Edited Books by Johann Louw
For the last 25 years, Kurt Danziger's work has been at the center of developments in history and... more For the last 25 years, Kurt Danziger's work has been at the center of developments in history and theory of psychology. This volume makes Danziger's work the focal point of a variety of contributions representing several active areas of research. The authors are among the leading figures in history and theory of psychology from North America, Europe and South Africa, including Danziger himself. This work will serve as a point of departure for those who wish to acquaint themselves with some of the most important issues in this field.
Book chapters by Johann Louw
Method and selection criteria • Quantity: Increasing the number of PhDs produced in South Africa ... more Method and selection criteria • Quantity: Increasing the number of PhDs produced in South Africa -Capacity to supervise -Institutional pressure -More efficient models to produce PhDs? -Concerns about quality -Student preparedness -Postdoctoral positions • Efficiency: Improving performance and completion rates -Selection or acceptance of doctoral candidates -Funding -Administration -Departmental and institutional support -Supervision -Research experience -PhD thesis examination as quality control • Summary of findings • In conclusion
D. Baker, The Oxford Handbook of the History of Psychology , 2012
A. Brock (Ed.), Internationalizing the history of Psychology, 2006
A. Winston (Ed.), Defining Difference: Race and Racism in the History of Psychology, 2004
D. Foster and J. Louw-Potgieter (Eds), Social Psychology in South Africa. , 1991
Edited Journals by Johann Louw
Papers: History of Psychology by Johann Louw
South African Journal of Science, 2021
Ten years after the conclusion of World War II, the Department of Native Affairs of the National ... more Ten years after the conclusion of World War II, the Department of Native Affairs of the National Party government of South Africa sponsored research into the selection of African civil servants. The study
was conducted by Rae Sherwood, under the auspices of the National Social Research Council, and the National Institute for Personnel Research. In 1960, Sherwood submitted the work to the Witwatersrand to obtain a PhD degree. Two government departments objected to the award of the degree. In this paper, I recount the history of the research, explaining that the acceleration of the apartheid project between 1948 and 1961 played a significant role in the controversy that developed. The paper furthermore illustrates the difficulties faced by social scientific research under repressive political conditions, and the need for a more nuanced view of the psychological research of the National Institute for Personnel Research in South Africa at the time. Significance: • The history of South Africa's research organisations has been of interest for a long time. This study recalls the history of an unknown chapter in the history of the National Institute for Personnel Research, based on a PhD submission kept under embargo in the archives of the University of the Witwatersrand. The study was methodologically sophisticated, rich in data, but controversial in its findings, at least as it reflected on the policies pursued by the apartheid government after World War II. It adds another contextual element to the type of work conducted by the Institute.
OMEGA—Journal of Death and Dying, 2019
This work presents a historical analysis of death announcements (N ¼ 1,443) posted in the New Yor... more This work presents a historical analysis of death announcements (N ¼ 1,443) posted in the New York Times between 1912 and 2002. Announcements were coded according to two main categories: the genre of the announcement and the presence of emotion words. Four distinct main genres emerged: death notices, memorials, recognition postings by organizations, and recognition postings by nonorganizational parties (friends and family). The proportion of death notices declined steadily from 1912 to 2002, while the proportion of announcements paying tribute to the deceased increased. The announcements were also analyzed in terms of emotion words used, and it is argued that the increasing frequency of emotion words used in the death announcements reflects a progressive emotionalization and psychologization of grief and loss.
History of Psychology, 2019
In April 1962, a new mental hospital was inaugurated in Belville, a town near Cape Town, South Af... more In April 1962, a new mental hospital was inaugurated in Belville, a town near Cape Town, South Africa. Stikland Mental Hospital was planned as mental health care was changing with the introduction of psychotropic drugs and renewed debates about deinstitutionalization—and as the South African legislature formalized the system known as “apartheid.” This article focuses on this hospital, which embodied many
global ideas about treatment and management of the mentally ill but which also incorporated the local politics of strict racial segregation. It had been planned in response to overcrowded mental hospitals in the 1950s, but by the time it opened, new forms of treatment had produced a surplus of beds for White patients. Architecturally, the hospital was conceived with the general principles of the villa plan in mind, although
utilitarian aspects, such as patient and staff numbers, gardens, and budgets, dominated the design of the buildings. The public relations exercises undertaken highlight the negotiations involved in building a mental hospital in 1960s South Africa, but the example of Stikland also showcases new plans for research and training in mental health
professions in the 1960s and 1970s. Disciplines such as clinical psychology benefited from the professional training opportunities provided. Overall, Stikland Mental Hospital therefore provides an important perspective on deinstitutionalization outside its familiar
settings and historical accounts.
