The History of Japanese Psychology - (Soas Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan) by Brian J McVeigh (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Through a focus on the contributions of pioneers such as Motora Yujiro (1858-1912) and Matsumoto Matataro (1865-1943), this book explores the origins of Japanese psychology, charting cross-cultural connections, commonalities, and the transition from religious-moralistic to secular-scientific definitions of human nature.

Emerging at the intersection of philosophy, pedagogy, physiology, and physics, psychology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries confronted the pressures of industrialization and became allied with attempts to integrate individual subjectivities into larger institutions and organizations. Such social management was accomplished through Japan's establishment of a schooling system that incorporated psychological research, making educational practices both products of and the driving force behind changing notions of selfhood. In response to new forms of labor and loyalty, applied psychology led to or became implicated in personality tests, personnel selection, therapy, counseling, military science, colonial policies, and "national spirit." The birth of Japanese psychology, however, was more than a mere adaptation to the challenges of modernity: it heralded a transformation of the very mental processes it claimed to be exploring.

With detailed appendices, tables and charts to provide readers with a meticulous and thorough exploration of the subject and adopting a truly comparative perspective, The History of Japanese Psychology is a unique study that will be valuable to students and scholars of Japanese intellectual history and the history of psychology.

Review Quotes

"The History of Japanese Psychology is a landmark piece that will come in handy for a reader interested in the history of psychology, Japanese psychology, or Buddhist philosophy, or anyone interested in this specific slice of evolution of social science in comparison with Western psychology." --H-Japan

"Provides a present-centered, Westernized view of psychology in Japan, and a source collection which privileges those "national heroes" who fit a positivist conception of engaging with the "psychological."" --Journal of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies

"McVeigh's History of Japanese Psychology is nothing short of a landmark achievement in the history of psychology. He is both detailed and comprehensive in providing a rich understanding the historical, cultural, and social forces that colluded to bring about the "interiorization" of the person, and thus the emergence of a modern Psychology in Japan. Spanning over 1,000 years of history, he illustrates not only an evolution of concepts dealing with subjectivity, but how the consumer of psychological knowledge, on a more practical level, is also affected." --Scott Greer, University of Prince Edward Island, USA

About the Author