Putting Psychology in its Place: Critical Historical Perspectives

by Graham Richards, Paul Stenner

Overview

This fourth edition of Putting Psychology in Its Place builds on the previous three in introducing the history of Psychology and placing the discipline within its historical and social contexts.

Written by esteemed Psychologists Graham Richards and Paul Stenner, this crucial text aims both to answer and raise questions about the role of Psychology in modern society by critically examining issues such as how Psychology developed and why psychoanalysis had such an impact. It discusses enduring underlying conceptual problems and examines how the discipline has changed to deal with contemporary social issues such as religion, race and gender. The fourth edition features revised and updated chapters, though the core structure remains unchanged. The final chapter has been restructured and jointly re-written. This text was written to remain compatible with the British Psychological Society requirements for undergraduate courses and is imaginatively written and accessible to all.

Putting Psychology in Its Place is an invaluable introductory text for undergraduate students of the history of Psychology and will also appeal to postgraduates, academics and anyone interested in Psychology or the history of science.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367546342
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/19/2022
Edition description:	4th ed.
Pages:	364
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 11.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Graham Richards retired from his posts as Director of the British Psychological Society’s History of Psychology Centre and Professor of History of Psychology at Staffordshire University in 2006. His previous publications include Human Evolution: An Introduction for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed., 2020), Psychology: The Key Concepts (2008), ‘Race’, Racism and Psychology: Towards a Reflexive History (2nd ed., 2011), On Psychological Language (1989) and Creationism: Design Errors and Cross-Purposes (2014).

Paul Stenner is a Professor of Social Psychology at the School of Psychology and Counselling at the Open University, UK. He is Past President of the International Society for Theoretical Psychology and a Fellow of the Academy for Social Science and of the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung. His recent books include Liminality and Experience: A Transdisciplinary Approach to the Psychosocial (2017), Doing Q Methodological Research: Theory, Method and Interpretation (2012, with S. Watts) and Psychology without Foundations: History, Philosophy and Psychosocial Theory (2009, with S. Brown).

Table of Contents

List of figures. List of tables. Preface to fourth edition. Preface to third edition. Preface to second edition. Preface. Part I: Origins and theories. 1. Introduction: Psychology and history. 2. Psychology 1600-1850: Continuity and discontinuity. 3. Founding Psychology: Evolution, experimentation and being scientific. 4. William James and the origins of modern Psychology. 5. Behaviourism. 6. Gestalt Psychology. 7. Cognitive Psychology. Part II: Some topics. 8. Psychology and the brain. 9. Looking at perception. 10. Memory: some points to remember. 11. Emotion: the problem or the whole point. 12. Personality: Psychology and who you are. 13. Social Psychology. 14. Applied Psychology. Part III: Psychology’s subjects. 15. Psychology, madness and the meanings of psychological distress. 16. Psychological uses of animals. 17. Psychology and the child. 18. Psychology and gender. Part IV: Two general issues. 19. Psychometrics and the problem of measurement. 20. Psychology and language. Part V: Four cultural entanglements. 21. Funding and institutional factors. 22. Psychology meets religion. 23. Psychology and ‘race’. 24. Psychology and war. Part VI: Conclusion. 25. Closure - or not?. Appendix: The elephants outside the room. Index.

Editorial Reviews

"I cannot think of anyone better placed than Graham Richards to write a comprehensive and critical account of the history of psychology. I found this book extremely readable, informative and much more interesting than the average textbook." – Trevor Butt, Emeritus Reader in Psychology, University of Huddersfield, UK

"This text whips the reader through a vast array of psychological theories and ideas whilst adding thoughtful comment and a quizzical perspective. Not all readers will agree with the author but I challenge them not to have a fruitful debate as a consequence." - Tom Dickins, School of Psychology, University of East London, UK

"This text illustrates in exemplary fashion how history can open up debate in the most important areas of psychology. Rather than getting weighed down with historical detail, Richards invariably identifies the ‘big issues’ that arise from considering an area’s history and while readers may not always agree with his verdicts, they will find it difficult not to engage with his views." – Alan Collins, Department of Psychology, University of Lancaster, UK

From the Publisher