South African Journal of Psychology, 2015
The database of the 2011 South African census results provides an additional source of data to
un... more The database of the 2011 South African census results provides an additional source of data to
understand psychology education in South Africa. Despite the limitations of the data, the emerging
picture is a familiar one: Those reporting psychology as a primary field of education tend to be
concentrated in urban areas and are mostly White and female. In addition, census respondents
are mostly Afrikaans-speaking or English-speaking and earn reasonable salaries.
Psychologie Und Geschichte, 2002
Psychology has experienced strong growth in many countries in
the twentieth century. This growth ... more Psychology has experienced strong growth in many countries in
the twentieth century. This growth has been the strongest in industrialised,
urbanised democracies, and as a result, the discipline has come under
criticism for its Western bias. While not denying the possibility of such
bias, this paper argues that a historical analysis provides a more
thoroughgoing explanation than this "cultural critique" for what has
happened in the relationship between psychology and these societies. It is
argued that there is a special affinity between psychology and the type of
subjects, and their self-understandings, found in liberal democracies. As a
result, the subject matter of the discipline itself is historically variable, and
psychology is reflexively involved in this process. How the interplay
between government, psychology, and its subject matter constructs and reconstructs human subjectivity in these societies remains unpredictable.
South African Journal of Psychology, 2014
The changeability of human beings over time is the central theme of this article. Emotion in West... more The changeability of human beings over time is the central theme of this article. Emotion in Western society, in particular grief, is selected to provide a case history of mental change over a long time period. Two historical examples are examined: from Greek Antiquity, a scene from
Homer’s Iliad, and from around 90 ce, a consolation letter written by Plutarch to his wife. These
are contrasted to modern-day psychological advice given to grieving spouses and parents. It is
argued that these three examples show discontinuous changes in lived-through experience, and that the transition to the 20th century is tied to the development of the modern self. Finally,
the article suggests that a concept (esthema) similar to Foucault’s episteme is in operation here, which can be used to characterise the differences in ‘emotion’ over the three time periods.
South African Journal of Psychology
The Journal of Psychology, 1986
History of Psychology, 2001
This article examines the origins and development of psychological associations in the German Dem... more This article examines the origins and development of psychological associations in the German Democratic Republic and the Republic of South Africa and the ways membership in the International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS)–founded in 1951–figured in the process. The political regimes in these 2 countries had difficulties of their own in achieving a standing in the international community and, as a result, psychologists faced significant dilemmas in gaining legitimacy for the discipline. Membership in the IUPsyS served an important function in gaining legitimacy for the discipline in both countries, but it also contradicted legitimizing strategies that involved the countries' distinctive political and social structures. Membership in the IUPsyS was sufficiently important for psychologists to try to strike a compromise between different legitimation strategies.
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Edited Books by Johann Louw
Book chapters by Johann Louw
Edited Journals by Johann Louw
Papers: History of Psychology by Johann Louw
was conducted by Rae Sherwood, under the auspices of the National Social Research Council, and the National Institute for Personnel Research. In 1960, Sherwood submitted the work to the Witwatersrand to obtain a PhD degree. Two government departments objected to the award of the degree. In this paper, I recount the history of the research, explaining that the acceleration of the apartheid project between 1948 and 1961 played a significant role in the controversy that developed. The paper furthermore illustrates the difficulties faced by social scientific research under repressive political conditions, and the need for a more nuanced view of the psychological research of the National Institute for Personnel Research in South Africa at the time. Significance: • The history of South Africa's research organisations has been of interest for a long time. This study recalls the history of an unknown chapter in the history of the National Institute for Personnel Research, based on a PhD submission kept under embargo in the archives of the University of the Witwatersrand. The study was methodologically sophisticated, rich in data, but controversial in its findings, at least as it reflected on the policies pursued by the apartheid government after World War II. It adds another contextual element to the type of work conducted by the Institute.
