The Story of Psychology

In the last year I have become interested in psychology. I have read Freud and Jung, besides being familiar with philosophy from the ancients to the present. This book has been the first organized work on psychology that I have read. And it has changed my perceptions of the purpose of science.My former conceptions of psychology brought images of a patient being analyzed using free association. This, although important, is only one substratum of psychological research. Theories that influence our every day lives, such as how we learn, are an integral part of psychology that I had never imagined. I now understand the significance of laboratory tests that we are all familiar with (mice in mazes, chimpanzees trying to reach bananas) that have formerly seemed without worth, and merely pedantic dissertation.It is important, when beginning study in any field, to have an historical background from which to begin. As I have learned from this book, human learning forms itself into structures that can be easily referenced. Without structure, everything humans learn is without meaning. This informative book provides the historical structure needed to understand the importance of modern discoveries, and should be read by anyone interested in beginning study of psychology.

As a high school student in the International Baccalaureate Program, I took a psychology course. After a situation out of my hands resulted in our teacher's leaving us for five months, I went to the library looking for psych books. I found this one and checked it out. The next week, I purchased the same book. Hunt discusses in great detail the historical conditions leading to the prevalance of Freud, then of Watson and Skinner, then of Rogers, and discusses modern cognitivism, social psychology, and neurobiology. He draws on hundreds of published and reputed studies, particularly in his chapters on more recent advances in the field of psychology, which are of course referenced. I am using a study which I learned of from his book for my Internal Assessment in this class, which now has the original teacher (for better or for worse). Had I outlined our syllabus, I would have used this book, as it has been my source for all of the information I have amassed to study for my IB test in May. Anyone with even a passing interest in psychology should purchase Hunt's work, which will not only pique their interest, it will become the foundation upon which so much more can be added.

One word separates this book from a regular Psychology text -- context. If most psychologists conduct research into things that are 'close to home,' then it's that very context that sheds light into why we even have the study of Psychology to begin with. A definite once-read-through for all students of the human mind.

As a historical work, this is the most readable, entertaining, and interesting book I can recall. Hunt includes lively, animating biographies of each historical figure, giving them a personality beyond the ordinary dry treatments of these great people. Besides making for entertaining reading, The Story of Psychology is easily more informative than any book on the subject that I have seen. The reader can choose any section of the book, divided neatly by fundamental psychological camps (the Behaviorists, the Personality Psychologists, etc.) and become aptly informed on the focus of that group, its leaders, and its place in the history of Psychology. This book is highly recommended.