Heinz Werner (1890-1964) was one of the three key developmental
psychologists of the 20th century - along with Jean Piaget and Lev
Vygotsky. This book is a new exploration of Werner's ideas and their
social contexts - in Vienna in his student years, in Hamburg up to 1933,
followed by the years of transit as an immigrant to America at times of
economic depression, finally culminating in his establishment of the
prominent "Clark tradition" in American psychology in the 1950s. The
book offers an in-depth analysis of Werner's ideas as they were
originally formulated in Vienna and Hamburg, and how they were changed
by North American influences. Werner's pivotal role between European and
American intellectual traditions is illuminated through the use of rich
memories of his former students, unique documents from Werner's personal
library at Clark, and analyses of links with other European traditions
in philosophy and biological sciences. The European period (prior to
1933) in Werner's academic life is found to be definitive for Werner's
contributions to science. The ideas developed in his early career
continued in the form of a productive empirical research program in the
1950s at Clark. An analysis of the social-intellectual climate of the
development of psychology in America in the 1950s is a special feature
of this book that will further enhance an understanding of Werner's
unique contribution
This book will be of interest to developmental psychologists,
sociologists and historians of science, philosophers, practitioners
working in special education and neuropsychology, and for general
readers interested in the history of ideas and life courses of
scientists.
