ABSTRACT
Two major forces that make history include the naturalistic and the personalistic forces with the former emphasizing the importance of the time and place of the cultural context while the personalistic explanation stresses that there are great individuals who make history. This chapter aims to identify the criteria for determining historical importance and discusses how history has a future as a result of the changing interpretations of events and persons based upon expanding and updated historical data sets. It also discusses the importance of methodology in the history of psychology, including the study of spiritualism and science and the Salem witchcraft trials. The chapter examines areas of specialization in psychology and the forces of unification, including methodology and theories of psychological phenomena. One of the most widely used methods for studying and writing about the history of psychology is the chronological approach. Another approach to the study of the history of psychology is the focus upon the schools of psychology.
