Subjects:  1. 1856-1939    2. 1856-1939.    3. Dream interpretation    4. Dreams - General    5. Freud, Sigmund,    6. History    7. Movements - Psychoanalysis    8. Psychology    9. Traumdeutung    10. Literary theory    11. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory    12. Self-Help / Dreams    13. Sleep & dreams   

Subjects:  1. History    2. Psychology    3. Philosophy & theory of psychology    4. Psychology & Psychiatry / History    5. Psychology | Education   

Subjects:  1. (John Broadus),    2. 1878-1958    3. Behaviorism (Psychology)    4. Biography    5. General    6. History    7. Psychological Movements    8. Psychologists    9. Psychology    10. United States    11. Watson, John B    12. Watson, John B.    13. Psychology & Psychiatry / History   

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. History    4. History Of Psychology    5. Mental Health    6. Psychology    7. History of specific subjects   

Reviews (3)

Probably the Best Little Book on Psychology There is
I was assigned this book for a graduate class on the history of psychology I took a few years ago at the University of Southern California.I've moved on to my next degree in clinical psychology and have read many more lengthy books since then. Whertheimer's book presented itself once again to me when my father recently asked if I could recommend one book to define what psychology is all about. Academic but boring
My students enjoy hearing about the personal lives of people in psychology. It helps them to recall the theories. This was a well done book, but not what I had hoped. There was almost no personal information. One short paragraph about Jung? And I missed putting the person into his/her place in time. The anti-semitic, Victorian era for Freud and so on. (This information helps the student to see the theorist in a context).I also thought short shrift was given to Piaget. One sentence... Overall? A dissapointment.

concise overview, useful
Starts with "Preexperimental Psychology" and runs through Wundt, James, and the 20th century schools of psychology to end with cognitive and humanistic approaches. Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. Psychology    3. Social Psychology    4. History of specific subjects    5. Psychology & Psychiatry / Social Psychology   

Editorial Review

Sigmund Freud's legacy and reputation have been under attack for several decades, but when the Library of Congress originally planned its Freud exhibition in 1996, their work seemed to have been conceived in total denial of that fact, and critics cried foul.After two years of tinkering, the exhibit was finally rescheduled to open in October 1998, and this coinciding collection of essays reflects the intervening debate. Librarian of Congress James Billington sets the wary editorial tone of a somewhat altered book in his foreword, speaking for example of the "now famous" Freud-Fliess correspondence--although anyone who knows the history of that correspondence's suppression, never mind its content, might well conclude that the more appropriate adjective is "infamous."Read more

Reviews (1)

Plenty of Multiplicity
The Art Spiegelman contribution to this book is in comic book form, pp. 165-8.In tips on telling jokes, a current obsession with people who would like to be popular, but a plague for those people who think that theyalready are popular, Art illustrates a joke:"This guy think's he's amirror so he goes to see a shrink."I'm not going to tell you theresults.That would be too much like trying to read Mad magazine to mymother while she was ironing.Mark Twain was the guy who could be funnier,if Art quoted him right."Everything human is pathetic."(p.168) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. History    3. Psychology    4. Reference    5. Social Scientists & Psychologists    6. Psychology & Psychiatry / History   

Reviews (4)

