The Diverse Origins and the Development of Psychology in the USA

Abstract

Abstract This brief survey of the origins and development of psychology in the USA is meant mainly to compare and contrast the history of American psychology with the histories in other countries. It can only be a partial and incomplete survey; many books and articles have been written about the history of American psychology (e.g. Benjamin, 1992; Evans, Sexton,C Hilgard, 1987), but limitations of space here allow me to reflect only a little of this scholarship. An examination of the development of American psychology is of special interest for several reasons, including: (1) the USA has the largest community of psychologists in the world, and it has more doctorates in psychology than all the other countries combined; (2) the USA has the longest uninterrupted development of modem psychological science of any country; (3) data compiled by agencies of the American Government and by the American Psychological Association provide extensive documentation of the development of American psychol...