January 28th, 2010 at 7pm

Speaker

Dr. David Schmit (St. Catherine University, Psychology)

Title

LaRoy Sunderland's 1840s Mesmerism Experiments; An Early Social Psychology?

Abstract

Mesmerism, the enigmatic trance curative, is one of the most controversial and misunderstood chapters in the history of psychology. This presentation considers the work of a premiere mesmerist, LaRoy Sunderland. His experimental work synthesized advances in the secularization and differentiation of the emotion sympathy with his ability to manipulate groups of people in the mesmeric trance. Sunderland's contributions, which contain prototypical elements of experimental social psychology, will be framed within the historic vitalism-mechanism debate.

Directions

York University (Keele Campus)

Address: Norman Endler Room, Behavioural Sciences Building (BSB 163)

TTC: Take the subway to Downsview station. Take the 196 York University bus to the York University Commons stop. Walk west to the Behavioural Sciences Building. Enter the building, turn left, and continue down the main hallway through two sets of double doors. BSB 163 is the room on the right.

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