Explorations in the History of Psychology: Persisting Themata and Changing Paradigms

Van Belle traces the history of psychology from its roots in Greek philosophy and includes a description of the later influence of the Hebraic-Christian mindset on that history. Subsequently he follows the journey of psychology through the Middle Ages and the scientific revolution of the sixteenth century. Next he describes the birth and trajectory of psychology proper during the nineteenth century and closes with a description of a number of the more contemporary schools of psychological thought. The underlying thesis of the text is that the history of psychology gives evidence of both continuity and discontinuity in interaction with one another. Thus to do justice to the actual history of psychology one must take note of both persisting themata and changing paradigms.