Munsterberg, Hugo
| Hugo Münsterberg |
Hugo Münsterberg
|
| Born |
June 1, 1863(1863-06-01)
Danzig |
| Died |
December 19, 1916(1916-12-19) (aged 53) |
| Citizenship |
American |
| Nationality |
German Empire |
| Fields |
psychology |
| Notable students |
Morris Raphael Cohen , Mary Whiton Calkins |
| Known for |
Applied psychology |
Hugo Münsterberg (June 1, 1863 – December 19, 1916) was a German-American psychologist. He was one of the pioneers in applied psychology, extending his research and theories to Industrial / Organizational (I/O), legal, medical, clinical, educational and business settings. Münsterberg encountered immense turmoil with the outbreak of the First World War. Torn between his loyalty to America and his homeland, he often defended Germany's actions, attracting criticism.
[edit] Family life and education
Hugo Münsterberg was born in Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland). His father Moritz was a merchant who bought lumber from Russia and sold it to England. His mother Allyson Schill was an artist who continued working while taking care of their four sons.
Münsterberg’s first years of school were spent at the Gymnasium of Danzig where he graduated in 1882. He joined the University of Leipzig in 1883 where he met Oliver and Dennis who influenced him to join the Psychology laboratory. He received a Ph.D. in psychology and in 1887 received his medical degree at Heidelberg. He also passed an examination that enabled him to lecture as a privatdocent at Freiburg. In the same year he married Selma Oppler of Strassburg on August 7.
In 1891, he was promoted to assistant professorship and attended the First International Congress of psychology where he met William James. They kept correspondence and in 1892 William invited him to Harvard for a three year term as a chair of the psychology lab. In 1895 he returned to Freiburg due to uncertainties of settling in America. However, in 1897 he returned to Harvard in response to urgent invitation from James and Harvard’s president. In 1898 he was elected President of the American Psychological Association (APA) and in 1910 he was appointed exchange Professor from Harvard to the University of Berlin. He remained at Harvard until his sudden death in 1916 while on a lecture platform.
[edit] Contributions to psychology
[edit] Clinical psychology
Münsterberg was grounded on the theory of psychophysical parallelism which argued that all physical processes had a parallel brain process. He believed that certain mental ( Neurological ) illnesses have a cellular-metabolic causation and diagnosed based on his behavior-istic observations of the subject's reactions to interviews of them by him . " Psychotherapy " , the book he authored in regard to his investigations in matters of the mind , was published inclusive to 1909 .
[edit] Applied psychology and forensic psychology
Hugo Münsterberg wrote several papers on the application of psychological information in legal situations. The main objective in most of these articles was eyewitness testimony which examined the witness. In 1908, he published his controversial book, On the Witness Stand (1908), which talked about psychological factors that can affect a trial’s outcome.
Münsterberg was an admirer of Frederick Winslow Taylor. He wrote to him in 1913: “Our aim is to sketch the outlines of a new science, which is to intermediate between the modern laboratory psychology and the problem of economics.” Industrial psychology was to be “independent of economic opinions and debatable . . . interests.”[1]
[edit] Contributions to Film Theory
Both Dudley Andrew and James Monaco count Münsterberg's book "The Photoplay: A psychological study" as one of the early examples of film theory.
[edit] Works
- Die Willenshandlung (1888)
- Beiträge zur experimentellen Psychologie (1889–92) Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4
- Psychology and Life (1899)
- Grundzüge der Psychologie (1900)
- American Traits from the point of view of A German (1901)
- Die Amerikaner (1904)
- The principles of Art Education (1905)
- Science and Idealism (1906)
- On the witness Stand (1908)
- Aus Deutsch-Amerika (1908)
- Psychology and Crime (1908)
- The Eternal Values (1909)
- Psychology and the Teacher (1909)
- Psychotherapy (1909)
- Vocation and Learning (1912)
- Psychology and Industrial Efficiency (1913)
- Psychology and Social Sanity (1914)
- Grundzüge der Psychotechnic (1914)
- Psychology, General and Applied (1914, textbook)
- The War and America (1914)
- Business Psychology (1915, textbook for La Salle Extension University, Chicago)
- Tomorrow (1916)
- The Photoplay. A psychological study (1916)
[edit] Sources
[edit] References
Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Münsterberg, Hugo". Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press. - Street, Warren R (1994). A Chronology of Noteworthy Events in American Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychology Association. ISBN 1557982519
- Kimble, Gregory A. et al. (1991). Portraits of Pioneers in Psychology. ISBN 080582619X
- Weimer Irving B. (2003). Handbook of Psychology. ISBN 0471383201
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Munsterberg, Hugo |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
June 1, 1863 |
| Place of birth |
Danzig |
| Date of death |
December 19, 1916 |
| Place of death |
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