A Brief History of Modern Psychology [Paperback]

Ludy T. Benjamin Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2006 | ISBN-10: 140513206X | ISBN-13: 978-1405132060 | Edition: 1

In A Brief History of Modern Psychology, Ludy Benjamin, leading historian in the field, discusses the history of both the science and the practice of psychology since the establishment of the first experimental psychology laboratory in 1879.

• Captures the excitement of this pervasive field that features prevalently in modern mass media
  
• Presents facts and interesting tidbits about individual psychologists’ lives and ideas, as well as illuminating tie-in’s to the social contexts in which they lived
  
• Features widely known figures such as William James, Carl Jung, Wilhelm Wundt, G. Stanley Hall, James Catell, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner as well as lesser known luminaries such as E.B. Titchener, Mary Calkins, Leta Hollingworth, Kenneth and Mamie Clark, and Helen Thompson Wolley
  
• Provides the historical and disciplinary context that will help readers to better understand the richness and complexity of contemporary psychology
  
• Includes discussions of important events, societies, and landmarks in the history of psychology such as the growth of psychological laboratories in the US, the Thayer Conference (the landmark summit which defined school psychology), Kurt Lewin’s social action research, and Lewis M. Terman and the Stanford Revision of the Binet-Simon Scale (now the well known, “Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale”)
• Test Bank for instructors with identification, multiple-choice, matching, and essay questions written by Ludy Benjamin available at www.wiley.com/go/benjamin .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From a renowned historian and teacher of psychology comes what psychology students will welcome - a crisp and beautifully crafted history of their discipline, replete with fascinating stories of the people who shaped it and whose shoulders we now stand upon." David G. Myers, Hope College

"A Brief History of Modern Psychology will itself become part of the history of modern psychology. It is a classic work by one of the most distinguished living historians of psychology. Anyone who wishes to understand how the field of psychology has reached its present state should read this book." Robert J. Sternberg, Tufts University

"This book offers exciting new analyses of such diverse topics as G. Stanley Hall’s genetic psychology, the 19th-century ‘public psychologies’ of phrenology and mesmerism, and the late-20th-century emergence of a psychology of social action. A Brief History of Modern Psychology provides a stimulating new resource that will inspire 21st-century psychology students’ interest in their science’s past. " Michael M. Sokal, Founding Editor, History of Psychology

"The Behaviorism chapter was the best historical introduction that I can remember reading — just what historical writing should be." Wesley G. Morgan, Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee

“The reader is guided through over a century of psychology in less than three hundred pages, yet the experience is never a taxing one. Both the precision and the conciseness of the book will undoubtedly make it appealing for undergraduate course work.” ISIS

“Conversational and…quite readable…easy to study from and deliver[s] plenty of useful information…would also be ideal for the lay reader for a survey of psychology's history.”
Metapsychology Online Reviews

From the Publisher

"From a renowned historian and teacher of psychology comes what psychology students will welcome---a crisp and beautifully crafted history of their discipline, replete with fascinating stories of the people who shaped it and whose shoulders we now stand upon." David G. Myers, Hope College

"A Brief History of Modern Psychology will itself become part of the history of modern psychology. It is a classic work by one of the most distinguished living historians of psychology. Anyone who wishes to understand how the field of psychology has reached its present state should read this book." Robert J. Sternberg, Tufts University

"This book offers exciting new analyses of such diverse topics as G. Stanley Hall's genetic psychology, the 19th-century `public psychologies' of phrenology and mesmerism, and the late-20th-century emergence of a psychology of social action. A Brief History of Modern Psychology provides a stimulating new resource that will inspire 21st-century psychology students' interest in their science's past. " Michael M. Sokal, Founding Editor, History of Psychology --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (August 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140513206X
• ISBN-13: 978-1405132060
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best "textbook" ever, August 2, 2010

By 

R. Kristiansen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Brief History of Modern Psychology (Paperback)

Reading this for my History of Psych class was actually enjoyable. Ludy Benjamin writes well, in clear terms, and has a sense of humor. Hated the class - LOVED this book. I wish he would write on some other topics in psychology as well.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very brief, but full of valuable info., August 14, 2007

By 

A.B. "ramen aficionado" (DFW) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Brief History of Modern Psychology (Paperback)

At just a little over 200 pages, this is indeed brief. Nevertheless, it does a good job of organizing the material. It starts at the beginning of the birth of "true" psychology with Wundt while touching upon the pseudosciences of phrenology and physiognomy. It does a good job of explaining the evolution of the science throughout the book and focuses on specific areas in each chapter. However, I would have liked it if the author had delved into psychoanalysis just a bit more, owing to the fact that the field has influenced pop psychology more than any other field and therefore most people reading this book have that kind of background.

Overall, this is a good read, but probably not worth the purchase price for its really just being an overview. You might do better paying a little extra for an old edition of a textbook and reading that, because it covers about the same material, only more indepth.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BRIEF, BUT ENLIGHTENING, November 7, 2008

By 

HARBINGER (Kentucky, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Brief History of Modern Psychology (Paperback)

THIS IS A FINE SHORT BOOK ON RECENT PSYCHOLOGY. IT IS WELL WRITTEN AND EASILY READ. BENJAMIN HITS UPON THE MAIN POINTS AND AREAS OF PSYCHOLOGY IN THE "MODERN" ERA. THE SECTION EXPLAINING FREUD'S THEORIES AND THE LATER PART OF THE BOOK DEALING WITH BEHAVIOR, COGNITION, AND AREAS OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY ARE VERY WELL DONE. I AM A SCHOOL PSYCHOMETRIST AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR ANYONE WANTING A SHORT TAKE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PAST 150 YEARS OR SO.