ABSTRACT
Different stances regarding the new thought psychology were informed by different social, ethical, and political philosophies. I shall try to make my case for the main antagonists of the controversy. Broadly speaking, Wundt was a ‘collectivist’, whereas Bühler, Külpe, Marbe, and Messer were ‘individualists’ of sorts. Wundt’s opposition to introspection was part and parcel of his general hostility towards individualism; the Würzburgers’ advocacy of self-observation was part of a conscious rejection of collectivism.
