Wilhelm Wundt

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Wilhelm Wundt was a renowned doctor who conducted pioneering studies on experimental psychology

Aug 16, 1832

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Biography

Personal Details

  • Birthday: August 16, 1832
  • Died on: August 31, 1920
  • Nationality: German
  • Famous: Philosophers, Scientists, Physiologists
  • Known as: Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt
  • Universities:
    • Heidelberg University
    • Humboldt University of Berlin
    • University of Tübingen
  • Founder / Co-Founder:
    • Leipzig University

Wilhelm Wundt born at

Mannheim

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Birth Place

Wundt exchanged nuptial vows with daughter of academician Sophie Mau on August 14, 1872. They were blessed with two daughters, Eleanor and Lily, and a son, Max.

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Personal Life

This eminent physiologist breathed his last on August 31 1920 in Saxony, Germany.

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Personal Life

Wilhelm Wundt was the son of Lutheran parents Maximilian Wundt and Marie Frederike, born on August 16, 1832 in Baden, Germany. His father, Maximilian, was a pastor by profession and the family shifted to the town of Heidelsheim, where Wilhelm and his three elder siblings completed their schooling.

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Childhood & Early Life

He then pursued higher studies from the ‘University of Tübingen’, later completing his graduation in medicine from the ‘University of Heidelberg’ in 1856. He also studied at the ‘University of Berlin’ under physiologist Johannes Peter Müller until the latter’s death.

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Childhood & Early Life

His first publication on ‘Ethnic psychology’ was ‘Völkerpsychologie’; he worked throughout 1900-1920, publishing as many as ten volumes of the book.

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Childhood & Early Life

Returning to his alma mater at Heidelberg, in 1858, he took up the position of a lecturer in physiology, assisting physicist Hermann von Helmhotz in his research.

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Career

As a lecturer at the university, he popularized scientific psychology among his students and the department offered the first ever curriculum on the subject. He encouraged scientific investigation of relationship between human mind and perception rather than the old school approach where psychology was considered to a figment of philosophy and hence evaluated through rational analysis.

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Career

He also penned his first book on psychology ‘Beiträge zur Theorie der Sinneswahrnehmung’ (‘Contributions to the Theory of Sense Perception’) during 1858–62.

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Career

‘Vorlesungen über die Menschen und Thierseele’ (‘Lectures on the Mind of Humans and Animals’) published in1863 comprised of the lectures he delivered on psychology. Through his lectures he made efforts to establish psychology as a branch of science.

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Career

The university appointed him as an Assistant Professor of Physiology, the following year and he also authored a book on human physiology, titled ‘Lehrbuch der Physiologie des Menschen’ (‘Text-book of Human Physiology’), in 1865.

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Career

Wilhelm is credited for segregating psychology from philosophy and creating a new identity for the subject. His ‘Principles of Physiological Psychology’ became a standard textbook and through his book he demonstrated the use of experimental procedures in analysing human psychology.

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Major Works