Chapter 1: Psychology and History A History of Psychology (3rd Edition) John G. Benjafield

Studying the History of Psychology Why study the history of psychology? Historiography: studying the history of history

Edwin G. Boring (1886 – 1968) Wrote the most influential modern history of psychology Focused on the growth of experimental psychology since the nineteenth century –These developments should be considered in their historical context

Edwin G. Boring Recognized two approaches to history: –Person: emphasizing the role of the individual –Zeitgeist: understanding the cultural context in which the individual’s work took place Concept attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832)

Other Constructs Progressive: the historical world seen as movement to an end –Ex. Jacob’s ladder Cyclical: history seen as a circularity –Ex. Ixion’s wheel Maybe psychology both progresses and is cyclical? –Think of a spiral

The New History of Psychology Laurel Furomoto (1989: 11): ‘Whereas traditional history portrayed the scientist as an objective fact finder and neutral observer, the new history emphasized the notion that scientists often operate in a subjective fashion, under the influence of a variety of extra- scientific factors. Also, the new history rejected the traditional view of scientific activity as a continuous progression from error to truth, and opted instead for a model that depicts scientific change as a shift from one world view to another…’

Thomas Kuhn (1924 – 1996) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Development of scientific disciplines is discontinuous

Thomas Kuhn Paradigm: the set of fundamental beliefs that guide workers in a scientific discipline Revolutionary period: occurs when a new paradigm is emerging and an old paradigm is being overthrown Paradigm clashes: fundamentally different ways of interpreting existing data Normal science: occurs once a discipline has established a single paradigm

Psychology’s Paradigms? Has psychology ever had a paradigm? Should psychology have a paradigm?

Feminism and the Psychology of Women Classic texts: Simone de Beauvoir’s (1949/1989) The Second Sex Betty Friedan’s (1963) The Feminine Mystique Feminism ≠ a single point of view

Feminism and the Psychology of Women Feminism and the Women’s Movement have helped change the history of psychology Idenitified distortions and biases in psychology Changes to curriculum so we can study the psychology of women and the women of psychology –Compensatory history –Reconstruction of women’s experiences

Two Traditions Kimball: 1.Emphasizes the similarities between the genders ex. Letta Hollingworth 2.Emphasizes feminine characteristics ex. Evelyn Fox Keller

Evelyn Fox Keller Keller Noticed: 1.The relative absence of women in the sciences 2.That the style of thinking practised by scientists had a masculine origin

Evelyn Fox Keller Need to be aware of the science-gender system: ≠ ignore masculine science = discuss feminine science as well as masculine science

Social Constructionism Is psychology a social construction? Dialectical process: one in which opposing tendencies shape one another –Exogenic: coming from outside –Endogenic: coming from inside Limits to both exogenic and endogenic perspectives –Avoid problem by understanding psychological concepts as the outcome of social processes

Psychological Research as a Social Construction Concern: –Psychology as a social construction suggests psychological research is not objective However: –Can scientific research be both a social construction and the objective truth?

Psychological Research as a Social Construction Some social-constructionist historians: Focus on the social processes that determine how research is conducted Avoid claiming a lack of empirical content Ex. Kurt Danziger

Reconciling the ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Histories of Psychology Presentism: the tendency to evaluate the past primarily in terms of its relevance for the present –George W. Stocking –Herbert Butterfield

Reconciling the ‘Old’ and ‘New’ Histories of Psychology Historicism: the understanding of the past for its own sake Passéist: a person who values the past more than the present An historicist need not be a passéist

Precautions when Studying the History of Psychology History not important simply because it lays the groundwork for what we have now We should not regard all previous thinkers as obsolete We should guard against the danger of being too critical of the past

When studying the history of psychology…. Try to rediscover what each psychologist was attempting to accomplish Try to understand each theory on its own terms