The Romance of American Psychology: Political Culture in the Age of Experts

Ellen Herman

Published by University of California Press 1995

The Romance of American Psychology

Political Culture in the Age of Experts

Ellen Herman

https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520310315

Overview
Contents

About this book

Psychological insight is the creed of our time. A quiet academic discipline two generations ago, psychology has become a voice of great cultural authority, informing everything from family structure to government policy. How has this fledgling science become the source of contemporary America's most potent ideology? In this groundbreaking book--the first to fully explore the political and cultural significance of psychology in post-World War II America--Ellen Herman tells the story of Americans' love affair with the behavioral sciences. It began during wartime. The atmosphere of crisis sustained from the 1940s through the Cold War gave psychological "experts" an opportunity to prove their social theories and behavioral techniques. Psychologists, sociologists, and anthropologists carved a niche within government and began shaping military, foreign, and domestic policy. Herman examines this marriage of politics and psychology, which continued through the tumultuous 1960s. Psychological professionals' influence also spread among the general public. Drawn by promises of mental health and happiness, people turned to these experts for enlightenment. Their opinions validated postwar social movements from civil rights to feminism and became the basis of a new world view. Fascinating and long overdue, this book illuminates one of the dominant forces in American society.

Topics

General Interest

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Abbreviations Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	XI
1. In the Name of Enlightenment Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. War on the Enemy Mind Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
3. The Dilemmas of Democratic Morale Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	48
4. Nervous in the Service Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	82
5. The Career of Cold War Psychology Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	124
6. Project Camelot and Its Aftermath Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
7. The Damaging Psychology of Race Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	174
8. The Kerner Commission and the Experts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	208
9. The Growth Industry Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	238
10. The Curious Courtship of Psychology and Women's Liberation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	276
11. Toward a Larger Jurisdiction for Psychology Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	304
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	317
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	395

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: University of California Press
Edition: Reprint 2020
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 424
Keywords: World War I; World War II; psychology; political science; political history; culture; cultural psychology; Cold War; history of psychology; domestic policy

eBook

Published: December 16, 2020
ISBN: 9780520310315