Scientific Psychology and Philosophical Psychology: Translation and Commentary

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the conceptual and methodological development of scientific psychology through a comparison of three pivotal works published between 1909 and 1929, and to analyze how this development reflects on the relationship between scientific psychology and philosophical psychology. The findings indicated a shift from theoretical debates on the subject matter and methods of psychology to the development of specialized experimental techniques that are organically linked to research problems and guide the trajectory of results. Three applied domains illustrating this relationship are analyzed: (1) perception and learning, where the Gestalt approach proved successful in perceptual phenomena and the testing method in the study of intelligence, revealing the interplay between psychological and physiological elements in line with the hylomorphic theory; (2) growth and maturation, where maturation is explained as an internal, organized process of development, associated with the philosophical notion of the animating form; and (3) morality and behavior, where field studies demonstrated partial determinism of behavior consistent with the concept of free will. The study concludes that scientific psychology has yet to establish a unified system due to its relative youth and the complexity of its subject matter, while philosophical psychology contributes to providing intellectual coherence to its experimental findings.