A Brief History of Psychology

"Concise but rich in essentials-and well written besides-this book introduces the core ideas and people in psychology's history. The book has never had any competition, from the first edition to the present day." - Dean Keith Simonton, University of California, Davis, USA "This engaging and well-written account of psychology's "long past and brief history" provides a concise introduction to a huge topic. Wertheimer's deft judgment of relevance, and the admirable balance between generality and the need for illustrative detail, make the book a fine starting point for the study of psychology's history." - Ryan D. Tweney, Bowling Green State University, USA "Wertheimer's fifth edition solidifies "A Brief History of Psychology" as the standard from which all texts on the history of psychology will be judged by. It provides a concise yet comprehensive, thoughtful and scholarly approach to psychology both as a science and as a profession." - Antonio E. Puente, University of North Carolina Wilmington, USA "This concise volume presents an extremely readable overview of the history of scientific psychology from the empirical and philosophical developments that provided its early foundations to its ongoing growth and its "enigmatic future." - William Douglas Woody, University of Northern Colorado, USA "The writing style is clear and concise. It would be appropriate for first-year students in an introductory class as a stand-alone text on historical issues ... [or as a] primer to be supplemented with more scholarly readings. ... This book would be useful to novices, helping them to establish a basic familiarity with the nature of the discipline." - Barney Beins, Ithaca College, USA

Michael Wertheimer is Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado at Boulder. He received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Harvard University. A former president of four APA divisions (history of psychology, teaching of psychology, theoretical and philosophical psychology, and general psychology), he is the recipient of two national awards for the teaching of psychology, and in 2000 APA's Division 26 presented him a "lifetime achievement award for sustained, outstanding, and unusual contributions to the history of psychology." Recently a member of the APA Board of Directors, he is co-editor of all seven volumes of the series Portraits of Pioneers in Psychology published by APA, LEA, and now Psychology Press.

1. Introduction. Part I: Pre-experimental Psychology. 2. Early Developments 3. The Lines of Development From Science. 4. The Lives of Development from Philosophy. Part II: The Rise of Experimental Psychology. 5. Wundt's Immediate Predecessors. 6. Wilhelm Wundt. 7. The Contemporary Scene in the Age of Wundt. 8. William James and Psychology in the United States. Part III: Psychology in the 20th Century. 9. The Age of Schools. 10. Structuralism and Functionalism. 11. Behaviorism. 12. Gestalt Psychology. 13. Psychoanalysis. 14. The Immediate Postschools Era. 15. The Last Half of the 20th Century. Part IV: Psychology's Promising Past and Enigmatic Future. 16. An Evaluation: Psychology's Promising Past and Enigmatic Future.