The Psychology Book (6 page)

for scientific study.

PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS 17

Wilhelm Wundt

founds the
first

Hermann Ebbinghaus

laboratory
of

details his experiments

G. Stanley Hall

William James
, the

experimental

learning nonsense

publishes the first

“father of psychology”

psychology in

syllables in his book

edition of the
American

publishes
Principles

Leipzig, Germany.

Memory
.

Journal of Psychology
.

of Psychology
.

1879

1885

1887

1890

1883

1877

1889

1895

Emil Kraepelin

Jean-Martin Charcot

Pierre Janet

Alfred Binet
opens the

publishes the
Textbook

produces
Lectures on the

suggests that

first laboratory of

of Psychiatry
.

Diseases of the Nervous

hysteria
involves

psychodiagnosis
.

System
.

dissociation and

splitting of the

personality.

Meanwhile, the mysterious nature

developed in distinct ways in

establishment of a scientific

of the mind was popularized by the

the different centers: in Germany,

methodology for studying the

discovery of hypnosis, prompting

psychologists such as Wundt,

mind, in much the same way that

more serious scientists to consider

Hermann Ebbinghaus, and Emil

physiology and related disciplines

that there was more to the mental

Kraepelin took a strictly scientific

studied the body. For the first time,

life than immediately apparent

and experimental approach to the

the scientific method was applied

conscious thought. These scientists

subject; while in the US, William

to questions concerning perception,

set out to examine the nature of the

James and his followers at Harvard

consciousness, memory, learning,

“unconscious,” and its influence on

adopted a more theoretical and

and intelligence, and its practices

our thinking and behavior.

philosophical approach. Alongside

of observation and experimentation

these areas of study, an influential

produced a wealth of new theories.

The birth of psychology

school of thought was growing in

Although these ideas often

Against this background, the

Paris around the work of neurologist

came from the introspective study

modern science of psychology

Jean-Martin Charcot, who had used

of the mind by the researcher, or

emerged. In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt

hypnosis on sufferers of hysteria.

from highly subjective accounts by

founded the very first laboratory

The school attracted psychologists

the subjects of their studies, the

of experimental psychology at

such as Pierre Janet, whose ideas

foundations were laid for the next

Leipzig University in Germany,

of the unconscious anticipated

generation of psychologists at the

and departments of psychology

Freud’s psychoanalytic theories.

turn of the century to develop a

also began to appear in universities

The final two decades of the

truly objective study of mind and

across Europe and the US. Just as

19th century saw a rapid rise in

behavior, and to apply their own

philosophy had taken on certain

the importance of the new science

new theories to the treatment of

regional characteristics, psychology

of psychology, as well as the

mental disorders. ■

18

THE FOUR

TEMPERAMENTS

OF PERSONALITY

GALEN (C.129–C.201 CE)

IN CONTEXT

All things are combinations