- Oct 2023
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psychclassics.yorku.ca psychclassics.yorku.ca
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In the title of the treatise on "the human soul", as is quoted by Bozicevic, the term "psychology" is recorded as "psichiologia". Although the difference between the form "psichiologia" and "psychologia" is insignificant (like that one between the doublet stoichiologia and stoicheiologia), I do not think it likely that Marulic, an outstanding [p. 13] connoisseur of both the Greek and Latin language, gave the term the very form recorded by his biographer. I think that Bozicevic, not very good at orthography (of which let his manuscripts be the proof), somehow modified Marulic's original term, at least changing y in i, and perhaps treating the first part of the compound word as compounds with "physis" (physiologia, physiognomia). In any case Marulic's term is the oldest case known so far of compounding the noun yuch and the suffix -logia to form a term denoting the science of mental life -- the term "psychology".
It was Marulic that coined the termed psychology. Bozicevic may have had the intentions of using the term for his own, though as he tried to modify the term to best benefit him. The efforts were in vain and the credit remains with Marulic as being the oldest case for using psychology or by definition the science of mental life. These projects are important to the history of psychology because it crucial to know where psychology originated from and who was all involved in the start of this major social and philosophical science.
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According to the present state of terminological-historical studies the word "psychology", in its Greek form and in Greek letters, appeared for the first time in the work of Rudolf Göckel "yucologia, hoc est de hominis perfectione, anima, etc." in 1590. No evidence has so far been found for Melanchton's authorship of this word, but even if it were, if would originate from about 1530 when the first edition of Melanchton's lectures "on the soul" ("De anima", Wittenberg 1530) appeared.
This is the result of the author's research. This statement is important to the history of psychology because it establishes the first time the term is being used in literature. There was no evidence to support Melanchton's claim of using the term in his lectures. Rudolf Göckel was the first to use this terminology.
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"The term was first used in lectures by Melanchton (about 1550) and in print by Goclen (about 1600)" (H. C. Warren, Dictionary of Psychology, Cambridge 1934, p. 217). "...the word psychology... derives from Rudolf Göckel who, in 1590, published the book 'Psychologia hoc est de hominis perfectione, anima, ortu'. The term was put to use by Melanchton" (Ottuv Slovnik naucny, tome 20, Prague 1903, p. 922).
These two quotations present technicalities for the origin for the use of the term "psychology". Although Rudolf Göckel was the first to publish literature involving the "psychology" term in the title, it was Melanchton that used the term in his lectures. The argument still stands, who was the first to use to the term and can be considered the founder of psychology?
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However, most books I have succeeded in consulting, although they quote Göckel's "Psychology", state categorically or quote it as probable [p. 9] that even before Göckel the word "psychology" was used by Filip Melanchton, and usually add that Melanchton used this new term in his "lectures".· Thus, for instance, the largest dictionary of philosophic notions, Eisler's .Wörterbuch der philosophischen Begriffe", tome II (4th edition, Berlin 1929, p. 533) says:
This paragraph displays the argument of who coined the term "psychology". It is to be said that Melanchton used the term in his lectures before Rudolf Göckel.
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He is the first writer to use the word psychology for the science of the soul which, however, he considers only a part of somatology (the science of the body). His main work is entitled 'Psychologia anthropologica sive Animae humanae doctrina'["]
This is an example of how the language disconnect could have happened. Because Rudolf Göckel philosophic literature was written in Greek, the credit was given to Cassmann as the first to use the term psychology.
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Rudolf Göcke1(1547-1628), in philosophic literature more known under his latinized name Goclenius, was professor of physics, mathematics, logic, and ethics at the university of his native town Marburg on Lahn. By his philosophic attitude he belonged to the so-called "Semiramists", i.e. the group of the Aristotelians who were half-way between those advocating dialectic interpretation of Aristotle's learning, like Melanchton, and those advocating its averroistic exposition, Like Pierre de la Ramée (Petrus Ramus, 1515-1572) and his followers ("Ramists"). In addition to several treatises from the field of logic and a philosophic dictionary ("Lexicon philosophicum"), Göckel published a tractate, in Marburg in 1590, entitled "yucologia hoc est de hominis perfectione, anima, ortu". This work, as far as is known today, is indeed the first preserved printed book to contain the word "psychology" and in its Greek form and written in Greek letters at that.
Rudolf Göckel was the first to provide tangible evidence of psychology literature despite the fact that it was written in the Greek language. This is the initial presence of the term, before it was even considered to be a concept.
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In the main psychological and philosophical dictionaries, textbooks, and leading world encyclopaedias there are for the most part three different opinions of the origin of this term which, as the word denoting scientific or philosophic dealing with the phenomena of psychic (subjective, conscious) life, has now come into very wide use. All the three names connected with the formation of the term "psychology" are the names of the people of German origin from the 16th century. Two of them are of little significance: Rudolf Göckel and Otto Casmann, while the third is very famous and generally known: Filip Melanchton
It is important to state that these three names are important for the origin of psychology. Though the original philosopher may be unclear, the names listed in the paragraph were the first to document using the term "psychology".
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