Jung Embodied
From the beginning of the 20th century Jung championed a secular psychology that also viewed the human as essentially sacred and irreducible and by so doing sethimself apart from and against thestrictly positivistic science that the western world espoused at and sincethat time. Jung's ideas, far from succumbing to collective bias andoblivion, have disseminated themselves substantively throughout the entireworld for the last 100 years in the form of the many psychologists,psychiatrists, therapists, and professional and lay groups who presentlyidentify themselves with Jung's ideas. Kirsch's book is a history ofexactly how and through whom that dissemination has occurred and in whomand in what organizations it resides. Although Kirsch says his is a socialand political history and not an intellectual one, that is not entirelycorrect, for, as he tracks people over time and about the world, hedifferentiates what aspect of Jung's spirit each tends most to embody (anddefend): the philosophical, the clinical, the religious, the archetypal,the developmental. And in this weaving arise the confrontations, conflicts,and confluences that finally shape the ongoing state and living drama ofJungian psychology. No one other than Kirsch could have written this book.His life, like none other, has been part and parcel of the events andpeople he describes (see the Preface). Far from having become a passivecipher in the play, he has had a hand in its evolution and yet, in hisstory, he steps outside of the fray to portray its horizons. For aprofessional within the field itself, like myself, this gives rise to adual gift: first, an invaluable aid in locating oneself and one's own ideaswithin the collective of the movement, and second, the spurring ofintimations of what lies beyond the knowns of the present Jungian world.Concerning the book itself, Kirsch is a master of the matter of fact. Insweeping but trenchantly accurate statements (the accuracy is the gift) heavers simply what is and what isn't. In a brief paragraph he explains howthe introduction of Jung's continental philosophying into England has givenrise to a British traditionally empiricist reaction (and then spells outthat reaction in the splits and vicissitudes of the English groups). Inaddressing Jung's monumentally injudicious gaffes of the mid 1930s, hesays, "As we analysts know, timing is critical in analysis, and the sameholds true for politics" His summing ups share the same precise andparsimonious qualities: "In my experience, almost all Jungians, in additionto amplifying and interpreting dreams, recognize the primarily symbolicnature of the unconscious, the importance of working with thetransference/countertransference relationship, and the necessity formaintaining strict professional boundaries." In the reading, lesser knowngems fall from the pages from time to time. I did not know that Jung hadmet Lacan. Kirsch says where and how. Nor did I know that he had spoken inEngland before 1925 (he gave a seminar in Cornwall in 1923; I do not thinkit is published as yet). The chapter on Germany alone is worth the price ofthe book. Kirsch has ferreted out and redacted material in strict temporalsequence that is more complete than any I have read before. This involvesthe history of Jungian psychology in Germany but, more importantly in myopinion, Jung's relationship to the Nazis. Kirsch is more even-handed andstraightforward in his accounts than in any other I have read, includinghis father's extensive statements on the same subject. And Kirsch (the son)arrives at what feels to be extremely fair judgments, plainly delivered andpatently devoid of polemical covering up.A second chapter of particularworth is the last one, "Observations and Conclusions." Again, it is theprecision and the matter of factness that make it valuable for seeing inone place and through plain language the present edges of things Jungian.In the foreword, historian Peter Homans says that Kirsch is "generous" inthis history. In my opinion, it is true beyond a doubt. Generous in itsplethora of material, its reader-friendly expression, and in its sharing ofpersonal information. In its historical place, its importance for theJungian world resembles in kind the book Bollingen by William McGuire inwhich he, like Kirsch, fleshes out an intellectual movement related to theJungian world in the specific details of the persons and places and modusoperandi served by the foundation set up (now defunct) by Mary Mellon. Bothbooks make people whose names and writings are synonymous with Jungianacome to full sentient life. Besides Kirsch and McGuire, we have onlyhistories of Jung and his ideas. I highly recommend Kirsch's book as a veryinteresting read, a source of new information, and a singular documentationof Jungian ideas and their embodiment in the world. For the lay person,even one not familiar with the Jungian world, the book is a history of howa little known psychology - one that is unique and friendlier than probablyany other to the spiritual - becomes a part of the culture of nations andthe world.
invaluable guide
The Jungians sets out to describe the social and political history of theJungian communities throughout the world and accomplishes its aimsadmirably.It will be the gold standard for historical inquiry into theJungian movement for decades to come with an informative discussion of thedevelopment of every institute and of the contributions of each significantfigure in nalytic psychology.

A Must Read
This is a must for every psychiatrist and psychologist who is interestedin the history of psychiatry and psychology, and for every layman who isinterested in these fields. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. Mental Health    3. Movements - Psychoanalysis    4. Psychology    5. 20th century    6. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory    7. Psychology & Psychiatry / Psychoanalysis   

Reviews (1)

A slow read
Reading this book will require some time because of the transcription and content. Carl Rogers made significant changes after his contact with Martin Buber. If you have only listened to the tapes or read previous transcriptions and you need to read this book. I think reading this book provided some insight regarding both men. I have been interested in Buber's philosophy and Hassidic Judaism, and this book has been helpful. I highly recommend this book for the serious reader or student, but take the time to let the words sink in. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (Carl Ransom),    2. 1878-1965    3. 1902-    4. 1902-1987    5. Buber, Martin,    6. Dialogue    7. History    8. Movements - Humanism    9. Philosophy    10. Psychology    11. Psychotherapy - General    12. Religious    13. Rogers, Carl R    14. Rogers, Carl R.    15. 20th century    16. Communication Studies   

Subjects:  1. Diet / Health / Fitness    2. Eastern - General    3. History    4. Psychology    5. Yoga    6. Ghose, Aurobindo   

Subjects:  1. Applied Psychology    2. History    3. Medical / Nursing    4. Mental health services    5. Primary care (Medicine)    6. Psychology    7. Public Health    8. Rural health    9. Rural health services    10. Social Psychology    11. Social medicine    12. Sociology - Rural    13. Clinical psychology    14. Health systems & services    15. Social welfare & social services    16. USA   

Reviews (1)

Pension Wars, Compensation Neurosis, and Hysteria
If you have an interest in the history of psychiatry, especially the history of cultural attitudes regarding combat-related psychiatric symptoms, don't hesitate to purchase this book. It is well written-something I always appreciate in historical texts-and relevant to current issues, despite the timeframe discussed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Germany    2. Germany    3. History    4. Hysteria    5. Mental Illness    6. Psychic trauma    7. Psychology    8. Social Psychology    9. Social aspects    10. War neuroses    11. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    12. History of ideas, intellectual history    13. Psychiatry    14. Social, group or collective psychology   

Reviews (1)

