Book description
A fresh look at the history of psychology placed in its social,
political, and cultural contexts
A History of Modern Psychology in Context presents the history
of modern psychology in the richness of its many contexts. The authors
resist the traditional storylines of great achievements by eminent
people, or schools of thought that rise and fall in the wake of
scientific progress. Instead, psychology is portrayed as a network of
scientific and professional practices embedded in specific temporal,
social, political, and cultural contexts. The narrative is informed by
three key concepts-indigenization, reflexivity, and social
constructionism-and by the fascinating interplay between disciplinary
Psychology and everyday psychology.
The authors complicate the notion of who is at the center and who is
at the periphery of the history of psychology by bringing in actors
and events that are often overlooked in traditional accounts. They
also highlight how the reflexive nature of Psychology-a science
produced both by and about humans-accords history a prominent place in
understanding the discipline and the theories it generates.
Throughout the text, the authors show how Psychology and
psychologists are embedded in cultures that indelibly shape how the
discipline is defined and practiced, the kind of knowledge it creates,
and how this knowledge is received. The text also moves beyond an
exclusive focus on the development of North American and European
psychologies to explore the development of psychologies in other
indigenous contexts, especially from the mid-20th-century onward.
Wade E. Pickren, PhD, is the Historian of the
American Psychological Association. For eight years, Wade was both APA
Historian and Director of Archives. He is currently on the psychology
faculty at Ryerson University in Toronto and continues to serve as APA Historian.
Alexandra Rutherford, PhD, is Associate Professor of psychology
in the History and Theory of Psychology Graduate Program at York
University. She is the official historian of the Society for the
Psychological Study of Social Issues and the Heritage Chair of the
Society for the Psychology of Women.
