Capsule

TIME

Preparing the human machine for war

With a highly popular and inexpensive book on human psychology, E.G. Boring brought sound psychological principles into the American culture.
By Ben Harris

ne of the least studied psychology books is actually one of the most popular titles ever printed: the 1943 book Psychology for the Fighting Man. The idea for a wartime textbook was the brainchild of a committee of psychologists within the National Research Council. Many people saw psychology as crucial to the war effort, even more than it had been during World War I. As Harvard professor E.G. Boring wrote in the Psychological Bulletin, In this most mechanized of all wars, no machine exists in such great numbers, nor requires such expert servicing, as the human machine. None is so precious. And for no other is functioning at peak efficiency so vital for the winning of the war. At first, the book was planned as a textbook for officer candidates to educate them about the great human war machine. Boring was a logical choice for editor because he had done psychological work in World War I and was first author of a popular, collaborative introductory text. But plans for such a textbook were scrapped in favor of a paperback geared toward the high-school reading level, thanks to Col. Joseph Greene, editor of the popular Infantry Journal, which had a sideline of book publishing. Its 25 Fighting Forces Penguin Specials were cheap paperbacks modeled after a British series that Penguin Books created to make money and circumvent wartime paper rationing.
80

Greene convinced Boring to aim the book at general readers with no college education. As the inside cover explained,

the corporal in the next bunk can get as much out of the book as his colonel can. The books appeal began with its

M o n i to r o n p s yc h o lo g y J u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 3

Man, Boring and his striking cover, which promised committee produced another it would tell readers what paperback, Psychology for you should know about the Returning Serviceman, yourself and others. Using with sales that were half of a technique that ad men had its predecessors. Boring also perfected in the 1930s, the edited a college-level textbook, editors aroused the soldiers Psychology for the Armed fears and then promised to Services, drier in style but show the path to safety. The used by the military and book promised practical ideas university instructors. that will improve his personal Before working on the adjustment, and give him a books, Boring had been better chance to stay off the something of a purist, casualty lists than he already preferring experimental has. E.G. Boring spent the latter part of his career trying to bring psychology to its upstart It spoke to the soldier as an psychology to the common man, seeing the discipline as siblings that dealt with individual, not just a cog in the one that could guide people in building a better society. social and clinical problems. war machine. Striking a populist But by the end of his work on the Van de Water, a journalist who had spent note, it addressed any man in uniform books in 1945, Boring had become decades covering psychology for Science who wants to know his own physical and a strong advocate of psychological Service, a wire service. As Borings mental limitations even better than some popularization. He spent the rest of his co-editor, she rewrote the chapters of the military experts claim to know career showing his colleagues how to submitted by a panel of experts. Initially, the psychology of our enemies. deliver psychology for the common Boring asked her to appear under a Instead of teaching abstract theories man (by which he meant man and male pseudonym out of deference to the of each subfield of psychology, each woman). Army. She vetoed this plan as effectively chapter covered a topic related to Psychology, Boring wrote in a as she corrected the psychologists warfare. It taught the basics of vision lecture he never delivered, is diffusing academic prose. (Although Van de Water in chapters titled Sight as a Weapon, into the culture of America more rapidly was responsible for every word in the Seeing in the Dark and Color and than ever before. Should this process final manuscript, she was on loan from Camouflage. Other senses were covered of diffusion be left to chance or should her regular job and did not receive a cent in Smell a Sentry and Hearing psychologists attempt to control it of the books royalties.) as a Tool in Warfare. Readers learned and perhaps accelerate it? His answer Psychology for the Fighting about social and clinical psychology in was that if scientists didnt become Man was hugely successful, selling Morale, Food and Sex as Military popularizers, they would cede the field almost 400,000 copies and reaching Problems and Mobs and Panic. The to unscrupulous peddlers of superstition an estimated circulation of 1 million. book also included charts and diagrams and misinformation. Furthermore, But even these circulation figures from psychology texts, supplemented psychology could help build a better underestimate the books impact since by dozens of photos of soldiers, military society: chapters were widely reprinted in Life equipment and battle scenes. Psychology is expanding [and we and military magazines, as well as in a The books success was due to this should try] to accelerate that process, pamphlet on leadership that Chrysler compelling content and the use of try to get sound psychological principles Corp. gave to its white-collar workers drugstores and newsstands as sales into the American culture. Success in this and foremen. points an innovation in the 1940s. endeavor will increase personal maturity, After Psychology for the Fighting Also key to this project was Marjorie
J u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 3 M o n i to r o n p s yc h o lo g y 81

Archives of the History of American Psychology, The Center for the History of Psychology, The University of Akron

Capsule
TIME
help social tolerance and progress, and enlarge the democratic communal base of thinking. In Borings vision of the future, all possible media would be used to teach a psychological worldview not just piles of facts. This should be the goal of the introductory course in college, high school courses, a popular magazine that APA could publish, and programs on radio and television. Boring hoped that this media barrage would make psychology part of the cultural knowledge of all educated people. When confronted by social problems, citizens would expect that they could be corrected by social engineering rather than just endured. Ideas like ignorance is mutable would become part of everyones common sense. Although it took decades, what Boring advocated as psychological outreach eventually appeared: high school psychology courses, the APAs purchase of Psychology Today in 1983 (though it was sold in 1988) and introductory psychology taught on public television. Boring pioneered the last of these himself, hosting a TV lecture series in Boston in 1956. As historian Ellen Herman has shown, Boring anticipated the many post-World War II programs for social change that used psychological expertise as their guiding ideology. If Borings goal of a public that could think scientifically has proven elusive, the psychologically aware masses that he anticipated are here to stay. n Ben Harris, PhD, is a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of history at the University of New Hampshire. Katharine S. Milar, PhD, of Earlham College is historical editor for Time Capsule.

Workshops/Live Webcasts
The APA Office of Continuing Education in Psychology offers monthly 3-hour Clinicians Corner workshops, held at the APA building and webcast live. Previous webcasts are available as video on-demand recordings. JuLy 19 Advanced Assessment and Treatment of Attention Deficit Disorders Presenter: Thomas E. Brown, PhD september 20 A Psychodynamic Approach to Treatment-Resistant Mood Disorders Presenter: Eric M. Plakun, MD

repLay
Attend a rebroadcast of our most popular trainings with REPLAY, which includes a live chat with the presenter and printable transcripts. JuLy 10 Diagnosis With Dsm-5 and icD Presenter: K. Dayle Jones, PhD JuLy 17 SLD Determination Under IDEA: Integration of RTI and Neurocognitive Assessment Presenter: Jack Naglieri, PhD

Fees
APA Members: $65 Nonmembers: $80

ce creDits: 3
Visit us online for scheduled times

to enroLL
Live Webcasts anD repLay Visit http://apa.bizvision.com and select Clinicians Corner Webcasts on-site Workshops (Washington, DC) Call 1-800-374-2721, ext. 5991, option 3

Visit www.apa.org/ed/ce for more CE opportunities Continuing Education from your Association

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 200024242

82

M o n i to r o n p s yc h o lo g y J u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 3