Biography of Hugo Münsterberg, Applied Psychology Pioneer

Hugo Münsterberg is known as a pioneer of applied psychology, including industrial-organizational, clinical, and forensic psychology.

Here’s a biography of Münsterberg that includes his life and work, as well as some of his selected research and quotes.

Early Life

Hugo Münsterberg was born in Danzig, Germany (now Gdansk, Poland), on June 1, 1863. His father was a merchant, and his mother was an artist. His family loved the arts, and Münsterberg was encouraged to explore music, literature, and art. He played the cello and wrote poetry.

When he was 12, Münsterberg’s mother passed away, and her death matured him from a boy to a young man. His father died a few years later, in 1880.

After graduating from the Gymnasium of Danzig in 1882, Münsterberg enrolled at the University of Leipzig. While he began studying social psychology, Münsterberg later turned his focus to medicine. After psychology pioneer Wilhelm Wundt encouraged him to become part of the psychology lab at the university, Münsterberg decided to devote himself to the study of psychology.

Under Wundt's tutelage, Münsterberg earned his Ph.D. in psychology in 1885. He went on to get a medical degree at the University of Heidelberg in 1887.

Career

In 1887, Münsterberg accepted a position as a private tutor and lecturer at the University of Freiburg.

During this time, he published a book called Activity of the Will. The book was criticized by Wundt and psychologist Edward Titchener, who wrote, "Dr. Münsterberg has the fatal gift of writing easily—fatal especially in science...where accuracy is the one thing most needed."

Not all the responses to Münsterberg's book were negative, though. American psychologist William James was greatly impressed by his ideas, especially because they supported James's own theory of emotion.

In 1891, Münsterberg became an assistant professor at the University of Leipzig. The same year, he attended the first International Congress of Psychology in Paris, France, where he met James. The two continued to meet and correspond frequently.

In 1892, James asked Münsterberg to take charge of the psychology lab at Harvard. Since he didn’t speak English well, Münsterberg spent most of his time in the lab and published his work in German.

James McKeen Cattell suggested that Münsterberg's lab was "the most important in America."

After three years, Münsterberg was offered a permanent position in the lab. He declined and instead went back to Europe. However, he returned to Harvard two years later and worked there for the rest of his life.

He had many professional achievements, such as being elected president of the American Psychological Association and the American Philosophical Association. He also served on the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was an exchange professor at the University of Berlin.

Throughout his career, Münsterberg was subject to praise but also disapproval. His support for Germany during World War I made Münsterberg the focus of considerable criticism in the press as well as from faculty members at Harvard. Two of his works, The Americans (1904) and American Problems From the Point of View of a Psychologist (1910), were particularly critical of Americans.

On December 16, 1916, Hugo Münsterberg died suddenly of a massive cerebral hemorrhage, collapsing before he was able to finish delivering the opening sentence of his lecture at Radcliffe.

Münsterberg was survived by his wife, Selma Oppler, and their two daughters.

Contributions to Psychology

Münsterberg is noted for his influence on applied psychology, especially clinical, forensic, and industrial psychology. In fact, some consider Münsterberg the “father of industrial psychology.”

His 1909 paper, "Psychology and the Market," suggested that psychology could be used for industrial applications, including management, vocational decisions, advertising, job performance, and employee motivation. He also developed many questionnaires to test the skills and abilities of employees.

Münsterberg’s research was summarized in “Psychology and Industrial Efficiency” (1913). In the book, he suggests that hiring workers with personalities and mental abilities that are best suited to certain types of work would be the best way to increase motivation, performance, and retention in the workplace.

Hugo Münsterberg is also well-known for his contributions to forensic psychology. His 1908 book, On the Witness Stand, detailed how psychological factors can influence the outcome of a trial. He wrote about many topics that are still of interest today, like problems with eyewitness testimony, false confessions, and interrogations.

While his influence on psychology is without question, Münsterberg’s views on women are frequently criticized. While he believed that women should receive a higher education, he felt that graduate studies were too difficult and demanding for them to undertake.

He also suggested women should not be allowed to serve on juries because they were "incapable of rational deliberation."

There were also many who disapproved of Münsterberg as the self-appointed spokesman for Germany during the First World War. David Hothersall, the author of History of Psychology, suggested that at the time of Münsterberg's death, he was "hated by more Americans than any psychologist before or since."

These controversies may have contributed to the lack of attention paid to Münsterberg in psychology history books, but his ideas still shaped modern psychology.

Selected Publications

Here are a few of Hugo Münsterberg’s most important works:

• Münsterberg, H. 1908. On the Witness Stand. New York: McClure
• Münsterberg, H. 1909. Psychology and Crime. London: T.F. Unwin
• Münsterberg, H. 1909. The Eternal Values. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
• Münsterberg, H. 1909. Psychotherapy. New York: Moffat, Yard
• Münsterberg, H. [1913] 2005. Psychology and Industrial Efficiency. Adamant Media Corporation
• Münsterberg, H. 1914. Psychology and Social Sanity. London: T.F. Unwin