Research project: Psychotechnics in Austria (1920-1950)

This individual project, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and headed by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. Martin Wieser, aims to reconstruct the emergence and development of the field of practice known as “psychotechnics” from its foundation in the early 1920s to its consolidation in Austria in the 1950s.

As the “science of the practical application of psychology in the service of culture” (Münsterberg), psychotechnology was introduced as a new field at the beginning of the 20th century in order to make psychological knowledge and psychological practices usable beyond the academic field.

During and after the First World War, psychologists carried out pioneering work in this field by using tried and tested methods of measurement, aptitude testing and counselling in experimental laboratories in the military, industry, public administration, education and state-owned companies. The focus of the “psychotechnical” expertise was on finding the “right man (or woman) in the right place” with the help of psychology.

While the history of psychotechnology in Germany is relatively well known today, the foundation and development of psychotechnology in Austria is still largely in the dark. In order to close this research gap, this project brings together an interdisciplinary team from the fields of psychology and history, which has access to a wealth of primary sources and archive documents from the period under investigation.

If you are interested in the research project, please contact martin.wieser@sfu-berlin.de

*Picture credits source: Psychotechnical Institute Vienna/Susanne Hackl-Grümm