. Alija Kulenović; Dr. Branimir Šverko; Dr. Dean Ajduković; Dr. Marina Ajduković; Dr. Dragutin Ivanec; Dr. Damir Ljubotina; Dr. Darja Maslić-Seršić. Dr. Ivanka Živčić-Bećirović and Dr. Vladimir Takšić from the Department of Psychology in Rijeka have taught at the Department, as have Dr. Ilija Manenica from the Department of Psychology in Zadar, Dr. Klas Brenk and Dr. Valentin Bucik from the Department of Psychology in Ljubljana, Dr. Boris Wolf and Dr. Konstantin Momirović from the Department of Psychology in Novi Sad, and Dr. Ivan Šiber from the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Zagreb.
Instructors from other departments at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo—Dr. Rudolf Stojak; Dr. Mirjana Mavrak; Azra Jajatović, MA; Dr. Hašim Muminović—have made a significant contribution to teaching at the Department of Psychology (especially in the period from 1992 to 1995), as have Dr. Ismet Cerić, Dr. Amir Pleha and Dr. Muhamed Gavranović from the Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo.
In the post-war period, the Department of Psychology in Sarajevo has worked together with the Ludwig Maximilians Institute for Clinical Psychology in Munich (Dr. Willi Butollo, Dr. Stephen Powell, Dr. Gisela Rooper and Dr. Maria Gavranidou), the Paris X Nanterre University Institute for Psychology (Dr. Serge Lebovici and Dr. Dominique Cupa), and the Institute for Psychology from Gothenburg in Sweden.
Currently, two full professors, six associate professors, three assistant professors, three teaching associates and one teaching assistant are employed at the Department of Psychology. Faculty members and associates from the Department of Psychology participate actively at academic and scientific conferences at home and abroad. A significant number of research projects in various areas of psychology have been realised at the Department. Members of the Department have translated and adapted a number of texts and scales in psychology. The Department has paid special attention to making available in translation texts that are necessary for teaching. For that purpose, several titles have been translated, and we would like to highlight the translation of the following monographs: Developmental Psychology by Philip Hwang and Björn Nilsson and Life After Trauma by Willi Butollo et. al., published by the Ludwig Maximilians University Institute for Psychology from Munich. In addition to translating the aforementioned books, members of the Department have produced thirteen monographs in the past six years.
In cooperation with the University of Paris X and the Danielle Mitterrand Foundation, the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy organised the first edition of the “Life After Trauma: Trauma in Children and Adolescents” international symposium in 1997. Another significant conference “Psycho-social Effects of War (Results of Empirical Research in the former Yugoslavia)” was organised by the Department in 2000, in cooperation with UNICEF Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Institute for Clinical Psychology from Munich. In 2002, in cooperation with the Soros Foundation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a seminar on “Structural Modelling” was held. The “Contribution of Eastern Philosophy to Western Psychology” conference was held in 2003. On 26 February 2008, the Association of Psychologists of the Federation of BiH, in cooperation with the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo organised a round table on “Prevention of Violence Among Children and Adolescents through the Education, Health and Social Welfare Systems.” In 2009, on the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the Department, the “First Sarajevo Days of Psychology” were held. This academic conference has become a tradition and in April 2018, the Department organised the “Fifth Sarajevo Days of Psychology”. The Department has also established the Ante Raić Prize that is given out every other academic year for the best bachelor’s thesis. Emir Efendić, Katarina Mišetić, and Selma Korlat have received this award to date.
A significant number of candidates have defended their doctoral dissertations and attained the rank of PhD since the founding of the Department: Svetislav Marjanović, Cvjetin Lukić, Petar Kostić, Miroslav Ahtik, Jovan Savić, Aida Hašimbegović, Vukašin Gutović, Muhamed Šestanović, Mirha Šehović, Jasna Bajraktarević, Osman Ramić, Sibela Zvizdić-Meco, Elvira Duraković-Belko, Slobodan Pavlović, Jadranka-Kolenović Đapo, Nermin Đapo, Indira Fako, Maida Koso-Drljević, Enedina Hasanbegović-Anić, Dženana Husremović, Danijel Maleč, Aid Smajić, Srđan Puhalo, Elvis Vardo, Tamara Efendić, Lejla Silajdžić, Amela Dautbebegović, Đenita Tuce.
In addition to an undergraduate programme, the Department offers a one year specialised programme in trauma psychology with the support of the Ludwig Maximilians Institute for Clinical Psychology from Munich and UNICEF Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 2000/2001 academic year, a graduate programme in psychology was established. Also, the Department of Psychology has participated in the education of graduate students for the graduate programme in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology offered by the Umea University from Sweden and the University of Sarajevo. With the Bologna Reforms of higher education, a third study cycle has been established (doctoral studies in psychology).
The Centre for Psychological Research, Education and Counselling (CPEIS) is active within the Department. The Department of Psychology participates in the ERASMUS PLUS project and the International Memory Trauma Trust (MT) with the International Psychoanalytic University in Berlin (IPU). The Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo heads the national “European Feasibility Study” in Bosnia and Herzegovina.