The history of psychology is built upon understanding the work of particular individuals throughout history. Your textbook mentions several major and minor contributors to the understanding of psychology’s history. However, the textbook is one interpretation of the writings and thoughts of these historical figures. To have a better understanding of those thoughts, you need to read samples of the original works.
For this assignment, you will research something that has been written by an individual from the time period(s) being studied (choose a name from the textbook readings) this week.
The work must be something written by the chosen person, but need only be a sample of the chosen historical work and involve only a few pages of writing. Make sure the writing deals with the topics being covered this week.
There are several sources to use to obtain the works; the best place to start is to search for the person’s name on the Internet using Google but you can only utilize this to find information about the person. Use an original historical work by an author of your choice, but keep in mind that you should use peer-reviewed, academic sources for the analysis of this work.
You can use the textbook to support your work, but do not use it as the primary source. This is an outside reading assignment.
After reading the material, answer these questions:
What were the main points of the writing?
What were the differences and similarities between what you read and what was written about the individual in the textbook?
Based on your own views of psychology, how does the author’s viewpoint fit into your current understanding of psychology?
1. Choosing a Historical Figure:
2. Finding the Original Work:
3. Locating Scholarly Analysis:
4. Reading and Analyzing:
5. Answering the Questions:
Based on your reading, answer the following questions:
Remember:
Example:
Let’s say you choose Wilhelm Wundt from your textbook readings. Through a Google search, you find an excerpt from his work “Principles of Physiological Psychology” (1874) discussing his views on introspection. You then locate a scholarly article in an academic database analyzing Wundt’s contribution to the development of experimental psychology.
By reading both sources, you can answer the prompt’s questions:
Disclaimer: This is a hypothetical example. The availability of excerpts and scholarly analyses will vary depending on the chosen historical figure and their work.
By following these steps and engaging with the original work, you’ll gain a richer understanding of historical psychology and how it shaped the field we know today.