global ideas about treatment and management of the mentally ill but which also incorporated the local politics of strict racial segregation. It had been planned in response to overcrowded mental hospitals in the 1950s, but by the time it opened, new forms of treatment had produced a surplus of beds for White patients. Architecturally, the hospital was conceived with the general principles of the villa plan in mind, although
utilitarian aspects, such as patient and staff numbers, gardens, and budgets, dominated the design of the buildings. The public relations exercises undertaken highlight the negotiations involved in building a mental hospital in 1960s South Africa, but the example of Stikland also showcases new plans for research and training in mental health
professions in the 1960s and 1970s. Disciplines such as clinical psychology benefited from the professional training opportunities provided. Overall, Stikland Mental Hospital therefore provides an important perspective on deinstitutionalization outside its familiar
settings and historical accounts.
understand psychology education in South Africa. Despite the limitations of the data, the emerging
picture is a familiar one: Those reporting psychology as a primary field of education tend to be
concentrated in urban areas and are mostly White and female. In addition, census respondents
are mostly Afrikaans-speaking or English-speaking and earn reasonable salaries.
the twentieth century. This growth has been the strongest in industrialised,
urbanised democracies, and as a result, the discipline has come under
criticism for its Western bias. While not denying the possibility of such
bias, this paper argues that a historical analysis provides a more
thoroughgoing explanation than this "cultural critique" for what has
happened in the relationship between psychology and these societies. It is
argued that there is a special affinity between psychology and the type of
subjects, and their self-understandings, found in liberal democracies. As a
result, the subject matter of the discipline itself is historically variable, and
psychology is reflexively involved in this process. How the interplay
between government, psychology, and its subject matter constructs and reconstructs human subjectivity in these societies remains unpredictable.
Homer’s Iliad, and from around 90 ce, a consolation letter written by Plutarch to his wife. These
are contrasted to modern-day psychological advice given to grieving spouses and parents. It is
argued that these three examples show discontinuous changes in lived-through experience, and that the transition to the 20th century is tied to the development of the modern self. Finally,
the article suggests that a concept (esthema) similar to Foucault’s episteme is in operation here, which can be used to characterise the differences in ‘emotion’ over the three time periods.
was conducted by Rae Sherwood, under the auspices of the National Social Research Council, and the National Institute for Personnel Research. In 1960, Sherwood submitted the work to the Witwatersrand to obtain a PhD degree. Two government departments objected to the award of the degree. In this paper, I recount the history of the research, explaining that the acceleration of the apartheid project between 1948 and 1961 played a significant role in the controversy that developed. The paper furthermore illustrates the difficulties faced by social scientific research under repressive political conditions, and the need for a more nuanced view of the psychological research of the National Institute for Personnel Research in South Africa at the time. Significance: • The history of South Africa's research organisations has been of interest for a long time. This study recalls the history of an unknown chapter in the history of the National Institute for Personnel Research, based on a PhD submission kept under embargo in the archives of the University of the Witwatersrand. The study was methodologically sophisticated, rich in data, but controversial in its findings, at least as it reflected on the policies pursued by the apartheid government after World War II. It adds another contextual element to the type of work conducted by the Institute.
global ideas about treatment and management of the mentally ill but which also incorporated the local politics of strict racial segregation. It had been planned in response to overcrowded mental hospitals in the 1950s, but by the time it opened, new forms of treatment had produced a surplus of beds for White patients. Architecturally, the hospital was conceived with the general principles of the villa plan in mind, although
utilitarian aspects, such as patient and staff numbers, gardens, and budgets, dominated the design of the buildings. The public relations exercises undertaken highlight the negotiations involved in building a mental hospital in 1960s South Africa, but the example of Stikland also showcases new plans for research and training in mental health
professions in the 1960s and 1970s. Disciplines such as clinical psychology benefited from the professional training opportunities provided. Overall, Stikland Mental Hospital therefore provides an important perspective on deinstitutionalization outside its familiar
settings and historical accounts.
