Abstract
D.Litt. et Phil.
Before the nineteenth century psychology was not recognised as an independent, fully
fledged discipline. Psychological issues were mostly treated as relating to philosophy or
religion. In order to liberate psychology as an independent field of study, it became
necessary to transform it into a scientific discipline, using methodology accepted in the
natural sciences. Psychology thus had to be defined in terms of modern methodology, as
seen in early schools such as structuralism, functionalism and behaviourism.
World War II represented a turning point in history, as people became disillusioned with
meta-narratives which implied that rationality and science would leads to human
advancement. A "new" generation had come into being, that no longer believed scientific
knowledge and research held the key to emancipation. The latter mindshift indicates the
transition from modern to postmodern thought.