1879 and All That: Essays in the Theory and History of Psychology

Mary Henle’s many years of research have earned her a loyal following and a reputation as an original and signiicant contributor to concepts of modern psychology. In her latest book she analyzes theories of psychology, rather than simply presenting them, and invites her readers -psychologists and students alike- to read these accepted ideas more closely and critically.

1879 and All That argues that psychologists should think more clearly about concepts, assumptions, and even words they use. Providing examples from Gestalt psychology, her own specialty, Henle addresses a number of themes, including: the need to recognize that labelling a problem is not the same as solving it; the need to analyze an author’s assumptions in order to understand the author; and the need to consult primary sources instead of relying on secondary materials.

The goal throughout is to take the student and psychologist beyond the passive reading of psychology history and theory, in which one simply learns what significant figures have said, and to start them on a much more adventurous and exciting path of analysis.

Mary Henle is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology, Graduate Faculty, at the New School for Social Research. She is editor of The Selected Papers of Wolfgang Kohler and of Vision and Artifact, and coeditor of Historical Conceptions of Psychology.