Different Approaches to Teaching the History of Psychology: Excerpts From a 1977 APA Symposium

Abstract

The history of psychology is an intriguing field and one that is becoming more and more sophisticated. The growth is positively accelerated even though it has taken place in a context in which the field has essentially an adjunctive role. Very few people are employed to devote full time to history. Yet, the specialty is considered by some to be very important, by others to be crucial; in some instances, it is perceived as the arbiter. One effect of this part-time exaltation is a bimodal distribution of teachers of the history of psychology. Some are devoted to the topic and pursue it intently, in spite of forced competition with other professional responsibilities, whereas others are conscripted instructors. The latter individuals are assigned to teach the course and they may or may not resent this assignment, but they are usually unprepared for it. Intrinsic to this spread is a wide gap between the knowledge of the history of psychology and the dissemination of this knowledge. The symposium was intended to narrow that gap.