Quite often, “accidents” (which, as you know, are not accidental) play an important role in human life. For example, choosing a road to escape from fate, we meet it there. And the one who finds the answer to the question of why this happens remains in human memory for a long time.
Largely thanks to finding non-standard answers to extravagant questions, the scientist Eisenck Hans Jürgen was remembered.
Eysenck's childhood and adolescence
All the most interesting things that can subsequently play a key role in the development of a person happen in childhood. Hans Jürgen Eisenck (03/04/1916 - 09/04/1997) was a child of the "cultural intelligentsia" - both mother and father were actors. Ruth Werner (under the pseudonym Helga Molander) shone on silent movie screens, and Anton Edward Eysenck combined singing and acting. Parents did not have time for a child. And two years later, they separated, and Hans Jürgen Eisenck was sent to be raised to his maternal grandmother.
From the memoirs of Hans Eisenck, you can find out that the little grandson was always given complete freedom of action, his pranks were treated condescendingly. Perhaps that is why the boy "tried everything for strength and reliability."
Hans Jürgen Eisenck was known for his “rebellious” style of behavior in all circles. Although it was thanks to this feature that scientific ideas were put forward and their validity was proved.
Relocation to England
The recognition of his exceptionalism came to Hans at school: he often liked to demonstrate the superiority of his knowledge of the subject over the knowledge of teachers who graduated from military universities. As the first athlete at school, he openly expressed his negative impressions of the Nazi rally and Hitler who spoke at it. The comrades, conspiring, beat him in a crowd. However, this did not bother the future doctor of philosophy. The next day, Hans caught his offenders one by one and imposed "justice." True, the ability to hold a blow did not help the young man when he entered Berlin University.
For the first time in his life, the young man had a choice: joining the secret Nazi police and entering the university or rejecting his candidacy for a student. Hans Jürgen Eisenck leaves Germany and leaves for England.
Professional development
The move adjusted Hans's plans. Dreams of entering the Faculty of Physics of the University of London did not come true for several reasons. However, not wanting to lose a whole year due to non-compliance with the requirements, Eysenck enters a psychology course. In 1938, a young psychologist receives a bachelor's degree. And in 1940 he became a doctor of philosophy.
In the same year, Hans began working at Mill Hill Hospital, receiving patients with various psychiatric problems. It should be noted that up to this point, Eysenck had no psychiatric and clinical practice. This did not mean that the young doctor of philosophy saved before difficulties. Hans considers the criteria and categories of clinical diagnosis unsatisfactory and finds the opportunity to apply only the personality factor theory developed at that time in practice. Thanks to this research, extensive practice, and relentless observation, the theory of personality formation was framed in the book "Measurements of Personality" (1947).
Factor analysis is the contribution of Eysenck to Hans Jürgen in the psychology and partially psychiatry of that time. He noted that two main factors are distinguished in describing personal qualities: neuroticism on the one hand and extraversion (introversion) on the other. This idea will receive its final cut in 1970.
In the postwar years, Eisenck continued to work in the psychiatric ward as a director and after a while became a teacher at the University of London.
In order to study the psychiatric practice of his Western colleagues, he went to work in 1949 as a visiting professor in Pennsylvania. Unsurprisingly, Hans's clinical psychology training programs were described by Hans as "unscientific."
In 1950, Eisenck returned to Europe.
Becoming a scientist
How did Eisenck Hans Jürgen contribute to science? Currently, few people think about the emergence of such familiar concepts and phenomena. However, some of them began their existence not so long ago. Eisenk, holding his breath, monitored, as far as possible, the genetic experiments carried out at Anenerb. The young scientist himself had the opportunity to conduct brain research with the intention of revealing a correlation between brain size and human intelligence. So far, such experiments have not led to the establishment of any laws, but Hans needed to be convinced of this.
Bird's influence on the formation of Eysenck's concepts
The supervisor of the young scientist was Cyril Lodovik. He is known for his categorical attitude to the issue of intellectual development. From his point of view, intellectual abilities are an innate property (like eye color). The evidence was based on studies based on the Binet - Simon tests. Eyewitnesses claimed that Cyril was a good mathematician and tried to calculate the exact distribution of innate and acquired intelligence factors.
Burt belonged to the development of the theory of a two-factor structure of intelligence (the idea itself was expressed by Charles Spearman). Subsequently, Cyril's insistent attribution of authorship of this concept allowed himself to speak out to some critics about the scientist's ill health (he was considered paranoid).
Much, if not all, of Burt’s writings can be found in Eysenck’s remarks. We can say that Hans brought the system to perfection. Today it is known worldwide as an IQ test.
Family of Ph.D.
