William McDougall: biography of this controversial psychologist and researcher.

This British psychologist was criticized for his opposition to behaviorism and his defense of eugenics.

William McDougall (1891-1938) was an American psychologist recognized as one of the founders of social psychology. In addition, he contributed significantly to the study of psychopathology after war experiences, paranormal psychology and instinct theories.

In this article we will look at a biography of William McDougall and some of his major contributions to the development of psychology.

William McDougall: biography of a pioneer in psychology.

William McDougall was born on June 22, 1891 in Lancashire, England. He was the son of Shimwell McDougall and Rebekah Smalley, an upper-class industrialist couple originally from Scotland. As a young man, McDougall had the opportunity to attend private schools in both England and Germany. He was trained in different areas, not only in psychology but also in the natural sciences, and presided over different psychological associations.

He also served as a professor in the most prestigious American universities, where he was recognized as an important psychologist, although at the same time he generated intense debates on the study of the mind and eugenics. In the same context he published numerous important worksHe died in Durham, North Carolina, in 1938, but not before ceasing to work as a professor at Duke University.

Academic and professional training

In the beginning William McDougall was interested in the natural sciences, despite his father's interest inalthough his father encouraged him to study law. His mother, on the other hand, supported him to begin university studies in science at a very young age, which he soon began at the University of Manchester, specifically in the areas of biology and geology.

Finally, in 1894, he obtained a degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University in 1894.. At the same university, McDougall became strongly interested in the study of human behavior. However, to specialize in this field, it was necessary at that time to first be trained in medicine. By 1989, McDougall had already obtained a medical degree with a specialty in psychology and neurology.

During this period he became particularly interested in the work of one of the most renowned scientists of the time, William James.

Motivated by his work, McDougall ended up focusing specifically on psychology. Thus, in the year 1898, and in the context of the University of Cambridge, McDougall began to investigate one of the problems that have been most present throughout the development of psychology: the mind-body relationship..

Two years later he did some work related to the anthropology of the time, specifically on the Asian island of Borneo, and a year later he moved to Germany, where he specialized in experimental psychology under the guidance of another of the great scientists of the time, G.E. Muller.

Theoretical contributions

William McDougall developed extensively in psychology. In the North American context where the latter discipline was being consolidated, McDougall contributed different knowledge on experimental psychology, paranormal psychology, psychopathology and social psychology in relation to instincts.

He also he maintained various arguments in favor of eugenics.The first was that of a psychologist, and others against the behaviorist currents, which generated a certain rejection from the North American scientific community. We will see below some of the theoretical proposals of this psychologist.

Experimental psychology applied to the study of the psyche

After his return to England, this psychologist worked as a teacher and researcher. In fact, McDougall is recognized as the founder of experimental psychology in Oxford..

In the same context, he founded the British Psychological Society and the British Journal of Psychology, and worked together with the physician and anthropologist Francis Galton and the psychologist Charles Spearman, a specialist in intelligence and statistics. These collaborations allowed him to develop work on a Wide range of topics, from eugenics to the development of intelligence tests.

In 1911, in the face of the development of different approaches to behavior and the human psyche, McDougall worked with Carl Jung, McDougall worked together with Carl Jungand was interested in studying abnormal psychology from an experimental method. In fact, McDougall defended the scientific existence of the soul.

For him, the human being is composed of both soul and body, and one of the tasks of science is to explain the relationship between the two. Among other things, this led him to the study of telepathy and near-death experiences.

Studies in psychopathology and debates on his thought.

World War II opened the way for William McDougall to develop new interests and research.

After participating with the members of the British army who had survived the war, McDougall became interested in psychopathology and ended up chairing the Section of Psychiatry of the Royal Society of Medicine in 1918. in 1918. He also chaired the British Society for Psychical Research in 1920.

This, together with his closeness to William James, opened the way for him to become a professor at Harvard University in the 1920's. However, McDougall's work did not cease to be controversial in the American context where psychology was consolidating.

Behaviorism was gaining more and more recognition, and McDougall not only did not subscribe to this trend, but also remained quite critical of it. He defended the study of psychic phenomena, since, for McDougall, psychology should be holistic, i.e., it should take into consideration different factors beyond the material to understand human behavior.

On the other hand, McDougall was heavily criticized for his arguments in defense of eugenics. Specifically, he argued that heredity played a fundamental role in human behavior, and moreover, that heredity differed among the different races of the human species.Moreover, heredity differed among the different races of the human species. Therefore, one of the means to enhance the abilities of the human species was eugenics, or "selective breeding" to enhance the most valued genes.

Theory of instincts and intentional psychology

True to his training in the natural sciences, he believed in the scientific method as applied to psychology, and defended the theory of instincts. He held that the latter could best explain all types of human behavior.

He understood instincts as innate psychophysical dispositions.. For McDougall, it is the instincts that allow us to develop the cognitive component of behavior, the emotional component and the volitional component. For example, they allow us to attend to different objects, after attending to them experience emotions, and finally act towards them in a certain way.

Thus, behavior is not a response to something external that triggers it, but behavior is the result of an internal motivation due to human instincts. This is why he called his approach "intensional psychology". Behavior is, moreover, a response that is always goal-orientedIt is useful and pursues a purpose. However, this purpose may remain hidden and may not be consciously understood by the person who performs the behavior.

Outstanding works

Some of William McDougall's most influential works include Introduction to Social Psychologyin 1908, in which he developed his theory of instincts. This work, in fact, is considered one of the classic texts of psychology, as well as one of the first to focus on the relationship between the individual and society. In the same sense is considered one of the foundational texts of social psychology..

Also recognized is his work Body and Mindof 1911, in which he defended the scientific existence of the soul; and Outline of Abnormal Psychologyof 1926, where his research on psychopathology is reflected.

Bibliographical references:

• William McDougall (2014). New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 01, 2018. Available at http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/William_McDougall.
• William McDougall (2018). Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 01 October 2018. Available at https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-McDougall-American-psychologist.