Deutschsprachige Psychologinnen und Psychologen 1933–1945

Wolfradt, Uwe; Billmann‐Mahecha, Elfriede; Stock, Armin

doi:10.1007/978-3-658-01481-0

Cited by 7 publications

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“…The continued development of these practices during the Nazi era is much less known. Even recent sources such as the “Persona Lexicon of German Psychologists 1933–1945” (Wolfradt et al, 2015) show a strong bias toward psychologists who pursued an academic career, which is why neither Baar nor Schürer-Waldheim are mentioned there. The few case studies that have been published so far are concerned with practical psychologists who later pursued academic careers (Herrmann, 2012; Postert & Hanzig, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In two recent publications, Wolfgang Schönpflug (2017, 2020) challenged this narrative and emphasized the losses and hardship that the discipline faced due to the rise of National Socialism and the outbreak of war. Geuter’s analysis has been challenged before (Flik, 1988; Hofstätter, 1985), but Schönpflug is the first to do this in a long time, and he also refers to works from the history of science that have been published in the meantime (Nagel, 2012; Wolfradt et al, 2015). In order to give English-speaking audiences a broader understanding of the implications and the background of the discussions regarding the involvement of psychologists in Nazi Germany, this article first provides an introduction and historical contextualization of the dispute.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Psychology in national socialism: The question of “professionalization” and the case of the “Ostmark”.

Wieser¹,

Benetka²

2022

History of Psychology

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This article presents a contextualization and revaluation of competing narratives concerning the history of psychology in Nazi Germany. Since the 1980s, this debate revolves around the supposed "professionalization" of the discipline from Hitler's rise to power until the end of World War II. The question whether or not academic psychology has profited from collaborating with the Nazi regime during the war is not just of historical interest, but also carries strong political and moral implications. Recently, the established narrative concerning the professionalization of German psychology under National Socialism was called into question by Wolfgang Schönpflug. According to his argumentation, psychology did not benefit from the war, but had to suffer considerable losses on terms of personnel and quality in teaching and research. After reconstructing the historical context and the political implications of the debate, we propose to take a different perspective on the question of "professionalization." Three case examples of psychologists from Austria whose career advanced significantly during the war are provided to shed light on the multitude of opportunities that emerged for those who offered their psychological expertise during the war. In conclusion, it is argued that professionalization should be understood as a theoretical framework that stimulates further historical research on a local level, not as a dogmatic judgment about the state of the discipline as a whole.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychology in national socialism: The question of “professionalization” and the case of the “Ostmark”.

Wieser¹,

Benetka²

2022

History of Psychology

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“…A recent volume that documents psychology in Germany between 1933 and 1945 (Wolfradt, Billmann-Mahecha, & Stock, 2015) provides an unprecedented look at the individuals identified as psychologists in Germany during the period of National Socialism 1 . The book—referred to here as the “WBS volume”—contains the biographies of 344 psychologists compiled by 44 authors.…”

Section: German Psychology In the 1940s: Graduates Professionals And ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of those listed in the WBS volume, 215, or about 60%, were members of the GPA ( Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie ; Wolfradt et al, 2015, p. 553). In the 1930s and 1940s, the GPA had between 300 and 400 members—less than the total number of 650 German psychologists estimated above.…”

Section: German Psychology In the 1940s: Graduates Professionals And ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Professional psychology in Germany, National Socialism, and the Second World War.

Schönpflug

2017

History of Psychology

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Hundreds of positions for psychologists were established after the National Socialists seized power in 1933. It has accordingly been asserted that professional psychology in Germany experienced significant growth during the National Socialist period. An analysis of archival materials and of a recent collection of biographies indicates otherwise, however. German psychology, in fact, declined because of systematic persecution and a surge of emigration, a deficit that subsequent cohorts were barely able to make up until 1945. The new positions for psychologists were mainly in the military testing service, and could only be filled after manpower was shifted from the civilian to the military sector. In 1941, the Ministry of Science and Education released regulations for an innovative practice-oriented national curriculum for psychology. The move was in line with Nazi policy, but it was initiated by a group of protagonists from psychology under the aegis of the German Psychological Association, not the National Socialist German Workers Party, the government, or the military. The present article elaborates how the conception of practice-oriented, state-approved studies was part of the traditional German dual system of academic and professional qualification, and thus actually predated 1933. The new curriculum was largely not implemented because of the exigencies of the war. However, as a regulatory framework it marked a turning point in the merging of academic and professional psychology in Germany. The relationship between academic and professional psychology is also discussed, along with the role of German psychology vis-à-vis National Socialism and the German military. (PsycINFO Database Record

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Beck, Max (1887–1950)

De Santis

2023

Encyclopedia of Phenomenology

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Deutschsprachige Psychologinnen und Psychologen 1933–1945

Cited by 7 publications

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Psychology in national socialism: The question of “professionalization” and the case of the “Ostmark”.

Psychology in national socialism: The question of “professionalization” and the case of the “Ostmark”.

Professional psychology in Germany, National Socialism, and the Second World War.

Beck, Max (1887–1950)

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