Carol K. Gilgen – författare

A collection of status reports in the field of psychology for 29 countries and black Africa. The focus is on the nature and scope of the discipline, and its major developments internationally since WW II. . . . The review chapters follow a similar format while highlighting national characteristics. Most treat the historical background; definitions; types of psychology; funding; scope; programs; research; trends and future directions. . . . There is no international compendium such as this handbook. Recommended for academic libraries. ChoiceThis unique compilation of perspectives from around the world is an important effort to share knowledge on the nature and scope of contemporary psychology and major developments in the field worldwide since 1945. Thirty nations and regions are represented in this unprecedented effort to provide a global perspective on the discipline. In addition to presenting comparative information, the reviews allow readers to identify the main factors which bear on the characteristics of psychology in different countries. Extensive tables and figures provide immediate visual representation of needed facts. Helpful name and subject indexes make for quick, easy reference.

This book compares the influence of the period leading up to World War II and of the war itself on the discipline of psychology in two major, but very different countries. During the 1930s, Soviet psychologists were formally isolated from developments in Western psychology by the ideological requirements of the Communist Party; in the United States, a vast variety of topics was being researched. When the war began, the discipline in the Soviet Union turned increasingly toward specialized topics, such as the rehabilitation of the wounded, ways to improve morale, and the psychological basis of color-camouflage. American psychologists, on the other hand, applied their psychometric and clinical skills to military needs. With the coming of glasnost, American and Russian psychologists were able to collaborate to create the first thorough examinations of the state of wartime psychology in these countries. Of interest to all students and researchers of the history of psychology, psychological theory, and the history of World War II.