Psychology is more complicated than one might imagine, and there is still a long way to go in characterizing explanations of thought and behavior. This message resonates in this book as Ausch traces the development of psychological ideas from classical times to the present. Ausch stresses the philosophical underpinnings of psychological theory, presenting the persistent debates between psychological structure and ... Read morefunction as explanatory mechanisms and distinguishing between description and explanation. One point that emerges repeatedly is that description often quietly morphs into explanation as theorists reify presumptive cognitive and emotional concepts. The author shows quite compellingly how philosophical ideas have driven the various psychological models since natural philosophers became psychological scientists. He is especially thorough in depicting the theories associated with learning, with biology and behavior, and with development. He also provides insight into the tension between laboratory research and complex real-world behavior. This is a valuable book, in particular because the philosophy-psychology connection is often overlooked in presentations of psychology's history. Readers will benefit from a background in philosophy. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.
CHOICE
This historical-philosophical treatment traces the twisting path from psychology's early assumptions, choices, blind spots, and misdirections to current explanations of what we claim to know about mind and behavior and why we seem to be so sure. Highlighting common themes that tie together disparate arenas within modern psychology, this thought-provoking corrective to triumphalism is useful for both mainstream and critical approaches to the field.
Dennis Fox, University of Illinois at Springfield Show Less