2000 HSS/PSA Program 1 - History of Science Society

HSS Abstracts
was led by “architects” of the Synthesis. The designated botanist of the
Synthesis, G. Ledyard Stebbins, agreed with Mayr that Botany was “delayed
in entering the Synthesis” in comparison to zoology and paleontology.
However, when one looks at the kind of work being done in botany during the
1930s and 1940s, it becomes clear why many botanists did not accept major
tenets of the Synthesis narrative—even as revised by Stebbins. Botanists had
to decide whether to keep their more pluralistic understanding of species and
speciation, or sacrifice some of their concepts to join the newly forming field
of evolutionary biology. Much of the history of this period reflects botany as
it was contextualized by Mayr, Stebbins and others, thus missing the “voice”
and culture of botanical activity that did not fit into the dominant Synthesis
stories. In order to analyze the impact of Mayr’s and Stebbins’ narratives, I
examine three prominent botanists who did not readily join in what many see
as one of the greatest intellectual achievements of the twentieth century: Jens
Clausen, David Keck, and William Hiesey. Although much of their perspective
is lost in the Evolutionary Synthesis narrative, Clausen, Keck, and Hiesey laid
much of the foundation for plant researchers in the latter half of this century.
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Hans Pols University of New Hampshire
Teaching Adjustment:
Undergraduate Psychology Courses in Human Development, 1920-1960
In the 1930s, courses called “Mental Hygiene,” “Human Adjustment,” or “The
Psychology of Personality” courses were taught at virtually all colleges where
they became the very first course in psychology any student would take. These
courses focused on aiding students in maintaining and enhancing their own
mental health. A whole textbook market was geared to provide appropriate
readings for them. Authors of such books expressed the view that, following
the ideals of a liberal arts education, colleges did not only need to impart
knowledge but also needed to form the characters and personalities of the
students in their charge. Since psychology was the science of human nature,
these psychologists thought that they were the most suitable teachers of these
courses. In this paper I contend that these courses in psychology both presented
the latest results of psychological investigation and culturally, ethnically, and
class-specific views of how individuals should lead their lives and how they
should resolve problems they encountered. In the 1920s and 1930s, these
courses emphasized the importance of habit training and regularity. In the
post-World-War II years, their focus changed to an interest in emotional
dynamics. In the 1950s, a third type of textbook appeared, presenting an
overview of results of psychological research relevant to mental health, leaving
it to the student to apply these to practical situations. In the 1950s, when the
discipline of psychology grew exponentially, the opposition among
psychologists against these courses grew. Many scientifically-oriented