A History of Psychology in Letters [Paperback]

Ludy T. Benjamin Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1405126124 | ISBN-13: 978-1405126120 | Edition: 2

The private thoughts, emotions, hopes, and frustrations contained in this collection of letters written by key figures in psychology provide rich insight into the development of the field. From John Locke writing parenting advice in 17th century Holland to Kenneth B. Clark responding to the impact of his research on the 19th century Brown v. Board decision, this book illustrates the history of the psychology in a direct, engaging manner.

• Uses primary source materials to provide students with a unique view of the story of psychology.


• Features an introduction to historiography, focusing on how historians use manuscript collections in their work.


• Includes chapter-opening material that explains the historical context, brief annotations to help clarify the content, and an epilogue that concludes these important stories in psychology.


• The second edition adds new annotations by Benjamin, giving greater life and dimension to the learning about the people and ideas that have influenced the development of psychology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A novel and interesting approach to the history of psychology." Network Review

“Texts on the history of psychology sometimes tend to be dusty and dry. A History of Psychology in Letters delivers excitement in a way that few texts can-by enabling readers to peek in on the original letters sent by the great leaders in the history of the field. So one learns about history in the most exciting way possible - through the leaders' own words. The text carefully intersperses the letters with narrative to make them cohere and flow in a seamless way. I highly recommend the book to anyone. Even those who thought the history of psychology to be boring will find great excitement in the pages of this book.” Robert J. Sternberg, Tufts University

"The first edition of this book gave teachers a uniquely powerful tool to improve their students' grasp of the complexities of psychology's history and to introduce them to the processes and pleasures of research about the past.This second edition adds new and insightful chapters on several significant episodes in the history of psychology, such as Hugo Munsterberg's early involvement with the psychology of law and Kenneth Clark and the Brown v. Board decision. A new introductory chapter makes more explicit than ever before the ways in which (and the reasons why) historians delve into psychology's past." Michael M. Sokal, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Book Description

The private thoughts, emotions, hopes, and frustrations contained in this collection of letters written by key figures in psychology provide rich insight into the development of the field. From John Locke writing parenting advice in 17th century Holland to Kenneth B. Clark responding to the impact of his research on the 19th century Brown v. Board decision, this book illustrates the history of the psychology in a direct, engaging manner. Using primary source materials such as letters and journal entries, Ludy Benjamin, one of the leading historians in the field, provides students with a unique view of the story of psychology. The first chapter features an introduction to historiography, focusing on how historians use manuscript collections in their work. The fifteen chapters of letters include chapter-opening material that explains the historical context, brief annotations to help clarify the content of the letters, and an epilogue that concludes these important stories in psychology. This new edition adds more insightful annotations by Dr. Benjamin, giving greater life and dimension to the learning about the people and ideas that have influenced the development of psychology.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405126124
• ISBN-13: 978-1405126120
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, June 12, 2009

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R. Simons (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A History of Psychology in Letters (Paperback)

I had to buy this book for a class I am taking. It is really cool, and offers a different perspective on the great figures of psychology.