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Psykoteknikken og profesjonaliseringen av norske psykologer 1920-1947

Abstract

This is a study on the significance of psychotechnics in the professionalization of Norwegian psychologists from 1920 to 1947. During this period, “psychotechnics” referred to applied psychology, particularly in the context of using psychology to streamline and rationalize the workforce. Psychological tests aimed at assessing individuals' unique traits, abilities, and aptitudes played a crucial role. Psychologists and others conducted these tests to determine individuals' suitability for specific jobs and to sort and classify workers. This thesis investigates how psychotechnics contributed to the broader societal legitimacy of both psychologists as a group and psychology as a discipline. In 1920, it was a promising but almost unknown science from abroad, while by 1947, it played a decisive role in advocating for the establishment of a professional psychology program at the University of Oslo. Drawing on perspectives from the history of knowledge, as well as the theory of professions, this thesis explores how psychotechnics arrived in Norway and its influence on Norwegian psychologists. The thesis posits that psychotechnics constituted a unique form of knowledge that circulated among a diverse audience. The study focuses on how this particular form of psychological knowledge affected and shaped the societal role of psychologists, contributing to their employment outside academia in various sectors. Source material is drawn from newspapers, journals, printed books, and archival records. The aim is to contextualize psychotechnics within a broader cultural context, emphasizing interactions, collaboration, and the exchange of psychotechnical knowledge among different professional groups and academic and non-academic actors. Part of the analysis also delves into the impact of psychotechnical knowledge. Through concepts of individualization and subjectification, the thesis analyses how psychotechnical knowledge produced specific forms of subjectivity. By addressing individuals with a promise to uncover their "true" and unique traits, abilities, and aptitudes, psychotechnics generated new forms of self-understanding, particularly among youth seeking employment. The thesis demonstrates how psychotechnical knowledge was initially understood in an international context and how it was disseminated and received in a Norway. As an international science, psychotechnics was crucial for psychologists to gain influence in various societal sectors. In this way, the thesis connects Norwegian history more closely to international, especially Nordic, research on the history of the profession of psychology.