Publisher's Synopsis
At the end of the 18th century, leading minds of the age believed that psychology was inherently constrained from rising to the level of a natural science. By the beginning of the 20th century, scientific psychology was pervasive. How did this change occur so quickly? This study reveals some of the intellectual, social, technological and institutional currents and practices that were commonplace during the 19th century that fostered a radical reappraisal of the scientific possibilities for psychology.;Whereas the "standard" historical narrative focuses on Fechner's psychophysics, Helmholtz's physiology, and Wundt's physiological psychology, this volume explores a collection of diverse areas of study that attempted to render psychology scientific. The currents of thought encountered include eugenics and mathematical beauty to prognosticators and phrenologists.
