Problem:
Once the material to be included in a history of psychology has been chosen, the matter of an organizational approach remains. Most academic histories, including this one, adopt a chronological approach. Although that establishes a sensible progression, we will see that some topics, such as the mind-body problem or the question of nature versus nurture, will recur. Many of these recurring matters are introduced later in this chapter. Another question of organization concerns how much to emphasize the influence of such nonpsychological matters as developments in other sciences, political climate, technological advancement, and socioeconomic conditions. Together, these and other factors create a Zeitgeist, or a spirit of the times, which many historians consider vital to the full understanding of any historical development. For example, Ogburn and Thomas (1922) documented numerous discoveries that were independently made by two people at essentially the same time-a phenomenon we will also see in psychology-which suggests that "the time was right" for such a discovery. Need Assignment Help?