The Story of Psychology Paperback – Illustrated, December 18, 2007

This book is very large and will take a long while to get through but I found it extremely interesting. I bought mine used I believe but was worth it. I kept it as a reference after reading.

Today, a junior majoring in both psychology and philosophy thanked me profoundly for the Introductory Psychology course he took with me as a first-year student; Hunt's book was our text. Reading Hunt's book cover to cover, he said, and being held responsible for its entire contents, provided invaluable foundations for all of his subsequent psychology courses--for all of his courses, he then added. I have long intended to write a review of this book, which I consider a tour de force both in its coverage and representation of psychology as well as in the quality of the writing. As I read it myself, I would again and again think to myself, here is where it would be helpful if Hunt cited such-and-such a study or critique--and, lo, the next paragraph would contain it. I have long been frustrated by introductory-psychology textbooks, which are typically far less authoritative than they should be and are burdened with pedestrian prose and numerous, often unnecessary graphics that are a constant distraction. They are, of course, far more expensive than Hunt's book. Thanks to the Internet, I found it easy enough to prepare PowerPoint presentations with pictures of the various philosophers and psychologists featured in this book, along with illustrations of research apparatus, statistical findings, and so forth. The absence of a test bank was no problem, for given the emphasis on individual facts over broad understandings in most if not all publisher-provided test banks, I've never found them useful. My only reservation is Hunt's brief treatment of and near-dismissive attitude toward human-science psychology; but that approach I was able to introduce and illustrate myself. In sum, this is a book I highly recommend, both for independent readers and as a textbook for Introductory Psychology.

This book is an exploration; i.e. a first delving into a subject that one knows little about. Also for those who think they know something from reading pop explanations of psychology, but never really read the founding manuscripts. It starts with philosophy, because the Greeks were the first to even ask fundamental scientific questions, but it turns out that they weren't all that interested in what went on inside the mind, other than Socrates wanting to know what is the good life, or what is justice. But we're taken on a ride past this material just so the bases are covered. Only in the middle of the 19th century does the author start to get into the meat of the subject, with Wundt and Freud and the behaviorists such as Watson and Skinner. This is as far as I've gotten so far.It's a good read, and almost like a detective novel it has it's twists and turns. Well written; the novice will not get lost; takes time to explain the scientific background of the early days of psychology. Makes the point that psychological theory is still a lot of guesswork. This is reflected in the book when the author says one thing, only to contradict it a page or two later. I'm halfway through, so can't speak to the end parts, but the author is a admirer of Freud, saying that his theories of the mind have been confirmed in some cases by neuroscientists. An interesting and well-written book and I give it four stars.

I am a Professor of Education who teaches (among other things) classes on learning theory and education psychology. I use this book as a very helpful resource and came quite close to assigning it for a class on learning theory. Why? Well, first, Hunt provides a very thorough but eminently readable account of the history of psychology, from the psychological speculation of philosophers from Aristotle to Kant up to modern day cognitive science and behavioral therapy.In doing this - and this is why I almost assigned this book as one of my texts - Hunt's story of psychology allows people to understand each psychological 'movement' as part of the larger history of psychology. It is easier, for instance, to understand and appreciate behaviorism if you understand the more introspective psychological movements (and experimental movements that relied on subjective self-report data) first, and how behaviorists wanted a more 'objective' science. In turn, gestalt psychology (and information processing theory, etc) make the most sense when seen as part of a long history with one 'movement' or trend reacting to its predecessor.And, of course, the book goes well beyond psychology's contribution to learning theory. We learn about the personalities of some of the great psychologists like Wilhelm Wunt, WIlliam James and Sigmund Freud, how psychology has sought to answer a great many questions, from how identity is formed to what therapy is best suited to help people conquer neuroses. And all of this is told in a quite engaging (if quite detailed) form of an academic story.Maybe in future semesters, I will assign this book for its chapters applicable to education psychology (chapters on behaviorism, cognitive science, the psychology of motivation, etc.). It is a great book that makes the subject of psychology's history come alive.