Final answer:
George Miller suggested making psychological knowledge widely accessible in his 1969 presidential address to the APA, aiming to apply psychology to improve health, reform mental health systems, understand group dynamics, facilitate action research, and support social change.
Step-by-step explanation:
Psychologist George Miller, in his presidential address to the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1969, promoted the idea of "giving psychology away." This concept suggests making psychological knowledge broadly accessible to the public to improve society. Psychological knowledge was thought to offer valuable insights for health, reforms in the mental health systems, understanding group dynamics, facilitating action research, and supporting social change and liberation movements.
The APA, reflecting the discipline's diversity with 54 divisions, has consistently worked to disseminate psychological knowledge. The APA's history includes increasing diversity among its members and progressive stances on social issues, evidenced by the 1973 removal of homosexuality as a mental illness from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, in part due to activists like Frank Kameny.
Miller's advocacy aligns with the broader historical efforts within psychology to utilize the field's insights for societal benefit—whether in addressing social injustices, supporting marginalized communities, or influencing policy and practices in various sectors.