ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author discusses how changes in psychology have paralleled and sometimes encouraged changes in education abroad. He also discusses the specific psychological theories and research whose "understanding behavior" goals have been harnessed to illuminate important issues in study abroad. The field of psychology has, then, changed since its modern period began at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Building on the assumptions of the natural laws of science, it has added layers of complexity to the understanding of the human behavior. The "flow" theory from within the positive psychology movement may provide a theoretical framework for intervention. The characteristics of flow are consistent with a high degree of engagement with the study abroad situation. The optimal condition for individual learners continually adjusts as skills and challenges change; they influence each other reciprocally.
