ABSTRACT
In 1916, Martha Muchow volunteered her services as a research assistant on a school psychology project that was conducted at the Psychological Laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, under the leadership of Professor Dr. William Stern. When that laboratory officially became a part of the newly established University of Hamburg, Muchow began her doctoral studies there. The present contribution is focused primarily on Stern, and on certain of the ideas that were central to the personalistic orientation for psychology that he advocated throughout his scholarly career, both prior to and during his years as Muchow’s highly respected senior colleague in Hamburg. It is hoped that this discussion of Stern and some of his central ideas, though necessarily brief, will serve to enhance readers’ appreciation for Muchow’s work. The “philosophical theory” mentioned by Stern was the aforementioned personalistic framework, and it is that framework which would help to orient Muchow as she pursued her scientific projects at the Hamburg Psychological Laboratory.
