The following program was originally written for a two-week section of an orientation course for psychology majors and minors. Thus, it is rather humble in its scope. I chose to focus on the intellectual history from which psychology emerged as well as the cultural context in which it continued to evolve. Much of the history of psychology itself I leave to the various content-specific courses within the department (e.g. Abnormal Psychology and Theories of Learning). I have relied primarily upon secondary sources while writing this history, and while some of major errors that can occur with that approach have come to my attention and have been rectified other errors probably remain. In my selection of topics I have been at least somewhat affected by what is interesting--what gives the history of psychology its unique zing--I hope you enjoy it.
In my own mind history should begin at the bottom of a page, and then progress upward. So, scroll down to the bottom of the following image to begin. The icons and yellow boxes are linked to further information (and so click on them). The threads of influence through time are represented by blue lines.