A Social History of Psychology documents the rise of psychology in the 20th century and its growing influence on Western society. The book focuses on practical, or 'applied', psychology and examines the causes and social consequences of psychology’s omnipresence in our society. Documents the rise of psychology in the 20th century and its growing influence on Western society Contains contributions that focus on psychology as a social enterprise, written by researchers with extensive experience teaching the history of psychology Focuses on practical psychology rather than academic theory and provides a detailed account of the development of various branches of professional psychology Provides a clear and insightful historical background for understanding contemporary developments within applied psychology
For the first time in the history of social psychology, we have a handbook on the history of social psychology. In it, leading luminaries in the field present their take on how research in their own domains has unfolded, on the scientists whose impact shaped the research agendas in the different areas of social psychology, and on events, institutions and publications that were pivotal in determining the field’s history. Social psychology’s numerous subfields now boast a rich historical heritage of their own, which demands special attention. The Handbook recounts the intriguing and often surprising lessons that the tale of social psychology’s remarkable ascendance has to offer. The historical diversity is the hallmark of the present handbook reflecting each of this field’s domains unique evolution. Collectively, the contributions put a conceptual mirror to our field and weave the intricate tapestry of people, dynamics and events whose workings combined to produce what the vibrant discipline of social psychology is today. They allow the contemporary student, scholar and instructor to explore the historical development of this important field, provide insight into its enduring aims and allow them to transcend the vicissitudes of the zeitgeist and fads of the moment. The Handbook of the History of Social Psychology provides an essential resource for any social psychologist’s collection.
A pragmatic social cognitive psychology covers a lot of territory, mostly in personality and social psychology but also in clinical, counseling, and school psychologies. It spans a topic construed as an experimental study of mechanisms by its natural science wing and as a study of cultural interactions by its social science wing. To learn about it, one should visit laboratories, field study settings, and clinics, and one should read widely. If one adds the fourth dimen sion, time, one should visit the archives too. To survey such a diverse field, it is common to offer an edited book with a resulting loss in integration. This book is coauthored by a social personality psychologist with historical interests (DFB: Parts I, II, and IV) in collaboration with two social clinical psychologists (CRS and JEM: Parts III and V). We frequently cross-reference between chapters to aid integration without duplication. To achieve the kind of diversity our subject matter represents, we build each chapter anew to reflect the emphasis of its content area. Some chapters are more historical, some more theoretical, some more empirical, and some more applied. All the chapters reflect the following positions.
Twenty-seven chapters represent an historical approach to the discipline of psychology and together outline the development of the field. The book describes the founding of the discipline, its development as a natural science and then as a social and behavioral science, and contemporary practices. Psychological practices are situated in the larger social, cultural, and political history, and related to unemployment, gender relations, anti-Semitism, and civil rights. The methods of historical inquiry are also discussed. c. Book News Inc.
What is modern psychology and how did it get here? How and why did psychology come to be the world's most popular science? A Conceptual History of Psychology charts the development of psychology from its foundations in ancient philosophy to the dynamic scientific field it is today. Emphasizing psychology's diverse global heritage, the book explains how, across centuries, human beings came to use reason, empiricism, and science to explore each other's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. The book skilfully interweaves conceptual and historical issues to illustrate the contemporary relevance of history to the discipline. It shows how changing historical and cultural contexts have shaped the way in which modern psychology conceptualizes individuals, brains, personality, gender, cognition, consciousness, health, childhood, and relationships. This comprehensive textbook: - Helps students understand psychology through its origins, evolution and cultural contexts - Moves beyond a 'great persons and events' narrative to emphasize the development of the theoretical and practical concepts that comprise psychology - Highlights the work of minority and non-Western figures whose influential work is often overlooked in traditional accounts, providing a fuller picture of the field's development - Includes a range of engaging and innovative learning features to help students build and deepen a critical understanding of the subject - Draws on examples from contemporary politics, society and culture that bring key debates and historical milestones to life - Meets the requirements for the Conceptual and Historical Issues component of BPS-accredited Psychology degrees. This textbook will provide students with invaluable insight into the past, present and future of this exciting and vitally important field. Read more from Brian Hughes on his blog at thesciencebit.net
A History of Psychology places social, economic, and political forces of change alongside psychology’s internal theoretical and empirical arguments, illuminating how the external world has shaped psychology’s development, and, in turn, how the late twentieth century’s psychology has shaped society. Featuring extended treatment of important movements such as the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution, the textbook approaches the material from an integrative rather than wholly linear perspective. The text carefully examines how issues in psychology reflect and affect concepts that lie outside the field of psychology’s technical concerns as a science and profession. This new edition features expanded attention on psychoanalysis after its founding as well as new developments in cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and behavioral economics. Throughout, the book strengthens its exploration of psychological ideas and the cultures in which they developed and reinforces the connections between psychology, modernism, and postmodernism. The textbook covers scientific, applied, and professional psychology, and is appropriate for higher-level undergraduate and graduate students.
