G. Stanley Hall: biography and theory of the founder of the APA.

A review of the life and work of one of the most influential psychologists in the history of the 19th century.

The psychologist and educator Granville Stanley Hall (1846-1924) was one of the pioneers of psychology in the United States, who would become the core of this science in the decades that followed. He not only trained several renowned psychologists, but also founded laboratories, journals and the American Psychological Society. founded laboratories, journals and the American Psychological Association..

Although Stanley Hall's theories and points of view have not resisted the progress of the discipline, this author was decisive in the establishment of scientific psychology as we know it today, especially in the field of youth development. Let's see what his main contributions were.

Biography of Granville Stanley Hall

Granville Stanley Hall was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts in 1846. He studied at Harvard University with William James in the first Psychology course in the United States, and was the first American to obtain a doctorate in this discipline.

He lived in Germany for a time, where he studied at the University of Berlin and collaborated with Wilhelm Wundt in his laboratory in Leipzig. He then returned to his native country, where he taught Philosophy and English Language until he was hired as Professor of Psychology and Pedagogy at Johns Hopkins University.

In 1883 he founded the first psychology laboratory in the United States, in 1887 he created the American Journal of Psychology and also had a key influence in the creation of the American Psychological Association, of which he was president for 31 years. He was also the first president of Clark University, founded in 1889.

During his long and prolific career Hall focused on development throughout the life cycle, especially in the early stages, and on the education of young people.especially in the early stages, and on the education of the young. He was also interested in the theory of evolution and the psychological explanation of supernatural beliefs, including religion and spiritualism.

The theory of recapitulation

At the conceptual level, Stanley Hall's best-known contribution is his theory of recapitulation, which states that ontogenetic development recapitulates phylogenetic development.. This means that the changes we experience as individuals throughout the life cycle are equivalent to those that took place during the evolution of our species.

According to this author, during the first years of life humans differ little from other animals, but upon reaching adulthood (and with the help of education) we reach the full cognitive potential of the species, mainly related to the ability to reason adequately.

Stanley Hall described different characteristics of development in the early stages of lifeHe also theorized about senescence towards the end of his life.

Early childhood

In the first stage of life, approximately until the age of 6 or 7, children perceive the world mainly through the senses; reasoning is still very immature, and the influence of socialization is very limited.

Stanley Hall considered that in this period people are very similar to animals. are very similar to animalsHe saw apes as the ancestors of human beings. In early childhood, children have a lot of energy and their bodies develop very quickly.

This phase, then, would be characterized by how little information about the world is processed, taking the data "as it arrives". That is to say, there would be an absence of abstract thinking.

2. Second childhood

At 8 years of age, children's brains are practically the same size as those of adults; it is at this age that formal education should begin. formal education should beginaccording to Stanley Hall. However, he believed that primary and secondary education should be a preparation for life in society rather than focusing on traditional subjects such as mathematics.

This author asserted that the incomplete development of reasoning makes preadolescents amoral and that they have a certain tendency to cruelty. The role of adults in this period should focus on taking care of the child's physical health, and not so much on ensuring that the child develops a moral conscience or acquires skills and knowledge.

3. Adolescence

Like Freud, Stanley Hall was one of the first psychologists to argue that in adolescence, sexuality becomes an aspect of the child's life. sexuality becomes a central aspect of life.. Because of this, he promoted education separated by sexes to favor the learning of morality and the tools for life in society, now made possible by the maturation of reasoning.

This was one of those situations in which psychology was mixed with the political, and of course, many criticisms appeared due to the poor substantiation of the ideas arising from psychoanalysis and the educational consequences of establishing a separation of these characteristics.

The legacy of Stanley Hall

G. Stanley Hall was decisive for the founding of psychology as a science and as a professionas well as for the emergence of developmental psychology. His views and, above all, his promotion of study in this field influenced authors such as Jean Piaget, who elaborated one of the most relevant theories on the stages of development.

During his long period as a teacher, Stanley Hall taught and tutored many psychologists and philosophers who would have a major importance in the progress of psychology, very noticeable during the following decades. Among them were James McKeen Cattell, Lewis M. Terman, John Dewey, Henry Goddard and Arnold Gesell.

On the other hand, Stanley Hall was also key in the arrival of psychoanalysis, an orientation with which he shared different points of view, to the United States. In 1909, he invited Sigmund Freud he invited Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung to Clark Universitywhere they gave a series of lectures that had a great influence on American psychology, despite the rejection by many experts of the unscientific methods of the psychoanalysts.

In addition to the American Journal of Psychology, Stanley Hall founded three other journals, of which he was also editor: Pedagogical Seminary, American Journal of Religious Psychology and Education and Journal of Race Development. In relation to the latter, it should be noted that Stanley Hall defended eugenic perspectives and the superiority of the white race.

Granville Stanley Hall is best remembered for his role in the founding of the American Psychological Association and his long tenure as president, a role he fulfilled from the founding of the APA in 1892 until his death in 1924. Today, this organization organization is the largest and most influential community of psychologists in the world. and influential community of psychologists in the world.