Green - Psychology and its cities : a new history of early American psychology

Within the social and political upheaval of American cities in the decades surrounding the turn of the 20th century, a new scientific discipline, psychology, strove to carve out a place for itself. In this new history of early American psychology, Christopher D. Green highlights the urban contexts in which much of early American psychology developed and tells the stories of well-known early psychologists, including William James, G. Stanley Hall, John Dewey, and James McKeen Cattell, detailing how early psychologists attempted to alleviate the turmoil around them. American psychologists sought out the daunting intellectual, emotional, and social challenges that were threatening to destabilize the nations burgeoning urban areas and proposed novel solutions, sometimes to positive and sometimes to negative effect. Their contributions helped develop our modern ideas about the mind, person, and society. This book is ideal for scholars and students interested in the history of psychology.

Christopher D. Green is Professor of Psychology, York University, Canada. He is former President of the Society for the History of Psychology and former editor of the Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences.

Professor Chris Green has given us a richly contextualized history of the early years of the development of American psychology. He weaves together fascinating biographical information with the social histories of New York, Boston/ Cambridge, Chicago, and Baltimore to illustrate how key figures were influenced by the settings they lived and worked in. The result is a veritable moveable feast.

Wade E. Pickren, Ithaca College, USA

Greens insightful focus on the socio-economic environment in which American psychology took root in the Gilded Age well demonstrates that this milieu was the sea in which psychology swam. His book thus presents an exciting new perspective that does make for the New History of American Psychology his subtitle promises.

Michael M. Sokal, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA

Leading historian of psychology Chris Green has written an exceptional and lucid account of the reciprocal influences of late 19th and early 20th century American psychology and its urban settings. This is a refreshing and unusual treatment of disciplinary context too often and easily overlooked.

Wayne Viney, Colorado State University, USA

Congratulations! Written with the page-turning, engaging style of a brilliant professional historian, and obsessively footnoted and profusely documented, this book presents a unique and innovative perspective on the profound influences of rapidly changing cities on the development of early American psychology.

Michael Wertheimer, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA

First published 2019

by Routledge

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The right of Christopher D. Green to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Green, Christopher D., author.

Title: Psychology and its cities : a new history of early American psychology / Christopher D. Green.

Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018008802 | ISBN 9781138059429 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781138059436 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315163581 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: PsychologyUnited StatesHistory.

Classification: LCC BF108.U5 G74 2018 | DDC 150.973dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018008802

ISBN: 978-1-138-05942-9 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-138-05943-6 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-0-429-46307-5 (ebk)

Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC

I have had some terrific teachers over the years. I dedicate this book to my formal supervisors and my informal mentors: Anton De Man and Stuart McKelvie of Bishops University; Bernie Lyman of Simon Fraser University; John Kennedy, Andr Kukla, and Doug Creelman of the University of Toronto; Ray Fancher of York University; Andrew Winston of the University of Guelph; Ludy Benjamin of Texas A&M University; and Michael Sokal of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. I would never have made it this far into the academic life without their wisdom, support, and assistance.