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From separation to division: The origins of two psychological associations in South Africa
Author(s) -
Louw Johann
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of the history of the behavioral sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.216
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1520-6696
pISSN - 0022-5061
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6696(198710)23:4<341::aid-jhbs2300230404>3.0.co;2-y
Subject(s) - association (psychology) , division (mathematics) , race (biology) , gender studies , sociology , political science , psychology , ethnology , social psychology , psychotherapist , arithmetic , mathematics
In June 1962 the South African Psychological Association lost a substantial number of its members when a rival psychological association was formed. The events that culminated in this split within the ranks of South African psychologists are described. It is argued that the division occurred over the question of whether blacks should be allowed as members of the organization, thus making the South African race issue and the feasibility of apartheid as a sociopolitical solution to the country's racial problem the major factor in the split. The division also had consequences for universities and research organizations, as it overlapped with the major ethnolinguistic divisions in the country.