THE RENAISSANCE OF PSYCHOLOGY 



a genetic picture at the earliest stages. Darwin himself 

 was among the early pioneers in writing the "Biography 

 of an Infant"; but it was not until the elaborate technique 

 of Gesell that the possibilities of this field were realized. 

 The study of the growth processes is of paramount impor- 

 tance in all the applied arts of guidance. Genetic psychol- 

 ogy is still largely in the making; for it includes decline 

 as well as growth; it makes plain the importance of the 

 age factor in all responses. Its many implications appear 

 in other connections. 



The profound influence of child study — root and stem, 

 branch and blossom — derived from the psychological 

 study of childhood and the unfolding process, can hardly 

 be included, or yet omitted, from this survey. It has 

 made the movement called "progressive education," 

 which recognizes the freedom and spontaneity of the stages 

 of child growth, which places emphasis upon emotional 

 development, which makes central the learning to live 

 with other people, by way of character growth and normal 

 social reactions. The specifically mental development 

 takes its proper place. Discipline has acquired a newer 

 and a richer meaning. The problems of adolescence are 

 recognized; abnormal developments are avoided. Parental 

 guidance assumes new aspects. Parallel with this insight 

 is the specific study of the educational procedures; for 

 obviously the equipment for the practical life in the actual 

 environment of the human scene is indispensable in the 

 formative period. The analysis of the speech processes 

 has made great strides. Such an impediment as stuttering 

 is realized as a personality defect even more than as a 

 lack of coordination. Educational psychology takes its 

 place among the important applications of psychological 

 principles. The social aspect of the child in the family life 

 has been freed from the too drastic intrusions of tradition 

 and moralized methods negligent of the complex relations 



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