I was going to use Hergenhahn's: An Introduction the History of Psychology, but I am really unhappy with the book's treatment of the intelligence testing era of the late 1800s and early 1900s, which was responsible for all manner of social injustice. The term "retardation" is repeatedly used without any explanation of the historical context of the term and without fully appreciating the discrimination and oppression engendered by it (largely as a result of the intelligence testing craze in the West). I'm afraid of requiring my students to read this, especially because I work at an institution with a large population of students with disabilities.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a text that treats social stratification and its consequences on disenfranchised groups with more empathy and greater care?
Thanks for sharing, Angel! I'm looking forward to check these texts out :)
Thanks for the book suggestions, António.
I didn't have a problem with Hergenhahn as a whole. I was just concerned about the repeated use of an ableist slur. I do feel the need to respond to your comment because this is an important conversation.
I agree that good science is often appropriated for nefarious purposes, but intelligence testing was very different from the advent of the atomic bomb. Einstein was not involved in the discovery of nuclear fission or the Manhattan Project. His theory, linking energy and mass, became the backbone of modern physics (1905), but nuclear fission was discovered by Lise Meitner and Otto Frisch (1938). Meitner brilliantly described the splitting of the atom as a drop of liquid breaking apart. Then, she was left out of the publication of the findings of her own work (right on brand for the West). The atomic bomb owes its existence to the good science done by them...especially Dr. Meitner.
On the other hand, the progenitors of intelligence testing were mostly a collection of wealthy hobbyists, travelers, and disgraced scientists, many of whom were also involved in the pseudoscientific practices of physiognomy and magnetism. Most of them also held the elitist belief that intelligence was fixed and inherited and that everything from race and gender to language and cognitive abilities could be used to designate humans as inferior.
They tried to legitimize these beliefs by misappropriating the scientific method from the outset rather than starting with a valid scientific theory, as was the case with the invention of the atomic bomb. They weren't just tools for their own sake, they were tools created for the purposes of racial, gender, and intellectual supremacy. In large part, they were used by wealthy white men as a means of justifying their own privilege (with a few notable exceptions).
The use of intelligence tests directly led to mass deportations, justifications for slavery, voter disenfranchisement, and the forced sterilization of over 100,000 American people that occurred up until 1970 at least. Similar tests are still routinely used today in education and industry in ways that disadvantage underrepresented groups. It was also part of the same zeitgeist that provided the intellectual justification for the Holocaust.
I know that there is great value in the use of psychological tests today, but the good work being done by people like you was born out of a tragic, nefarious, and irresponsible misuse of science.
No offense to Brandon Thomas, but I would not use Hergenhahn. His book is too prone to errors. See attached article for a few examples and I could add others. Now, the attached is somewhat dated, but editions after he might have corrected some of the errors he had not done so. Also, I retired from teaching years ago, and the only textbook I have seen in recent years, which I do recommend, is Fancher and Rutherford's Pioneers in Psychology (5th Edition, 2017). Fancher (older male) is a long-established historian of psychology and Rutherford (younger female) is a rising star whose specialty is history and theory of psychology. I will close by saying I have many publications in HoP broadly defined to include behavioral neuroscience, and I taught gradate-level HoP for 18 years and at the undergraduate level, maybe, 5-7 times. All my publications, if anyone wants any, are listed at:
https://psychology.uga.edu/directory/people/roger-k-thomas
Email any requests or questions to [email protected]
Hi Roger,
Thanks so much for your feedback and all your teaching and research!
After talking with a lot of folks, I think I am going to go with Pioneers in Psychology.
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