What function can a science of psychology serve in a utopian society whose ideological foundations already contain a theory of human nature? This is the question that has dominated the history of Soviet psychology - a history that Alex Kozulin decodes in this book. Following an introduction that discusses the problems of deciphering the real content of scientific work produced in an ideological context, the author reviews the work and the fate of the first four generations of Soviet psychologists: those who came of age before the Revolution, during the heady days of the 1920s, in the midst of the Stalin era, and the most recent, contemporary generation.Six case studies provide a better understanding of the ideas and methods of Soviet psychology: the careers of Ivan Pavlov and Vladimir Bekhterev; the roots of non-Pavlovian psychophysiology in the work of Nikolai Bernstein; the ups and downs of the concept of the unconscious; the origins of Lev Vygotsky's epistemological theories; Pavel Blonsky and the development of Soviet educational psychology; and the effects of de-Stalinization in educational psychology and other areas.Alex Kozulin studied medical psychology and psychophysiology at the Moscow Institute of Medicine where he received a medical degree; he received his doctorate at the Moscow Institute of Psychology. Kozulin emigrated in 1979 and has since worked as research associate at Boston University's Center for the Philosophy and History of Science and taught history of psychology at Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
This text provides a fresh and engaging perspective on psychology's history, covering the discipline's development around the world and highlighting its interdisciplinary nature. It offers comprehensive coverage of both classical and contemporary systems of thought, connects psychology to evolving society and culture from ancient times to today, and provides scores of contemporary applications that draw students into the topic. Clarity of coverage, illustrative examples, visual aids, and critical thinking questions make this text enjoyable for instructor and student alike.
From William James to Ivan Pavlov, John Dewey to Sigmund Freud, the Würzburg School to the Chicago School, psychology has spanned centuries and continents. Today, the word is an all-encompassing name for a bewildering range of beliefs about what psychologists know and do, and this intrinsic interest in knowing how our own and other’s minds work has a story as fascinating and complex as humankind itself. In Between Mind and Nature, Roger Smith explores the history of psychology and its relation to religion, politics, the arts, social life, the natural sciences, and technology. Considering the big questions bound up in the history of psychology, Smith investigates what human nature is, whether psychology can provide answers to human problems, and whether the notion of being an individual depends on social and historical conditions. He also asks whether a method of rational thinking exists outside the realm of natural science. Posing important questions about the value and direction of psychology today, Between Mind and Nature is a cogently written book for those wishing to know more about the quest for knowledge of the mind.
View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.A welcome corrective to the texts that place North America at the center of the intellectual universe. The volume uses an international perspective to illuminate important topics for all countries, including psychology's relation to liberal democracy, the psychologizing of social relations, and psychology's role in cultural imperialism.... An illuminating guide to the history of psychology. --Benjamin Harris, University of New HampshireThe history of psychology is at the forefront of the struggle to re-vision the discipline as a genuine set of global and diverse maps. Instead of a uniform topography where only certain features count, and the only places worth studying are those that are home to the original map-makers, this book offers a new cartography for those willing to invest in different landscapes of psychology. For those who wish to glimpse the future of psychology, there is no better place to begin than with this historical volume. --Henderikus J. Stam, University of Calgary and editor of the journal Theory & PsychologyWhile the U.S. was dominant in the development of psychology for much of the twentieth century, other countries have experienced significant growth in this area since the end of World War II. The percentage of those in the discipline who live and work in the United States has been growing smaller, and it is now impossible to completely understand the field if developments in psychology outside of the U.S. are ignored.This volume brings together luminaries in the field from around the world, including Ruben Ardila, Geoffrey Blowers, Kurt Danziger, Aydan Gulerce, John D. Hogan and Thomas P. Vaccaro, Johann Louw, Fathali M. Moghaddam and Naomi Lee, Anand Paranjpe, Irmingard Staeuble and Cecilia Taiana. Rather than presenting descriptive accounts of psychology in particular countries, each raises core issues concerning what an international perspective can contribute to the history of psychology and to our understanding of psychology as a whole.For too long, much of what we have taken to be the history of psychology has actually been the history of American psychology. This volume, ideal for student use and for those in the field, illuminates how what we have been missing may change our views of the nature of psychology and its history.
