Before the deluge: The 1932 International Congress of Psychology in Copenhagen.

Abstract

The Tenth International Congress of Psychology, held in Copenhagen in late August of 1932, was the last International Congress held before events leading up to World War II came to interfere with the course of the congresses. Despite the difficult times, primarily because of the Great Depression and the fragile political situation, the congress nevertheless managed to bring together participants from many countries, thus emphasizing the international profile of psychology. The 1932 congress was characterized by the wide range of topics presented and discussed. A book of proceedings, containing all the papers delivered, was planned but never appeared, as the organizers of the congress were unable to obtain funds required for the publication. Therefore, relatively little has been written about the congress. The congress, however, aroused great interest in the Danish newspapers. Many participants took part in interviews, casting an interesting light on their approaches to psychology. The newspaper reports, along with archival sources, make it possible to describe the course of the conference. It clearly emerges that psychology had, by this time, shed the narrow experimental focus of its earliest decades. The gathering clouds of international unrest had some effects on the course of the congress. Shortly after the congress, the careers and even the lives of many of the participants faced serious challenges. (PsycINFO Database Record