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A History of Modern Psychology
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A History of Modern Psychology
The Quest for a Science of the Mind

Second Edition

Other Titles in:
History of Psychology

August 2025 | 464 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
A History of Modern Psychology: The Quest for a Science of the Mind describes the evolution of psychology into the twenty-first century with coverage of recent events and findings that transform our understanding of the past. With a topical approach that presents key thinkers within the context of schools of thought, students are able to see how philosophers, researchers, and academics influenced one another to create the rich and diverse landscape of modern psychology in a global context. In the new Second Edition, the author expands coverage of unsung pioneers (philosopher Al-Balkhi, zoologist Charles Henry Turner, psychiatrist Grunya Sukhareva, and others), revisits the legacy of Francis Galton, explores the "Vygotsky boom," and includes new discussion of the impact of Philip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment. Through detailed timelines and features such as "Looking Back" and "Looking Ahead," Ludden gives students a deeper appreciation for the transference of knowledge that shaped the field.
 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Author
 
Part I: Precursors to Modern Psychology
 
Chapter 1: Philosophical Roots of Psychology
Classical Period

 
Medieval Period

 
Modern Period: Continental Rationalism

 
Modern Period: British Empiricism

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 2: Nineteenth-Century Foundations
Charles Darwin

 
Francis Galton

 
Psychophysics

 
Early Experimental Psychology

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Part II: Early Schools of Psychology
 
Chapter 3: Structuralism
Wilhelm Wundt

 
Wundt’s Students

 
Edward Titchener

 
Titchener’s Students

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 4: Functionalism
Harvard School

 
Clark School

 
Chicago School

 
Columbia School

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 5: Behaviorism
Methodological Behaviorism

 
Neo-Behaviorism

 
Radical Behaviorism

 
Behaviorism in Transition

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 6: Gestalt Psychology
Forerunners of Gestalt Psychology

 
Berlin School

 
Kurt Lewin and His Students

 
Fritz Heider

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 7: Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud

 
First Generation

 
Second Generation

 
Anna Freud

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 8: French Psychology
Hysteria and Hypnosis

 
Alfred Binet

 
Jean Piaget

 
Piaget’s Students

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 9: Soviet Psychology
Ivan Pavlov

 
From Pavlov to Vygotsky

 
Lev Vygotsky

 
Alexander Luria

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Part III: Modern Disciplines of Psychology
 
Chapter 10: Physiological and Comparative Psychology
Brain and Behavior

 
Brain and Mind

 
Nature of Love

 
Ethology: Konrad Lorenz and Nikolaas Tinbergen

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 11: Cognitive Psychology
Early Approaches

 
Cognitive Revolution

 
Ecological and Social Approaches

 
Judgment and Decision Making

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 12: Social Psychology
Social Influence

 
Social Cognition

 
Social Perception

 
Social Relations

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 13: Developmental Psychology
Attachment

 
Social Learning

 
Nature and Nurture

 
Social Development

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 14: Personality Psychology
Trait Approach

 
Dynamic Approach

 
Factor Approach

 
Social Cognitive Approach

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 15: Humanistic Psychology
Carl Rogers

 
Abraham Maslow

 
Human Development

 
Positive Psychology

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Chapter 16: Neuroscience
Behavioral Neuroscience

 
Cognitive Neuroscience

 
Affective Neuroscience

 
Neuroscience: The Future or the End of Psychology?

 
Looking Ahead

 
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Concept Glossary
 
Person Glossary
 
References
 
Author Index
 
Subject Index
Chapter Summary

 
Discussion Questions

 
On the Web

 
 
Concept Glossary
 
Person Glossary
 
References
 
Author Index
 
Subject Index

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapters 1 and 2


For instructors

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