Most citizens in the industrialized nations know the Third World only through secondhand and distorting images conveyed by the mass media. While these images and related processes of globalization are increasing awareness of poverty, civil strife, and human rights abuses in the Third World, few people in the First World seem to care about changing these painful realities. Western behavioral scientists, who clearly have much to contribute, have yet to manifest the sustained concern necessary to develop fruitful interventions. This is due in part to ideological constraints on psychology and related disciplines. Nevertheless, numerous researchers working in the Third World have been pioneering models and methods that may challenge others to rethink disciplinary assumptions, and begin to confront Third World problems effectively. This article surveys the development of these activities and issues a call for increased involvement.
