In today’s world, visiting a psychologist or taking care of one’s own mental health is no longer something unusual and strange. In London, there are many different mental development centres, qualified specialists and applications where you can choose a session with a psychologist. If we talk about psychology and its development in the capital of Great Britain in the 20th century, we should mention one of the most famous scientists, Hans Eysenck. This man has gained wide recognition in the world thanks to his interesting works on personality and intelligence. The German-British psychologist devoted his entire life to researching those and other topics. How did he succeed in science and why did London become an integral part of his life? Learn more at londonka.
Difficulties in many areas of life due to German origin
Hans Eysenck was born in Berlin on March 4, 1916. His biography is very interesting and full of unusual facts. It is worth noting that his parents were actors and weren’t too fond of science. However, Hans devoted his life to research. Perhaps, his interest in psychology was influenced by his life challenges. The boy was raised by his Jewish grandmother. In the 1930s, she was deported and later died in a concentration camp. The childhood of the future scientist took place at a time when Germany was full of Hitler’s propaganda. Such narratives and principles were never close to Hans Eysenck himself. The boy was often bullied both at school and at the university because of that attitude. Later, his family decided to move to London, away from Nazi ideas and slogans. At that time, Hans didn’t even imagine that he would receive British citizenship and this city would become his home. However, there were also difficulties with admission to a higher educational institution. First, all of Europe was waiting for a new war, so Hans’s German origin aroused suspicion. Secondly, Hans Eysenck wanted to enter the Physics Department, but he was offered to study psychology. In 1940, he received a PhD from University College London.
Scientific achievements
The scientist’s professional activity resulted in a number of works. For example, his book The Psychology of Politics became very popular at that time. It claims that political behaviour largely depends on the tender or tough personality. The book also became the subject of criticism. In particular, negative feedback was related to the poor selection of studied people. Eysenck’s works on genetics, race and intelligence are quite interesting too. The scientist claimed about the inextricable connection between genetics and intelligence. Moreover, Hans Eysenck repeatedly expressed the opinion that a person’s IQ may depend on their race, although he was often threatened for such provocative statements. In general, although these statements were based on specific studies, they were closely related to views in Nazi Germany, which the scientist himself always denied.
In 1965, the scientist published Smoking, Health and Personality, in which he stated that certain types of personality had a predisposition to heart disease and cancer. Eysenck’s scientific legacy is really very significant. He also researched various personality models, the relationship between psychology and astrology and the influence of the media on our lives. His works still remain the subject of controversy and the basis for further research, while his life story continues to impress people even today.