PSY | Psychotechnics in Austria: A Forgotten Chapter in Psychology
An individual research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) at the Faculty of Psychology is, for the first time, systematically examining the emergence and development of psychotechnics in Austria between 1920 and 1950. Led by Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. Martin Wieser (SFU Berlin), the project focuses on a previously under-researched field of practice within applied psychology.
Psychotechnics emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century with the aim of making psychological knowledge useful beyond the academic sphere. Psychologists developed and tested methods of measurement, aptitude testing and counselling, which were applied in areas such as the military, industry, public administration and education. Central to this endeavour was the idea of using psychological expertise to place “the right person in the right position”.
Lack of Historical Research in Austria
While the history of psychotechnics in Germany has already been well researched, there is no comparable body of work for Austria. To close this research gap, the project brings together an interdisciplinary team from psychology and history, with access to a rich collection of primary sources and archival documents from the period under investigation.
At the heart of the analysis is the Vienna Psychotechnical Institute, the work and life of its founder Karl Hackl, and the psychotechnicians trained there who established themselves in the interwar period in the fields of psychological aptitude testing and vocational guidance.
*Image credit | Source: Psychotechnisches Institut Wien, Susanne Hackl-Grümm
5 February 2026