Review of Current psychologies: A critical synthesis

Abstract

Reviews the book, Current psychologies: A critical synthesis by A. J. Levine. After eight chapters in which are pointed out the tenets of some systems of psychology, the author comes out with an explanation of why there are several views, or at least why everyone is not a behaviorist. The list of schools dealt with here is a rather unconventional one to say the least. It starts with physiological psychology and branches off into behaviorism and functionalism within the first chapter. The present reviewer should like to point out that the contents of this book are not couched in the clearest language. If this is to inaugurate a series of text-books, as the publisher's note states, the author might well have made some concession to students and presented the material in a more lucid form. Although the critical synthesis is satisfactory, it cannot be expected that this book will find favor in the hands of the average undergraduate. From the reviewer's point of view both Heidbreder's "Seven Psychologies" and Keller's "The Definition of Psychology" are to be recommended in preference to this. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)