Why Is History of Psychology Important?

Modern society has in various ways been shaped by the development of scientific psychology since the middle of the 19th century. Ranging over fundamental issues, such as the nature of consciousness, through to the mundane and workaday, such as the design of coinage or road signs, psychological ideas and research findings have influenced how today’s world looks and feels to us all.

An informed citizen of this modern world needs to be able to reflect not only on the implications of how psychology has been a contributor to this dynamic for creating social, philosophical and technological change but also on how it has been a socially and culturally constructed part of the change itself.

Furthermore, because the discipline of psychology is located and constructed both socially and culturally, and because part of its subject matter is human behaviour, the development of its political and moral dimensions, for example concerning the nature of authority, expertise and power, is something that should concern every thoughtful member of society.

These are all historical reflections.

For the academic, there are many more reasons for studying the history of psychology, similar to those for studying the history of any other scientific discipline. But there is another, perhaps unique, dimension to consider - any advance in our understanding of the history of psychology is also an advance in psychology’s object of study itself - ourselves.