A History of Psychology: Ideas and Context, Second Edition, is a comprehensive history of psychology tracing psychological thought from ancient times through late twentieth century developments. Opening chapters on historiography and philosophical problems in psychology provide important pedagogical tools for orienting the reader to materials covered in the rest of the text. Though this book covers most of the standard topics usually covered in courses in history and systems of psychology, it devotes more attention than most texts to the intellectual trends that preceded the formal founding of psychology. Major classic systems of psychological thought are covered along with key developments in the history of basic and applied psychology. A final epilogue sketches major trends in psychology in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Extensively tested in undergraduate and graduate classes in the history of psychology, this text is designed to be “user friendly” in terms of clarity of exposition and availability of study aids such as glossaries, pronunciation keys for difficult names, and discussion questions following each chapter. A library of multiple-choice items constructed by William Douglas Woody is available to instructors. The library of text items also includes helpful suggestions for video materials that complement the various chapters.