The personal life of Hans Jürgen Eysenck was not as controversial as social and scientific. In 1938, the psychologist married Margaret Davis, who was also a student at the University of London, but at the Department of Mathematics. A native of Canada lived in marriage with Eysenck until 1950. Son Michael, born in this marriage, later became a well-known author of books on psychology, and the book "Study of the human psyche" became a joint work of his son and father.
Immediately after the divorce from Margaret, Hans marries Sybil Rostal (whom he met during a trip to Philadelphia). Daughter of violinist Max Rostal, psychologist, mother of four children (3 boys and a girl were born to spouses)
Together with her husband, she released several books (mainly modified tests). Eisenck's wife and children Hans Jürgen supported him in everything and were his only outlet, while the entire scientific world was raging. The famous psychologist never considered family relationships in terms of Freud's psychoanalysis. In addition, unequivocally spoke about the Oedipus complex. In a brief biography of Eysenck, Hans Jürgen almost always bypasses family relationships, but fruitful joint work with households speak of mutual understanding and support that reigned in the scientist's family.
Scientist's legacy
Eysenck's extraordinary personality manifested itself in everything - from upholding his scientific beliefs to provocative behavior (for which he was nicknamed the “terrible child of the seventies”). The scientist’s legacy has 45 books and over 600 articles.
He founded and was the editor of such journals as “Behavioral Research and Therapy” and “Personality and Individual Differences”. Eisenck’s concept was based on personality factors such as extraversion - introversion and neuroticism - stability. After some time, a third type of personality measurement appeared in theory (psychotism is the power of superego), with the assumption that this is a genetic predisposition to personality development along a psychotic or psychopathic line.
Based on the models of behavioral reactions developed by the psychologist, a personality correction method was proposed - aversive psychotherapy (or disgust therapy). Many centers for helping people with drug addiction use this type of therapy as the main one.
Hobbies Ph.D.
The biography of Hans Jürgen Eysenck tells of his passionate youthful passion for astrology. Naturally, he approached this question with all the seriousness of a scientific researcher. The study of astrological charts was conducted for the same purpose: to find a pattern that promotes the development of talent. During the study of the topic, Eisenck corresponded with many famous astrologers. He compiled and sent by mail maps for some representatives of the Reichstag with a warning about the collapse of all their plans. But there was no answer.
Observations of fascism and left-wing radicals led the scientist to the conclusion that these groups are more likely to be similar than distinct. Both had an authoritarian management style, rigidity and intolerance of dissent, in contrast to the control group. Perhaps this hypothesis only strengthened the scientist’s faith in the importance of the biological component in the nature of intelligence.
Factor theory of personality
A significant contribution of Eysenck to Hans Jürgen in psychology is considered to be a model of a three-phase concept of the emergence of neurosis, which describes neurosis as a manifestation of learned behavioral reactions. Like Raymond Kettle, using factor analysis, he shows how personality traits influence behavioral responses. Unlike Kettel, Eisenck was convinced that three super-traits (the opponent has 16) are enough to explain human behavior, which are called types (introversion - extraversion, stability - neurotism and psychotism - the power of the superego). This type structure was formed on the basis of Eysenck's belief that they are inherited at the biological level (although the influence of the external environment is not excluded).
The basis for the construction of his theory was the work of colleagues E. Kretschmer and C. Jung. Eisenck viewed their typologies as one.
The novelty of personality theory is considered to be the consideration of psychological manifestations as continuums of meanings, and not as extreme manifestations of types.
Author's books
In all the books of Eysenck by Hans Jürgen, the idea of the leading role of genetic and neurophysiological factors in the formation of various behavioral reactions is a red thread. Like a true psychologist, the scientist is famous for the "challenging" headlines. For example, “The benefits and harms of psychology”, “Meaning and meaninglessness in psychology”, “Facts and fiction in psychology”, “Sex, cruelty and the media”.
Perhaps Eysenck's most famous book is The Structure of a Human Person, which provides evidence of the effectiveness of factor analysis in studies of personality manifestations, talents, and dispositions.
Special work
Hans Jürgen did not bypass such a sensitive topic as criminal behavior. In 1964, the book Crime and Personality was released. There is no hint of the famous Lombroso theory. According to Eysenck, individuals with high rates of extraversion, neuroticism and psychism, due to the costs of socialization, can become criminals. The author put forward a hypothesis about the presence of a “criminal class” group in the population. It is worth noting that this work caused a lot of criticism and controversy in the scientific community, but also got followers.
Instead of a conclusion
Studies of the inheritance of intelligence of R. Plomin based on a hundred DNA markers showed that only one of them is associated with the level of development of intelligence (75% of matches among representatives with low intelligence and 100% with high). The studies were conducted in 1994-1997, which allows us to conclude the significance of all the works of Hans Jürgen Aysenck (you can see the photo of the scientist at the beginning of the article). They always caused controversy and hostility in the scientific community, but at the same time enjoyed popularity among the public.