Psychology in Historical Context: Theories and Debates

Psychology, the study of mind and behaviour, has developed as a unique discipline in its brief history. Whether as it currently takes place, or how it has been conducted over the past 140 years or so since it became recognized as a separate field of study, there has been constant debate on its identity as a science.

Psychology in Historical Context: Theories and Debates examines this debate by tracing the emergence of Psychology from parent disciplines, such as philosophy and physiology, and analyzes key topics such as:

• the nature of science, itself a much misunderstood human activity often equated with natural science;
• the nature of the scientific method, and the relationship between data gathering and generalization;
• the nature of certainty and objectivity, and their relevance to understanding the kind of scientific discipline Psychology is today.

This engaging overview, written by renowned author Richard Gross, is an accessible account of the main conceptual themes and historical developments. Covering the core fields of individual differences, cognitive, social, and developmental psychology, as well as evolutionary and biopsychology, it will enable readers to understand how key ideas and theories have had impacts across a range of topics. This is the only concise textbook to give students a thorough grounding in the major conceptual ideas within the field, as well as the key figures whose ideas have helped to shape it.

Richard Gross has been writing Psychology texts for both undergraduate and A-level students for 30 years. He has a particular interest in the philosophical aspects of Psychology, including the nature of the discipline, the free will/determinism debate, and the defining features of personhood.