Jung, My Mother and I
This book is a breakthrough in the category of books about Jung. Based on the careful notes of her analysis, handed to her daughter during the last of her life, Katy Cabot depicts a human, warm, gossipy side to the great psychologist.The result is an example of how he adapted himself to a young extraverted American ex-patriate socialite who sincerely wanted to grow. The plight of her young and only child [the author] is told with remarkable restraint, given the lack of concern of the mother, as she traveled from hotel to hotel and country to country. We get glimpses of that child's perception of Jung, as well and she grew up to become a Jungian analyst herself. Fascinating glimpses into Jung's opinions of his wife, Toni Wolf, and the many members of the Analytical Psychology Club in Zurich in the 30's and 40's! A super book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History    2. Psychology    3. Social Scientists & Psychologists   

Reviews (1)

Excellent Introduction to Collective Memory Studies
In Voices of Collective Remembering, James Wertsch has complemented the studies of collective memory with a valuable and cogent volume.He focuses particularly on the ways in which modern nation-states employ collective memory in their endeavors to assimilate individuals into the imagined community by stressing univocality and limiting ambiguity.The first couple chapters serve as an excellent introduction to previous theoretical engagements with social memory, which supplemented by his textual analysis of pre- and post-Soviet history, produce a well-rounded and highly readable examination of the way memory is utilized by the state and individuals in social interaction. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cognitive Psychology    2. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    3. General    4. History    5. Memory    6. Psychological aspects    7. Psychology    8. Russia (Federation)    9. Social Psychology    10. Social aspects    11. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    12. Russia    13. Social, group or collective psychology   

Subjects:  1. Counseling - General    2. Counseling of    3. History    4. Learning disabled    5. Medical care    6. Psychology    7. Psychotherapy - Counseling    8. Services for    9. Special Education - Learning Disabled    10. Disability: social aspects    11. Educational psychology    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / History   

Subjects:  1. History    2. Movements - Behaviorism    3. Physiological Psychology    4. Psychology   

Reviews (3)

Half right
The rating should be exactly two-and-a-half stars, averaging out five for Einstein and zero for Freud, but Panek gets half-a-star for gamely acknowledging Freud's deficits and trying spunkily to make the best of a bad case.His thesis is that these two investigators probed the secrets of heretofore invisible worlds, gravity on the one hand and the unconscious on the other.The difference is that Einstein insisted that his hypotheses about gravity be tested empirically and they passed the tests, whereas Freud's hypotheses either failed the tests or were so phrased as to defy testing at all.Both men illustrate the undeniable important of imagination in scientific researches, but Freud's imagination was promiscuous, uncontrolled, and corrupted by his myriad prejudices.The chasm between the two men cannot be explained by cavalierly stating that a "soft" science like psychology cannot be expected to be as empirical as a hard science like physics.Social scientists cannot be fantasists pure and simple, or else Tolkien is a social scientist.Freud more nearly resembles Tolkien than Einstein.So a book comparing Freud and Einstein is doomed on the title page: no comparison is possible; it is a matter of apples and oranges; and to boot, the apple is that proverbial bad apple than ruins the barrel.The therapeutic community is still trying to get the bad taste of Freudianism out of its mouth.

brilliant and intoxicating
I'm very careful about what science (or math. or anything that's not MBA) that I read, because usually these texts are dry, boring to the point of What's the Point? Why would an author write a book that seems to deliberately set out to lose readers is my question. But The Invisible Century is one of those extremely rare books (Bill Bryson's Short History of the World is the only other one in recent memory I can think of)that is not just fascinating, but also fascinatingly written, and that makes some extremely difficult ideas -- Einstein's theory's of relativy, hello? -- almost thrillingly understandable. I put down this book, and for the first time felt I understand what Einstein was driving at. Ditto went for Freud's theory of the unconscious.
Mysteries of gravity and consciousness
I suspect Panek sought to elucidate a philosophy of science that worked equally well for both Einstein and Freud.If so, the effort was unsuccessful.Panek makes a good argument for identifying gravity and consciousness as the two key mysteries left unexplained by 20th century science, but his arguments that Einstein and Freud shared a common ethos or methodology fall flat.Additionally, the reader is left suspicious that such a link might still be found.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History Of Science    3. Philosophy Of Science    4. Physics    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Science / Cosmology   

Subjects:  1. Counseling    2. Counseling (Psychology)    3. Counseling psychology    4. History    5. History Of Psychology    6. Psychology    7. Psychopathology - Compulsive Behavior    8. Psychotherapy - Counseling    9. United States    10. Counselling    11. History of ideas, intellectual history   

Subjects:  1. Ainay-le-Chateau    2. Ainay-le-Chãateau    3. France    4. History    5. Home care    6. Mental Illness    7. Mentally ill    8. Psychology    9. Public opinion    10. Social aspects    11. Sociology - Social Theory    12. Philosophy & theory of psychology    13. Social Science / General    14. Sociology, Social Studies   

Reviews (1)

Historically Irresponsible
I am in a clincal psychology doctorate program and this is the textbook being used in my "history and systems" course.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. Psychology    3. Textbooks    4. History of specific subjects    5. Psychology & Psychiatry / History   

Subjects:  1. (Abraham Harold)    2. American - General    3. American literature    4. History    5. History and criticism    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Literature: Classics    8. Maslow, Abraham H    9. Nature in literature    10. Psychology in literature    11. English    12. Influence    13. Literary studies: general    14. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    15. Psychology    16. USA