understand psychology education in South Africa. Despite the limitations of the data, the emerging
picture is a familiar one: Those reporting psychology as a primary field of education tend to be
concentrated in urban areas and are mostly White and female. In addition, census respondents
are mostly Afrikaans-speaking or English-speaking and earn reasonable salaries.
the twentieth century. This growth has been the strongest in industrialised,
urbanised democracies, and as a result, the discipline has come under
criticism for its Western bias. While not denying the possibility of such
bias, this paper argues that a historical analysis provides a more
thoroughgoing explanation than this "cultural critique" for what has
happened in the relationship between psychology and these societies. It is
argued that there is a special affinity between psychology and the type of
subjects, and their self-understandings, found in liberal democracies. As a
result, the subject matter of the discipline itself is historically variable, and
psychology is reflexively involved in this process. How the interplay
between government, psychology, and its subject matter constructs and reconstructs human subjectivity in these societies remains unpredictable.
Homer’s Iliad, and from around 90 ce, a consolation letter written by Plutarch to his wife. These
are contrasted to modern-day psychological advice given to grieving spouses and parents. It is
argued that these three examples show discontinuous changes in lived-through experience, and that the transition to the 20th century is tied to the development of the modern self. Finally,
the article suggests that a concept (esthema) similar to Foucault’s episteme is in operation here, which can be used to characterise the differences in ‘emotion’ over the three time periods.
European social psychology, and the start of a new intellectual movement within social psychology, to the formulation of a set of concepts addressing intergroup relations that were finally integrated into Social Identity
Theory. The present study provides an empirical examination of Tajfel’s contribution to intergroup research over the last 30 years via a citation analysis of five journals: the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the
British Journal of Social Psychology, the European Journal of Social Psychology, the South African Journal of Psychology, and the German Journal of Social Psychology (Zeitschrift fu¨r Sozialpsychologie). The results indicate
that Tajfel’s work on intergroup relations is increasingly cited, especially since the 1990s, and the international recognition of his work is substantial. Three possible reasons for the recognition his work still enjoys are
proposed: its potential to generate theoretical and empirical controversies; its explanatory power; and the extent
to which his work is used as a referential framework.
and the nature of their employment. A relatively low number of counsellors (N = 256) have registered since the creation of the category “registered counsellor”, and not many register each year. Responses were received from 82 counsellors (response rate 32.8%). Of the sample, only 46% are
actually working as registered counsellors. The majority are white women who work in urban areas. Results also indicate that only 12 of them are working as full-time registered counsellors, while the rest work in some part-time capacity. The majority are quite negative about their chosen profession and about the role of the Professional Board. These results cast serious doubt on the likelihood that the category will live up to initial expectations.
Africa is examined, via access to two large national databases and telephone interviews. These sources are the most reliable available, and are comprehensive enough to give a very good snapshot of women in psychology in
this country over the last 12 years. The data indicate that psychology as a profession in South Africa is dominated by women. Although the applied practical aspects of the discipline attract women disproportionally, women are
also over-represented in research psychology and academia (except at the professorial level). The racial composition of the profession remains skewed, with white psychologists in the majority. Although the data in this
regard are incomplete, approximately 5% of registered psychologists are black. An examination of student enrolments suggests that this situation will continue in future, as women (and white students) enrol in much greater numbers for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. In 2002, 74% of psychology majors were
women, and 78% of all Master’s degrees in psychology were awarded to women. Thus it would appear that the feminization of psychology in this country is further advanced than in Europe and the USA. It is not a question of men abandoning the profession, but rather that women entered the profession at a much higher rate in recent years.
of Psychology to Peace took place in Johannesburg and
Pretoria, South Africa, in 2015. This volume, Enlarging the Scope
of Peace Psychology in Invited and Invented Spaces: African and
World-Regional Contributions, brings together papers presented at
that symposium. All three editors are affiliated with the Institute
for Social and Health Sciences at the University of South Africa in
Pretoria.