On the Psychology of Individual Differences

This book presents an English translation, by Nicolas and Lamiell, of the entirety of a German-language text authored by William Stern (1871-1938) and published in 1900. Its publication is widely considered to mark the founding of that sub-discipline of psychology devoted to the systematic study of individual and group differences. The book includes an introductory chapter by Nicolas and Lamiell, placing Stern's work into historical context and discussing its influence on the work of scholars who followed. By making this work available for the first time for an Anglophone audience, it fills a significant gap in the history of psychology literature and offers a springboard into much needed critical discourse on the contemporary state of psychological testing in particular, and on the study of individual and group differences more broadly. It holds fresh insights for those specializing in the fields of personality psychology, educational psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology; as well as to practitioners in the fields of personal and educational counseling. L. William Stern (1871 – 1938) was a German scholar whose hallmark contribution to psychology was, in his own view, a comprehensive system of thought he called 'critical personalism.' Within that system, Stern offered a philosophically sophisticated understanding of the psychological development of human personalities and, by extension, a vision of the dynamics of socio-ethically flourishing human communities. Translated and Introduced by: Serge Nicolas is Professor of psychology at the Université Paris Cité and a senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF). James T. Lamiell is Professor Emeritus of psychology at Georgetown University, USA.