An Appreciation of Psychohistory

Dear Editor,

The study of psychohistory has opened my eyes to a new understanding of human beings and society. The combination of psychology with history enriched my education as a history major making both subjects more enjoyable and meaningful. Bringing psychology and history into a wider perspective is crucial to completely understand historical events. Studying leaders through the lens of their “ego,” “id,” coping mechanisms, personalities, and unconscious motivations brings out the most important and interesting dynamics of a shaper of the collective or superego of a whole society—a whole nation.

Much of the history taught today seems to be simple tales of heroes and villains set in a storybook narrative. When the principles of psychohistory are applied, the historical figure is revealed

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in all their humanity—with their strengths, vulnerabilities, and weaknesses. It is my conviction that history must be taught in this way in order to understand where humanity came from and where it might be heading. Even so, it should not be used for justifying inhuman acts or assigning blame. The present historical model makes it very difficult to learn from past mistakes and relate those lessons to current situations.

Psychohistorical studies of American history are quite beneficial to the study of ourselves and our place in the world. Considering that the majority of students in this country have only been taught the most basic understanding of American history, the methods of psychohistory could shed light on our current global situation. Consequently, I am interested in taking a psychohistory of America course. I would love the opportunity to dissect the Federalist Papers and other primary sources of the time, delving into the consciousness of our Founding Fathers. The trauma of the Civil War and its effect on our modern-day nation would be another fascinating topic to explore from a psychohistorical perspective.

At the beginning of the semester in conversations with classmates in our junior level course, it seemed that many of us were unsure of just what exactly psychohistory was, despite the extensive definitions at the beginning of our reader, Appearance and Reality: Applying Psychology to Culture, Current Events, History, and Society—The Best of the Journal Clio’s Psyche (2009 edition). It occurs to me that it might be beneficial to have a sophomore level introduction course to psychohistory to discuss the integration of the two disciplines before beginning actual analysis. Additionally, for those of us students not solidly grounded in psychology, it would be helpful to begin the study of the three components of the human psyche earlier in the semester. My psychohistory course was immensely enjoyable because it was the most fascinating study I have so far come across in my college career. Psychohistory unifies knowledge from many perspectives to examine the role of leaders and followers in historical events without bias. The field offers me an opportunity for great intellectual and personal growth; it has changed my understanding of the historical process forever.

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Sincerely,

Tom Burzi

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