3950G Study Introduction

Introduction

Studying the history of psychology is greatly important as it

1) Enriches your contemporary understanding of systems and questions that still circulate today. Many questions posed back than have yet to be answered.

2) We are given a sense of perspectivism on ideas that may have thought to have been legit back in time but not so much now. We can more thoroughly examine issues from the past and how certain insights have affected the current context.

3) We develop a Reflexivity a sense of awareness of our own interactions.\


Edwin Boring wrote an early text on his historical account of psychology. Wanted to reinforce psychology as a science. His pupil Robert Watson developed the APA history of psychology division.

Historiography, a collection of theories, writings and media was to be assessed.

Methods of assessing history

Internalism: Focus on development of ideas neglecting social and political factors that shaped them
Externalism: Focus on the external factors that shaped ideas.

Great Man approach
-History is told through the contributions of great people. This approach often is negligible to external factors.

Zeitgeist approach 
- What is referred to as spirit of the times may affect the ideas and help develop them.

Presentism
- Viewing from a present standpoint
Historicism
- Recreating the past as it was actually
Sophisticated presentism 
- Mix of both

Origin myth process
- History is written to make it appear as though we jump from one discovery to the next without a sense of muddiness.

Continuity-Discontinuity debate 
- Did some issues always occur just masked as other issues? And where do we start in history?

Indigenization
- Process whereby local contexts affect the development of psychology