PSYC5590 · Psychology

History of Psychology

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

A hundred years ago, psychology was a tiny academic specialty called mental philosophy. In a matter of decades, however, psychology burgeoned into an enormous field influencing both scholars and the popular imagination (think IQ test, think analyst's couch). What accounts for the rise of psychology to its all-powerful position? This course will examine the twentieth century trajectory of psychology, asking how it has shaped, and been shaped by, cultural, social, and political conditions, and exploring major thinkers such as William James, Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner, Stanley Milgram, Abraham Maslow, and others.