The History Of Psychotherapy. Lecture 2. Historical Background Of Psychotherapy (Part IV)

This lecture reviews the work of William James, focusing on his ideas about consciousness and personality as presented in "The Principles of Psychology" and "The Varieties of Religious Experience." It traces how James's concepts influenced the development of psychology and psychotherapy. The lecture also summarizes key 19th-century historical events that shaped psychotherapy's emergence.

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Abstract

The paper continues the cycle of lectures by Igor Borisovitch Grinshpun on history of psychotherapy. The current part of the lecture recounts the work of American psychologist and philosopher William James. His main works “The Principles of Psychology” and “The Varieties of Religious Experience” are discussed, his ideas on consciousness and personality are considered, and their influence on psychology and psychotherapy is traced. This lecture takes stock of the historical background of psychotherapy and makes a summary of the main events of the 19th century, which either influenced psychotherapy directly or proved significant to the development of psychotherapy. Students and colleagues of I.B. Grinshpun prepared the text for publication: Yana Bovbas, Ekaterina Mazaeva, Maria Marchenkova.