The History Corner: Looking for a Good Book?
Scott Highhouse
Bowling Green State University
I arbitrarily selected a handful of folks—ones that I knew were at least tangentially interested in the history of applied psychology—to nominate a book that inspired them. I asked them to also provide a couple of sentences about why they found the book inspiring and why they think others should consider reading it. I got an assortment of responses (no two people nominated the same book), ranging from original source texts to books about the history of I-O. Always the nonconformist, Gary Latham chose to send instead his favorite historical quotes.1
1 No research without action; no action without research—Kurt Lewin
That which gets measured gets done—Mason Haire
There is nothing so practical as a good theory—Kurt Lewin
Below are the book nominations, followed by observations of the person who suggested the book. I begin with my own suggestion:
Gillespie, R. (1991). Manufacturing Knowledge: A History of the Hawthorne Experiments. Cambridge University Press.
Recommender: Scott Highhouse, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University
Gillespie draws on the original records of the experiments, along with the personal papers of the researchers, to bring the reader inside the Hawthorne plant. You actually get to know the women working in the relay assembly room. It reads like a novel.
Bjork, D. W. (1983). The Compromised Scientist: William James in the Development of American Psychology. New York: Columbia University Press.
Recommender: Andy Vinchur, Department of Psychology, Lafayette College
Bjork examines the interrelationships among James and other prominent early psychologists, including Hugo Münsterberg and James McKeen Cattell, who were both important figures in early industrial psychology. Although not a book on the history of I-O per se, it is full of relevant information and written in a very engaging style.
Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Assessment Staff. (1948). Assessment of Men: Selection of Personnel for the Office of Strategic Services. New York: Rinehart.
Recommender: Filip Lievens, Department of Personnel Management, Ghent University
This book is a collector’s item. It represents the start of assessment centers and a true testament to the “holistic” approach in selection. And then I haven’t mentioned the sometimes hilarious anecdotes (verbatim) and pictures about the candidates in the various simulation exercises. In short, a “must read” for all people who are centered on assessment.
Ghiselli and Brown (1948). Personnel and Industrial Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Recommender: Kevin Ford, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University
“I liked the book because it really put together the field of industrial psychology and focused some attention to training and development: The only rational solution is to consider the given specific situation for which training is needed in industry and to learn to what extent it agrees in terms of important causal conditions with specific classroom and laboratory situations that have been studied....The subtle effects resulting from changes in attitudes, motives, and interests sometime appear only after several months.”
Jahoda, M., Lazarsfeld, P. F., and Zeisel, H. (1933/1972). Marienthal: The Sociography of an Unemployed Community. London, Tavistock.
Recommender: Wendy Becker, Department of Management, Shippensburg University
This little book is so inspiring because it gets to the heart of applied psychology without ever mentioning theory or method and yet remains a model of qualitative research. The chapter on the meaning of time is unforgettable.
Spearman, C. (1927). The Abilities of Man. London: Macmillan.
Recommender: Bob Guion, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University
Spearman’s book is well worth reading and rereading for anyone interested in human ability. His own ability to write in the unHemmingway-like prose of his time is fun to read, and his prescient ability to anticipate topics of our own time from general mental ability to cognitive style is fascinating.
March, J. G. & Simon, H. A. (1958). Organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
Recommender: James Austin, Center on Education and Training for Employment, The Ohio State University
(a) Their innovative-at-the-time treatment of decision making under uncertainty, (b) the decisions “to participate” and “to produce” as well as “to go beyond role requirements,” and (c) foundation for such eminent works as Katz & Kahn.
James, W. (1890). The Principles of Psychology (2 vols.). Dover Publications.
Recommender: Frank Landy, Baruch College of CUNY, and Landy Litigation Support Group
He wrote so beautifully and was prescient about eventual models of ability. I recall two particular passages which I will summarize: (a) Experimental psychology (the Brass instrument variety) could only have been created by a nation incapable of boredom (Germany—he disliked Wundt and structuralism), and (b) the only thing more tedious than lecturing to undergraduate students is carrying heavy trunks up flights of stairs.
Zaleznik, A., Christensen, C. R., & Roethlesberger, F. J. (1958). The Motivation, Productivity, and Satisfaction of Workers: A Prediction Study. Norwood, MA: Plimpton Press.
Recommender: Seth Kaplan, Department of Psychology, George Mason University
The researchers describe an in-depth qualitative and quantitative study meant to identify the factors predictive of the motivation, productivity, and satisfaction of industrial workers. In some ways, the book reads like a dissertation with a narrative. I remember liking two things in particular about this book. First, the researchers asked “big questions,” and they looked at the interplay among these various phenomena, instead of studying them in isolation. Also, they actually used their findings to test competing major theoretical explanations. The findings from the book are less important than the approach.
Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a Vocation. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Recommender: David Baker, Archives of the History of American Psychology, University of Akron
Frank Parsons (1854–1908) was an industrial age progressive who advocated for efficiencies, believing a proper balance of federal control, scientific reasoning and thoughtful planning could improve the quality of life of individuals and of society. His efforts helped to launch the vocational guidance movement in America and were important in the genesis of counseling and I-O psychology. He believed that careful assessment of the fit between person and environment offered many benefits. He described human efficiency as inextricably linked to the choice of a life’s work.
Baritz, L. (1960). The Servants of Power: A History of the Use of Social Science in American Industry. John Wiley & Sons.
Recommender: Mike Zickar, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University
I stumbled upon this book as a new assistant professor and it upended my world. Prior to reading this, I thought I-O psychology (and social science in general) was a universally positive force in the workplace that could solve most organizational problems. This book details the history of how social sciences have been co-opted by management to fight labor unions and other pro-worker initiatives. The book is a true polemic in that it is guided by a sharp left-wing ideological bias that clouds some of the author’s (who is a historian) interpretations of historical data. Regardless, the book made me view my profession from a more critical, less naïve perspective.
I hope you find this list as enjoyable as I have. I would welcome any additional ideas for books (shighho@bgsu.edu). If I get enough nominations, I will put them in a future column.