A new issue of Revista de Historia de la Psychología is now available online. Articles in this issue explore the work of Charles Richet (right), Gustav Ichheiser, José Ingenieros, and Rudolf Allers, as well as the history of pedology in Russia and Bulgaria. Titles, authors, and English-language abstracts follow below.
“El concepto de inteligencia inconsciente en la obra de Charles Richet (1850-1935),” by Manuel Sánchez de Miguel, Carlos Mª Alcover, and Izarne Lizaso. The abstract reads,
The phenomenon known as spiritualism reached its maximum popularity and expansion in the period from the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The French physician and physiologist Charles Richet, Nobel Prize in physiology (1913) represents the attempt to consolidate a new experimental science known as metaphysics dedicated to the study of unknown phenomena as an alternative to spiritualistic theories. This multifaceted researcher advocates the rigorous study of the strange phenomena based on their knowledge of physiological psychology, a middle course of study located between the spiritualist called scientific medicine and scientific psychology. This paper analyses his biography and his work, the controversies raised by spiritualist current and orthodox medicine on the phenomenon of mediums, linking to the historical study of the genesis and evolution of the concept proposed by Richet, the unconscious intelligence, misunderstood term and relegated to historical oblivion.
“No hay nada malo en ser diferente: notas sobre la psicología crítica de Gustav Ichheiser,” by Eduardo Crespo. The abstract reads,
The work of Gustav Ichheiser has had very limited impact on the subsequent development of social psychology. The recovery of his work is not only an act of justice but a contribution to the understanding of the present time. His ideas about epistemology, the deconstruction of the obvious and the concept of stereotypes present an original point of view that characterizes the work of Ichheiser as a critical social psychology. His work is at a key moment in European psychology, marked by a phenomenological reflection. His own life, marked by exile, embodies, in a way, the drama and the paradox of a critical perspective that questions the obviousness and the unquestionability of common sense.
“José Ingenieros y la cultura española. Una visión psicosocial,” by Helio Carpintero. The abstract reads,
José Ingenieros (1877-1925), the well-known Argentinian born philosopher and psychologist, published in 1916 an interesting study on «The philosophical culture in Spain». Throughout its pages, he analyzed the philosophical background of modern Spanish mentality as well as its conflict with the forces leading to the independence of Argentina in the 19th century. Enlightenment and conservatism played a substantial role in this process, and also determined the evolution of philosophical culture in modern Spain. Ingenieros was also deeply interested in the advent of a more open mentality in Spain, with which he maintained a close relationship in the early days of the 20th century. Ingenieros’ research is both a study on cultural movements and social mentalities, two central topics in his work, and it gives a clue on the ways the Spanish metropolis influenced the new Latin-American societies emerging through the breakdown of Spain’s old colonial empire.
“A historical-comparative analysis of the theoretical bases of pedology in Russia and Bulgaria,” by Elena Sergeevna Minkova and Mariyana Dimitrova Nyagolova. The abstract reads,
The aim of this paper is to identify the main prerequisites of pedology as a new branch of psychological knowledge in Bulgaria and Russia. Through the analysis of the work of Russian and Bulgarian psychologists and pedagogues, this study sheds light upon the history of pedology, as a complex science of children. In exploring foundational texts in pedology, we expand the field of historiography by incorporating data on the formation of pedology in Russia and Bulgaria at the beginning of 20th century, taking into account the features of socio-economic and cultural background.
“La crítica de Rudolf Allers a los fundamentos del psicoanálisis freudiano: axiomas, falacias y principios filosóficos,” by Joaquín García-Alandete. The abstract reads,
Despite the relevance that he had in the past, the Viennese psychiatrist Rudolf Allers has been virtually relegated to fallen into oblivion. This paper presents the main axes of his criticism to psychoanalysis, which Allers denounces as having an aporetic nature, by resting on axioms and fallacies that violate the fundamental principles of the epistemological rigor. These criticisms preserve its relevance today since it relates to the foundations of theoretical psychoanalytic corpus and had not received a satisfactory reply from the psychoanalytic community.