Review of A Survey of the Science of Psychology

Abstract

Reviews the book, A Survey of the Science of Psychology by J. R. Kantor (1933). The history of psychology for nearly half a century shows a constantly increasing struggle for objectivity. Twenty years ago a school of psychology waxed strong and contributed much to experimental methodology and something to theoretical concepts. Today, behaviorism is being seen in clearer perspective as a physiology gone psychic. However, the failure of behaviorism, and certain other attempts, to develop an objective psychology as a science in its own right, and not confused with physiology, does not mean that such a desideratum is impossible of achievement. In this book, following the introduction chapter, six chapters are devoted to the reactional biography and its development to the final culmination in a psychological personality. Attending, perceiving, knowledge, feeling, emotion, remembering, learning, language, thinking, volition and imagination are all treated as different aspects and types of interactions. The last six chapters consider the biological and anthropological matrices of human behavior. Forty-five pages of selected references form one of the best reading lists thus far suggested for elementary psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)