It's important to know about the history of psychology because as with any other discipline, it didn't develop in a vacuum, so it's useful to have some knowledge of the individuals and the schools of thought that helped shape its identity. As Duane & Sydney Schultz eloquently point out:
"Only by exploring psychology's origins and studying its development can we see clearly the nature of psychology today. Knowledge of history brings order to disorder and imposes meaning on what appears to be chaos, putting the past into perspective to explain the present."
They also add that the history of psychology is a fascinating story on its own, offering drama, tragedy, heroism, revolution and its share of sex and drugs. Now if that doesn't make you want to find out more about the history of psychology, them I don't know what will!
The Aim of This Page is to point the reader in the direction of the best online resources relating to the history of psychology. Eventually, there will also be custom built web pages that can be accessed via this page which will document the most influential movements and schools of thought to develop within psychology; as well as information relating to the life and writing of the most influential psychologists the discipline has produced.
Learn About The History of Psychology
This Week in The History of Psychology
This excellent podcast show hosted by Christopher D. Green, Professor of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada should be the first port of call for anybody wanting to find out more about the history of psychology. You can listen to over thirty fascinating broadcasts, for example, Click Here to listen to an interview with Professor David Robinson on the founder of experimental psychology Wilhelm Wundt.
You can access all the podcast broadcasts by Clicking Here.
Classics in The History of Psychology
Very thorough resource courtesy of Christopher D. Green, Professor of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada. As professor Green notes:
"Classics in the History of Psychology is an effort to make the full texts of a large number of historically significant public domain documents from the scholarly literature of psychology and allied disciplines available on the World Wide Web. There are now over 25 books and about 200 articles and chapters on-line. The site also contains links to over 200 relevant works posted at other sites."
Click Here to visit Classics in The History of Psychology.
The Archives of the History of American Psychology
Outstanding resource which describes its history and mission as follows:
The Archives of the History of American Psychology (AHAP) was established in 1965 at The University of Akron to promote research in the history of psychology by collecting, cataloguing, and preserving the historical record of psychology. The central feature of the AHAP is the manuscript collection, which includes the papers of over 740 psychologists. The growth of the repository exceeded projections, both in the rate at which materials were donated and in their diversity.
This expansion led in 1976 to the establishment of the Child Development Film Archives, a unit that cares for both research footage and instructional films. This expansion was followed, in 1980, by a decision to supplement the numerous unsolicited gifts of books by devoting space to the published literature dealing with the substantive content of psychology as well as with its history and philosophy. Since its inception the archives has continuously acquired apparatus, equipment, testing materials, and all forms of media.
In addition to the main website, the Archives of the History of American Psychology also has a channel of films and videos on YouTube and a Photostream on Flickr. Many thanks to John BeanMedia Assistant at The Archives of the History of American Psychology for letting me know about this excellent resource.
A History of Modern Psychology by Duane P. Schultz & Sydney Ellen Schultz
Book Description
A market leader for over 30 years, A History of Modern Psychology has been praised for its comprehensive coverage and biographical approach. Focusing on modern psychology, the text's coverage begins with the late 19th century. The authors personalize the history of psychology not only by using biographical information on influential theorists, but also by showing how major events in those theorists' lives have affected the authors' own ideas, approaches, and methods. Substantial updates in this edition include discussions of evolutionary psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and positive psychology. The result is a text that is as timely and relevant today as it was when it was first introduced.