David Webb's Blog, page 4

William James: Today in the History of Psychology (11th January 1842)

William James was born. One of the most influential figures in the history of modern psychology, James is best known for his seminal work 'The Principles of Psychology,' first published in 1890 and widely regarded as the most important English language psychology book ever.

A revered thinker and prolific writer, James explored an extraordinary range of topics such as the perception of time, emotions, imagination and whether life is worth living. He never missed an opportunity to study and report on something of human and psychological interest; When "The Great" San Francisco earthquake hit on the morning of April 18th, 1906, James was just 35 miles away. Close enough to have experienced the earthquake directly he was keen to discover how his subjective experience of the event compared with those around him and so made his way to San Francisco itself, which in his own words gave him and his "valiant feminine escort some four hours of observation."

During his 34-year career at Harvard University, James offered the first graduate course in psychology taught in The United Sates in 1875-6 and twice served as president of the American Psychological Association in 1894 and 1904.

Hanns Sachs: Today in the History of Psychology (10th January 1878)

Hanns Sachs was born. An important figure in the early days of psychoanalysis, Sachs was a member of Sigmund Freud's 'Secret Committee,' established shortly after Freud's acrimonious professional split from Carl Jung.

Among his various theoretical contributions, Sachs wrote widely on the subject of daydreams and the formation of the female superego and in 1939 along with Sigmund Freud founded the psychoanalytic journal 'American Imago.'

John B. Watson: Today in the History of Psychology (9th January 1878)

John Broadus Watson was born. Widely considered one of most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, Watson is renowned for his seminal work 'Psychology as the Behaviorist Views it.' First published in Psychological Review in 1913, the article became known as the "behaviorist manifesto" and bestowed on Watson the title "father of behaviorism."

From 1908 to 1920 Watson was Professor of Experimental and Comparative psychology and Director of the Psychological Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, where he conducted his infamous experimental work on 'little Albert,' culminating in the publication of 'Conditioned Emotional Reactions;' one of the most controversial studies in the history of psychology which attempted to show how fear could be induced in an infant through classical conditioning.

At the height of his academic career, Watson was fired for public indiscretion following disclosure of his affair with his graduate student (and later wife) Rosalie Rayner. Never returning to academia, Watson found work with the prestigious advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, where he rose to the position of Vice President.

Carl Rogers: Today in the History of Psychology (8th January 1902)

Carl Rogers was born. One of the most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, Rogers was profoundly influential in the humanistic movement towards person centered theory and non-directive psychotherapy. A prolific writer, 'Client-Centered Therapy' (1951), 'On Becoming a Person' (1961) and 'A Way of Being' (1980) ranks among his most seminal work.

In the course of a remarkable career spanning six decades, Rogers served as president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1947, received the APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions in 1956, was named humanist of the year in 1964 and shortly before his death on February 4th 1987 was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

John C. Flanagan: Today in the History of Psychology (7th January 1906)

John Clemans Flanagan was born. A pioneering behavioral scientist and profoundly influential figure within the field of aviation psychology, Flanagan developed a groundbreaking pilot selection, testing and training program on behalf of the U.S Army Air Corps during the Second World War. Following the end of the war, Flanagan became professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh during which time he founded the American Institutes for Research where he developed the "critical incident technique;" described by the Annual Review of Psychology as one of the "most important personnel selection milestones of the past 60 years."

Among the many honors bestowed on Flanagan, he was awarded the Legion of Merit by the Army Air Corps and received the American Psychological Association Distinguished Professional Contribution Award in 1976.

George Frederick Stout: Today in the History of Psychology (6th January 1860)

George Frederick Stout was born. Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of St. Andrews for over thirty years, Stout was an influential writer in the early days of modern psychology. Among his best known works are Analytical Psychology (1896) and Manual of Psychology (1899).

Stout was also renowned for editing the prestigious journal Mind from 1891 to 1920, the first journal devoted to disseminating psychological research.

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The Nature of Love by Harry Harlow: Today in the History of Psychology (5th January 1959)

Harry Harlow's classic article "The Nature of Love" was published in American Psychologist. Originally presented the year before as his presidential address at the sixty-sixth Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, this famous text is where Harlow challenges the prevailing behaviorist notion that emotive subjects such as love and affection are not suitable topics of psychological inquiry.

In doing so, Harlow drew heavily upon his controversial experimental work on love and isolation effects among infant rhesus monkeys who had been separated from their mothers 6 to 12 hours after birth and whose affectional responses to cloth and wire 'surrogate mothers' demonstrated the importance of "contact comfort."

Studies in Hysteria: Today in the History of Psychology (4th January 1937)

A. A. Brill's English translation of Josef Breuer and Sigmund Freud's classic book 'Studies in Hysteria' was first published in the United States. Originally published in German in 1895, Studies in Hysteria is a landmark text in the history of psychoanalysis.

The Three Christs of Ypsilanti: Today in the History of Psychology (3rd January 1964)

Milton Rokeach's controversial book 'The Three Christs of Ypsilanti' was published. Based on a detailed two-year case study in which Rokeach introduced three men, all of whom believed that they were Jesus Christ; Rokeach's main purpose in bringing them together "was to explore the processes by which their delusional systems of belief and their behavior might change if they were confronted with the ultimate contradiction conceivable for human beings: more than one person claiming the same identity."

Fascinating, disturbing and ethically dubious in equal measure, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti remains a classic text in the field of abnormal personality.