- Granville Stanley Hall
Granville Stanley Hall (
February 1 ,1844 -April 24 ,1924 ) was a pioneering Americanpsychologist andeducator . His interests focused on childhood development and evolutionary theory. Hall was the first president of theAmerican Psychological Association and the first president ofClark University .Born in Ashfield,
Massachusetts , Hall graduated fromWilliams College in 1867, then studied at the Union Theological Seminary. Inspired byWilhelm Wundt 's "Principles of Physiological Psychology", he earned his doctorate in psychology underWilliam James atHarvard University , after which he spent time at Wundt'sLeipzig laboratory.He began his career by teaching English and philosophy at
Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. In 1882 (until 1888), he was appointed as a Professor of Psychology and Pedagogics atJohns Hopkins University , and began what is considered to be the first American psychology laboratory. [http://www.ithaca.edu/beins/gsh/gsh_bio.htm A Brief Biographical Sketch of G. Stanley Hall] ] There, Hall objected vehemently to the emphasis on teaching traditional subjects, e.g., Latin, mathematics, science and history, in high school, arguing instead that high school should focus more on the education of adolescents than on preparing students for college.In 1887, he founded the "American Journal of Psychology" and in 1892 was appointed as the first president of the
American Psychological Association . In 1899, he was named the first President ofClark University , a post he filled until 1920. During his 31 years as President, Hall remained intellectually active. He was instrumental in the development ofeducational psychology , and attempted to determine the effectadolescence has oneducation . He was also responsible for invitingSigmund Freud andCarl Jung to visit and deliver lectures in 1909.Darwin's theory of evolution and
Ernst Haeckel 'srecapitulation theory were large influences on Hall's career. These ideas prompted Hall to examine aspects of childhood development in order to learn about the inheritance of behavior. The subjective character of these studies made their validation impossible.His work also delved into controversial portrayals of the differences between women and men, as well as the concept of racialeugenics .Hall coined the phrase "Storm and Stress" with reference to
adolescence , taken from the GermanSturm und Drang -movement. Its three key aspects are: conflict with parents, mood disruptions, and risky behavior. As was later the case with the work ofLev Vygotsky andJean Piaget , public interest in this phrase and Hall's originating role, faded. Recent research has led to some reconsideration of the phrase and its denotation. In its three aspects, recent evidence supports storm-and-stress, but modified to take into account individual differences and cultural variations. Currently, pyschologists do not accept storm-and-stress as universal, but do acknowledge the possibility in brief passing. Not all adolescents experience storm-and-stress, but storm-and-stress is more likely during adolescence than at other ages.Hall's major books were "Adolescence" (1904) and "Aspects of Child Life and Education" (1921).
Hall also coined the technical words describing types of
tickling ;knismesis or feather-like tickling, andgargalesis for the harder, laughter inducing type.Literary activities
An important contributor to educational literature, and a leading authority in that field, he founded and was editor of the "American Journal of Psychology" and edited also the "Pedagogical Seminary" (after 1892), the "American Journal of Religious Psychology and Education" (after 1904), and the "Journal of Race Development" (after 1910). Among his books are:
* "Aspects of German Culture" (1881)
* "Hints toward a Select and Descriptive Bibliography of Education" (1886), with John M. Mansfield
* "The Contents of Children's Minds on Entering School" (1894)
* "Adolescence" (two volumes, 1904)
* "Youth: Its Education and Regimen" (1906)
* "Educational Problems" (two volumes, 1911)References and external links
*
* [http://vlp.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/people/data?id=per297 Biography and bibliography] in theVirtual Laboratory of theMax Planck Institute for the History of Science Publications to consult
Consult G. E. Partridge, "Genetic Philosophy of Education: An Epitome of the Published Writings of G. Stanley Hall" (New York, 1912)
New International Encyclopedia
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