Expression Psychology

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The psychology of expression is Karl Jaspers founded in the early 20th century. It goes back to various systematic observations from the 18th century. In the development of psychosomatics , the doctrine of expression was understood as a symbolic manifestation of psychic processes. It goes back to Georg Groddeck (1866–1934). He introduced teleological approaches to medicine, which at that time was mainly scientifically oriented. Expression psychology was considered a field of psychology in the middle of the 20th century and was dedicated to the exploration of connections between the physical characteristics of a person and their feelings, personality and character traits . On the one hand, expressive behavior such as facial expressions , gestures , motor skills , pantomimics , physiognomics and handwriting , and on the other hand, as in the context of constitutional psychology , characteristics of body structure or certain physical expressions were related to personality traits.

methodology

Karl Jaspers distinguished the expression psychology, which he coined, between the expression of the soul and the simple physical side effects of the soul. Expression is bound to an understanding . It is not a matter of analogy conclusions , but a lightning-fast understanding, an experience of evidence , to a certain extent without reflecting, which is already possible for children - sometimes animals - without a special learning process. There is a certain way of seeing and pictorial looking ( Ludwig Klages ), which one can at best approach by grasping figures or schemes . Even if this understanding may be facilitated by rational considerations and even more by empathy , it is not deducible, but something ultimate for our consciousness.

In contrast to this understanding, simple physical side effects of the soul ( somatopsychology ) such as the dilatation of the pupil in fear or blushing in feelings of shame are only registered , not understood .

reception

Expression psychology was considered a scientific psychological discipline in Germany from 1941 to 1973, that is for over 30 years. In 1941, in the first German diploma examination regulations for psychologists, the subjects of character and expression were 2 of 4 subjects in the pre-diploma examination. Since 1973, expression psychology is no longer included in the diploma examination regulations of the diploma course in psychology. It was called into question as a scientific discipline after it became clear that scientific methods could not provide any reliable knowledge about the postulated connections between physical expression and character.

In addition to the scientific factors, political aspects also played a role in the abandonment of expression psychology as a branch of psychology. The National Socialist racial theories relied on racist hypotheses, especially the physiognomics popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and made them the core of their eugenics program. The scientifically working expression psychologists of the 1950s and 1960s failed to distance themselves sufficiently from the abuse of expression psychology by National Socialism.

In medical systematics and in medical psychology, however, the term expression psychology has proven to be useful, especially in the interpretation of dissociative symptoms . However, it is by no means limited to this type of disorder. Thure von Uexküll introduced the overarching term of expression disease. The authors Hoffmann and Hochapfel happily chose this term. Expression can also be found as a common symptomatological term in Peters' dictionary of psychiatry. So i. w. S. means physical signs that allow conclusions to be drawn about the soul, i. e. S. only expressive movements , cf. also the concept of emotion .

See also

literature

  • Remo Buser: Expression Psychology. Problem history, methodology and systematics of the science of expression . E. Reinhardt, Munich / Basel 1973, ISBN 978-3-497-00693-9
  • Heiner Ellgring: Expression Theory Approaches . In: Euler, Mandl (ed.): Emotionspsychologie . Weinheim 2000, pp. 85-94
  • Hermann Josef Fisseni: Personality Psychology. An overview of theories . 5th edition. Verlag für Psychologie Hogrefe, Göttingen 2003, ISBN 978-3-8017-0981-5
  • CF Graumann: Interaction and Communication . In: Ph. Lersch et al. (Ed.): Handbook of Psychology . Volume 7. Social Psychology. 1972, Hogrefe Verlag.
  • Susanne Kaiser, Thomas Wehrle: Expression psychological methods . In: Euler, Mandl (ed.): Emotionspsychologie . Weinheim 2000, pp. 419-428
  • Robert Kirchhoff (Ed.): Expression Psychology. Handbook of Psychology. Vol. 5. Verlag für Psychologie Hogrefe, Göttingen 1965
  • Philipp Lersch : face and soul . Basic lines of a facial expression diagnosis. Ernst Reinhardt, 1943.
  • Samy Molcho : All about body language . 1995/2002, Munich. Mosaik Verlag.
  • Jürgen H. Otto, Harald A. Euler, Heinz Mandl: Emotion Psychology . A manual. Weinheim 2000, Beltz Psychologie Verlags Union, ISBN 3-621-27453-7
  • Robert Reigbert: Expression Psychology and Practical Pedagogy . H. Böhlaus Nachf., Weimar 1929
  • Wolfgang Zysk: Body Language - A New View . Dissertation, 2004, University of Duisburg-Essen.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Karl Jaspers : General Psychopathology . 1st edition 1914, Springer Berlin 9th edition 1973, ISBN 3-540-03340-8 ; (a) generally pages 130, 153, 190, 212, 214 ff., 231, 259 f., 630; (b) on the methodology: pages 214 ff. ( limited preview in Google book search)
  2. ^ Johann Caspar Lavater : Physiognomic fragments for the promotion of human knowledge and love for people. Leipzig 1755 ff. Note: Goethe took part, see Cottasche anniversary edition 33, page 20 ff. ( Limited preview in the Google book search)
  3. ↑ a b Thure von Uexküll : Basic questions of psychosomatic medicine. Rowohlt Taschenbuch, Reinbek near Hamburg 1963; (a) Re. “Printout after Georg Groddeck”: pages 24 ff .; (b) Re. "Expression disease": pages 150 ff., 155, 158, 165, 172, 194, 197 f., 201, 203 ff., 233
  4. ↑ Georg Groddeck : Psychological conditioning and psychoanalytic treatment of organic suffering . Leipzig 1917. The book of the Es . 1923; New edition Wiesbaden 1962
  5. ^ Bernhard Rosemann, Sven Bielski: Introduction to Educational Psychology . Beltz, Weinheim 2001, ISBN 3-407-25238-2 , pp. 123 f . ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  6. ↑ Friederike Rothe : Interpersonal communication: An interdisciplinary foundation . 1st edition. Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2006, ISBN 3-8350-6026-0 , p. 82 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  7. ^ Bernhard Rosemann, Sven Bielski: Introduction to Educational Psychology . Beltz, Weinheim 2001, ISBN 3-407-25238-2 , pp. 129 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  8. ↑ Sven Olaf Hoffmann , G. Hochapfel: Neuroses, psychotherapeutic and psychosomatic medicine. [1999], Compact Textbook, Schattauer, Stuttgart 6th edition 2003, ISBN 3-7945-1960-4 , pages 202, 218
  9. ↑ Uwe Henrik Peters : Dictionary of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology . Urban & Schwarzenberg, Munich 3rd edition 1984, Stw. Psychopathologie, page 55
  10. ↑ Uwe Henrik Peters: Lexicon of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Medical Psychology . 6th edition. Elsevier, Urban & FischerVerlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-437-15061-6 , pp. 57 ( limited preview in Google Book search).