The ideas of Max Wertheimer (1880-1943), a founder of Gestalt theory, are discussed in almost all general books on the history of psychology and in most introductory textbooks on psychology. This intellectual biography of Wertheimer is the first book-length treatment of a scholar whose ideas are recognized as of central importance to fields as varied as social psychology, cognitive neuroscience, problem solving, art, and visual neuroscience. King and Wertheimer trace the origins of Gestalt thought, demonstrating its continuing importance in fifteen chapters and several supplements to these chapters. They begin by reviewing Wertheimer's ancestry, family, childhood in central Europe, and his formal education. They elaborate on his activities during the period in which he developed the ideas that were later to become central to Gestalt psychology, documenting the formal emergence of this school of thought and tracing its development during World War I. The maturation of the Gestalt school at the University of Berlin during 1922-1929 is discussed in detail. Wertheimer's everyday life in America during his last decade is well documented, based in part on his son's recollections. The early reception of Gestalt theory in the United States is examined, with extensive references to articles in professional journals and periodicals. Wertheimer's relationships and interaction with three prominent psychologists of the time, Edwin Boring, Clark Hull, and Alexander Luria, are discussed based on previously unpublished correspondence. The final chapters discuss Wertheimer's essays on democracy, freedom, ethics, and truth, and detail personal challenges Wertheimer faced during his last years. His major work, published after his death, is Productive Thinking. Its reception is examined, and a concluding chapter considers recent responses to Max Wertheimer and Gestalt theory. This intellectual biography will be of interest to psychologists and readers inte

The New School was a center for adult education established in 1918 in New York and was always open to and supported by Jews. Ch. 5 (pp. 84-106) describes the creation of a graduate faculty in 1933 by president Alvin Johnson. He brought twelve leading Jewish scholars from Germany, assisted by private Jewish contributions and by the Rockefeller Foundation which, however, disapproved of the Jewish and socialist background of these scholars and feared the disruption of the quota system. Ch. 6 (pp. 107-127) describes the refugees' studies on the nature of fascism and their gradual abandonment of socialism. Hans Staudinger, in particular, emphasized the crucial role of racism in the evolution of the Nazi state. With the outbreak of World War II, the New School tried to save more refugees but was obstructed by State Department officials. Also mentions the work of Hannah Arendt at the New School in the 1950s-60s.

Examines the role Gestalt Psychology has played in the years leading up to the cognitive revolution. The text discusses the historical relationships connecting behaviourism, Gestalt Psychology and the development of cognitive psychology, and outlines the principles of Gestalt Psychology.

This intellectual history narrates the institutionalization of the humanistic current in American psychology and places the thinking of five of its founders (Gordon Allport, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Rollo May, and James Bugental) in the context of twentieth century psychology. The Founders of Humanistic Psychology is the first historical and systematic presentation of humanistic psychology. It is also the only study that treats these five thinkers as a unit and places them in the context of history and systems of Western psychology. Roy Jose DeCarvalho begins with a discussion of the political institutions that brought this movement together: research facilities, grants, and intellectual stimulation via seminars, conferences, and journals. The text then introduces the biographies of Allport, Maslow, Rogers, May, and Bugental. Following chapters detail the shared views of these five founders with emphasis on the philosophical encounter of humanistic psychology with behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and existentialism. DeCarvalho also examines the impact that the neo-Freudians, Kurt Goldstein, and personality and Gestalt psychologies had on the conceptualization of their humanistic psychology. The methodology, views on human nature, and the ethics of humanistic psychology are also discussed. Ending with a chronological bibliography of each founder of the movement, this book is a valuable research tool for humanistic psychologists, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. Social workers and psychologists, as well as historians and philosophers of the social sciences, will also find this an indispensible source of information about the rise of the humanistic movement.