Annette Mülberger

Wundt contested: The first crisis declaration in psychology.

When reflecting on the history and the present situation of their field, psychologists have often seen their discipline as being in a critical state. The first author to warn of a crisis was, in 1897, the now scarcely known philosopher Rudolf Willy. He saw a crisis in psychology resulting, firstly, from a profuse branching out of psychology. Adopting a radical empiriocriticist point of view, he, secondly, made the metaphysical stance of scholars like Wilhelm Wundt responsible for the crisis. Meanwhile, the priest Constantin Gutberlet responded to the claim of crisis arguing, on the contrary, that the crisis resulted from research that was empirical only. Throughout the discipline psychologists felt troubled by a widespread sense of fragmentation in the field. I will argue that this is due to psychologys early social success and popularization in modern society. Moreover the paper shows that the first declaration of crisis emerged at a time when a discussion of fundamentals was already underway between Wundt and the empiriocriticist Richard Avenarius. The present historical research reveals the depth of the confrontation between Wundt and Willy, entailing a clash of two worldviews that embrace psychological, epistemological, and political aspects.

Es mejor morir de pie que vivir de rodillas : Emilio Mira y López y la revolución social

Aunque la postura socialista de Emilio Mira y Lopez (1896-1964) resulta bastante conocida, no se ha prestado hasta ahora atencion a la aportacion psicologico-politica de este autor. El objetivo del presente trabajo es doble. En primer lugar queremos situar el analisis psicologico de la revolucion social llevado a cabo por el psiquiatra catalan en el marco historico, tanto biografico y politico como cientifico y cultural, de la epoca anterior al Franquismo. En segundo lugar examinamos como Mira relaciona su psicologia con un tema politico y, concretamente, en que medida su trabajo cientifico sobre la revolucion refleja una postura socialista.

Metapsychics in Spain acknowledging or questioning the marvellous

The present article deals with a kind of parapsychology called metapsychics (metapsíquica) as conceived and practised in Spain between 1923 and 1925. First we focus on the reception of a treatise by Richet that evoked both support (Ferrán) and criticism (Mira). Then we examine some experiments on clairvoyance performed at the Marquis of Santa Cara’s home, dealing chiefly with the rise and fall of a case of prodigious vision. The analysis gives special attention to the question of how metapsychics was understood and to which discussions it gave rise. The authors argue that the project of metapsychics must be understood within a frame of two tendencies, namely, the increasing popularization and the demarcation of science that were under way in modern society.

En el umbral de lo desconocido: Un caso de visión extraordinaria en la España de Primo de Rivera

En este articulo analizamos las reacciones suscitadas entre cientificos e intelectuales sobre un caso sensacional: la supuesta vision a traves de materiales opacos por parte del hijo del marques de Santa Cara, que atrajo la atencion de la sociedad espanola alrededor de 1924. Algunos conocidos cientificos e intelectuales como Cabrera, Torres Quevedo, Gimeno y Valle-Inclan, certificaron la autenticidad del fenomeno. El trabajo trata de comprender los motivos de este hecho, recogiendo las teorias que se barajaban en la epoca en torno a nuevos tipos de rayos y desconocidas capacidades psiquicas. En el contexto de la Espana dominada por el Regimen primoriverista, dos ingenieros avanzaban explicaciones metapsiquicas de signo patriotico, mientras que el marques uso su posicion social para avalar el caso y promocionar su labor cientifica en el terreno de la metapsiquica. Sin embargo, el prodigioso aristocrata y sus promotores vivieron un serio reves a partir del encuentro con el famoso ilusionista Houdini y la critica del psiquiatra Rodriguez Lafora quien interpreto la hazana como producto de la sugestion.

Commentary 1: Functions and Trends in the History of Psychology

In this chapter, I comment on the ten aspects listed by Roger Smith to show the usefulness of historical research in psychology. Thereby, I characterize and evaluate different historiographic trends. History should be seen as a way of acquiring perspective, and it should offer a conceptual tool for comparison between different epistemological approaches. It is also instrumental in analysis of the social dynamics involved in knowledge construction. In general, therefore, a connection between the history of psychology and the broader field of the history of science seems fruitful.

La Psicología en la Revista Médica de Barcelona : psicoterapia, higiene mental y moral

This historical study deals with the contributions made between 1924 and 1936 by the journal Revista Medica de Barcelona to the topic of mental care. Thereby we recognized the crucial role played by E. Mira y Lopez and B. Rodriguez Arias and four different strategies sought by the journal to promote and influence the mental health of the population. The first level consists of the promotion of psychology as a source of health and as a medical field of specialization. In connection with this we find, in the second place, psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, applied both, at an individual level (in the private practice), and collectively in institutions. At a third level we situate the campaign for mental hygiene. Finally, we consider the psychological aspects of criminology and moral hygiene.

AIMS OF TEACHERS' PSYCHOMETRY: INTELLIGENCE TESTING IN BARCELONA (1920)

After World War I, members of the teaching profession in Spain were interested in appropriating psychological measurement and bringing it within the expertise of their occupational field, with the intention of upgrading their profession. As professionals devoted to the child, educators attempted to explore the infantile psyche using intelligence tests, with the intention of making scientific contributions to the field of psychology. In the present article we take as a key event one particular application enacted by a Catalan teacher, and insert that case study into the complex local scientific and educational context. It was a context in which the professional interests of teachers competed with those of school physicians, psychologists, and pedologists, at a time when important changes in pedagogical methods and school systems were under way. In the hand of teachers, intelligence testing was mainly seen as a malleable method on which to base daily educational practice on a more individualized and scientific basis. The historical analysis of the case turned out to be instrumental in the identification of common features and particularities attributable to specific local needs. In a society where public schooling competed with private schools, the results of mental testing were used to demonstrate publicly the excellent intellectual level of children attending a public graded primary school in Barcelona. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).