Karl Hackl (psychologist)

Karl Hackl (born March 17, 1889 in Vienna ; † December 17, 1958 ibid) was an Austrian mechanical engineer and head of a psychotechnical institute in Vienna. He is one of the most important protagonists of psychotechnology in Austria.

Life

Hackl's father died when Hackl was six months old. Despite adverse circumstances, his mother made it possible for him to study mechanical engineering at the Austro-Hungarian Technical University in Vienna (today Vienna University of Technology) . In 1911 Hackl worked for the Lower Austrian State Railways . Ten years later, Hackl became chairman of the restructuring committee there.

Hackl found psychotechnics through the Berlin psychologist Hans Rupp , who was of Austrian origin. In psychotechnology his existing psychological interest and his engineering knowledge were combined.

In 1920 he founded a private psychotechnical laboratory in which he conducted psychotechnical examinations and tests. It also dealt with market and advertising psychology.

From 1926 to 1938 Hackl was head of the Psychotechnical Institute of the Industrial District Commission-Landesarbeitsamt Vienna. One focus there was on career counseling, the aptitude test of the unemployed, retraining and psychological work optimization. Hackl set up, among other things, the psychotechnical departments of the Vienna Police Department and the city trams and founded the Army Psychological Office in Vienna. In 1936 the Austrian Chancellor awarded Hackl the title of professor.

At the beginning of 1938 Hackl was appointed head of the Laboratory Training and Research Institute (ATV) of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Transport .

Hackl was the first chairman and member of several specialist psychotechnical associations. Between 1938 and 1944 Hackl was removed from office by the National Socialists. From 1946 onwards, Hackl rebuilt the working group for psychotechnology.

In 1947 he founded the magazine Mensch und Arbeit.

Hackl was married to his wife Luise (née Reichmann, * April 22, 1924) and had two children, Melitta Hackl (* January 10, 1924- † April 25, 1987) and Guido Hackl (* January 2, 1920- † 3. December 2006), who later took over and continued the Psychotechnical Institute. His granddaughter Susanne Hackl-Grümm continues Hackl's Psychotechnical Institute today, together with her husband, with a focus on market psychology.

plant

Hackl played a central role in establishing psychotechnology in Austria. He paid special attention to the human psyche and was thus an opponent of the “ Tayloristic human factor”.

Hackl worked closely with psychologists from all over Europe, especially with Charlotte Bühler and Hans Rupp, as well as with Ernest Dichter , who worked in Hackl's psychotechnical institute between 1934 and 1936 and later became a pioneer in market psychology . He also worked with well-known psycho-technicians such as Jean-Maurice Lahy , Franziska Baumgarten-Tramer and others.

The four main tasks of psychotechnology

For Hackl, psychotechnology had four main tasks: 1 .: The assessment of suitability so that “the right person in the right place” is deployed. 2 .: The working conditions - he was one of the pioneers on this topic. He and his team examined the influence of lighting, temperature, ventilation, working time, breaks, the design of the workplace, treatment by employees and supervisors, etc. In addition, of course, the adaptation of tools, machines and other work equipment, as well as studies correct posture. 3 .: The sequence of work processes and the development of optimal process sequences were also an important topic. 4 .: Another important topic in psychotechnology was the development of optimized training and learning processes.

Memberships

• Since 1927: First chairman of the "Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Psychotechnik" (APÖ, was founded by Hackl in 1927 and, after she could not work from 1938 to 1944, rebuilt by Hackl in 1946).
• Since 1933: First chairman of the "Association of Austrian Psychotechnicians"
• Since 1934: Member of the Board of Directors of the International Psychotechnical Society (Paris headquarters)

estate

Karl Hackl's scientific estate is in the psychology- historical research archive of the FernUniversität in Hagen; it was acquired between 2012 and 2016. The holdings of the research archive on the history of psychology include most of the documents of the Psychotechnical Institute, Vienna, which have remained in family possession up to now: conference reports, memoranda, circulars, letters, selection procedures, tests, apparatus, numerous photos (album), etc. last largely preserved psychotechnical institute in the German-speaking area, the inventory is of noteworthy psychological historical importance.

Publications

• Ergonomics. Savings economy. 1930 (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).
• Psychology of Social Professions. Conference report on the 6th conference of Austrian psychotechnicians in Graz from April 12 to 14, 1930.

Radio lectures

• Leadership in the company. Radio lecture on February 5, 1931.

literature

• S. Hackl-Grümm: Karl Hackl. In: U. Wolfradt, E. Billmann-Mahecha, A. Stock (Eds.): German-speaking psychologists. 1933-1945. An encyclopedia of persons, supplemented by a text by Erich Stern. Springer, Wiesbaden 2015, pp. 158–160.
• F. Czeike: Historical Lexicon Vienna. Volume 3: Ha-La. Book publishers Kremayr & Scheriau / Orac., Vienna 2004, p. 15.