An Introduction to the History of Psychology (Hardcover)

by B. R. Hergenhahn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"I think (Hergenhahn) is clear, not overly burdened with jargon and it carries a sense of the "professor" talking to the "student."..."It is thorough and useful for courses that cover both the short history of psychology and the long past. It is well written and contains along with the necessary facts a lot of interesting materials that make the characters come alive. It appears to be a book that wishes to stay on the cutting edge of the market and that wins it a high rating in my book."

"I typically have a few students in each class who tell me how absorbing they found reading the book..." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description
Dreams puzzled early man, Greek philosophers spun elaborate theories to explain human memory and perception, Descartes postulated that the brain was filled with "animal spirits," and psychology was officially deemed a "science" in the 19th century. In this Fifth Edition, B.R. Hergenhahn demonstrates that most of the concerns of contemporary psychologists are manifestations of themes that have been part of psychology for hundreds-or even thousands-of years. The book's numerous photographs and pedagogical devices, along with its biographical material on key figures in psychology, will engage you and facilitate your understanding of each chapter.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 728 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 6 edition (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0495506214
• ISBN-13: 978-0495506218
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #259,151 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough & Highly Readable, July 7, 2008

By	V. E. Stephen (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: An Introduction to the History of Psychology (Hardcover)

I read this book for a senior undergrad level History of Psychology course. The book begins by explaining with excellent clarity the definitions and importance of the -isms (eg. dualism, monism, determinism) and uses these basic characteristics to categorize the various approaches to Psychology described throughout the text.

I also appreciate that the text frames the history of Psychology in terms of a bigger scientific picture by discussing in Ch 1 Kuhn and Popper and the idea of paradigmatic shifts and then by showing how Psychology is subject to the same cycles and biases as any other scientific discipline. The book does go into great detail about the more influential persons in Psychology's history, but I found that this really reinforces their human-ness and serves as evidence for the basis for the shifts between dominant philosophies. In my opinion, Hergenhahn does not describe Psychology's personalities to the point of neglecting of their ideas. He seems to me to do a wonderful and readable job of integrating the two.

Yes, there are an incredible number of details thoughout the text. These details served to enhance my appreciation of both persons and their ideas. The details also served to greatly enhance my GRE scores, thank Goodness! The details follow each other well and do serve to give a broader picture of the history of Psychology.

This text is one of the best I've read because it both gives an overall picture AND includes the details to back up and reinforce this picture. I enjoyed reading this text and found it fascinating as well as educational.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars good, for a text book, January 3, 2006

By	J. Zelnik (New Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: An Introduction to the History of Psychology (Hardcover)

I am finding more and more that text books give the worst account of history. This book proved that point. For an overview of the history of psychology, the book was okay. However, I found many times that the theories of the psychologists were so watered down, one can hardly get a good idea of their original studies and propositions. I know it is difficult to read each and every work of each and every psychologist, but this text book is a waste of time for anyone who really wants to understand how ideas developed. In addition, I get really annoyed when writers do not quote the original author. Most of the quotes in this book were taken from other text books or biographers.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Textbook, June 20, 2008

By	Chris H. Miller - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: An Introduction to the History of Psychology (with InfoTrac ) (Hardcover)

This is an clearly written and informative textbook with excellent coverage and depth. Although this book was generally fair in its treatment of various viewpoints, its discussion of clinical psychology (one chapter) was terribly misrepresented and biased. Other than that, this is one of the best psychology textbooks I've encountered and I thoroughly recommend it.