Gustav Ichheiser in the history of social psychology: An early phenomenology of social attribution

Abstract

Gustav Ichheiser (1897–1969) was a social psychologist in the Austrian phenomenological tradition. He wrote extensively on person perception, social attribution, occupational psychology, ethnic relations and political psychology, always with an eye towards the illusions and misunderstandings inherent in social relations. His personal life and professional career were disrupted in Europe by the rise of Fascism and were impeded in the United States by unemployment, poverty and confinement in a state mental hospital. However, throughout all of these difficulties, he continued to publish his critical observations and analyses of social life. His writings, whether in German, Polish or English, are stylistically and conceptually rich and are remarkably current. His ideas have been used by Allport, Goffman, Heider, Nisbett, Ross and others. This report presents the biographical and bibliographical background necessary for a reappraisal of his work.