Speaker
Nathalie Chernoff
Title
Psychologists, Psychological Societies & Professionalization in Late Nineteenth Century Britain
Abstract
In the latter part of the nineteenth century, a series of 13 interlinked private societies were initiated by four distinct social networks. The work of the societies reflected the key concerns of Victorian science including: the emergence of psychiatry as a specialisation of medicine, the administration of mental assessments of London school children, and the endorsement of an open, meritocratic platform for the study of mental philosophy. British psychological societies were supported by a uniquely diverse membership including: practitioners of other scientific disciplines, charity workers, Spiritualists, government officials, lawyers and a significant contingent of otherwise unaffiliated citizens. Though the members of these societies came together at different times and with different collective intentions, each group saw fit to pronounce their subject as psychology and themselves as psychologists. Using the popular model of the Victorian private “gentleman’s scientific societies”, psychology societies determined definitions and purposes for psychology, devised psychological research projects, inducted new members, nominated representatives to participate in related organisations, administered shared resources, drafted public documents and backed the publication of specialist journals. This study redefines the parameters of the history of psychology in Britain to show that the proliferation of such diverse and continuous society activities throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century was a key driver of the professionalization of psychology as a distinct discipline and a legitimate professional identity.
Bio
Nathalie Chernoff is a historian of nineteenth century British psychology, having successfully defended her PhD at Lancaster University in early 2015. She moved to Toronto in 2013 where she completed the final stages of writing up her thesis before embarking on a new career as a policy advisor in the Ontario government Ministry of Education. This new role is challenging Nathalie to further hone her writing skills and knowledge of social science methods as she grapples with the challenges of "big data" and assesses the effectiveness of various programs to increase student achievement. Since moving to Toronto Nathalie has particularly appreciated the opportunity to participate in the York History of Psych colloquia, and is pleased to contribute towards the Fall 2015 offerings!