The Personalistic vs. the Naturalistic Viewpoint

As far back as the time when man first discovered ways to communicate with one another he has attempted to understand and explain the course of historical events. In considering the historical development of scientific psychology two main views of the historical progress the field of science have emerged: personalistic theory and naturalistic theory. The personalistic theory often times called the “great man” theory holds that a chosen few individuals are unique in that they are endowed with an extraordinary inner quality giving them the ability to do extraordinary things. When applied to scientific history it is believed that this quality allows them to shape the course of that history with nothing more than their ideas. This internal power is most commonly referred to as “genius”. It is the belief that man himself is a free agent who chooses his behaviors to not only shape his own life but also the lives of those whom his behavior affect (E.G. Boring, 1950). Personalistic views are still widely held even today. More often than not when someone is asked to name who's ideas and beliefs have changed the course of history they are able to do so with no problem. Some of the more commonly known individuals include Napoleon, Hitler, Abraham Lincoln, J.F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. All have left their mark by influencing the world around them and perhaps around our world also. The focus, then, of personalistic theory is on the ideas of certain individuals deemed great by society. The naturalistic theory, on the other hand, holds that history is shaped and changed not by individuals but by the times in which those individuals lived. It is this notion that “the times” is what makes it possible for the ideas of individuals to be accepted or rejected, heard or stifled. The focus, then, of naturalistic theory is on the social conditions prevalent at the time an individual puts forth an idea or ideas that influence the flow of history.