Charles Samuel Myers
Encyclopedia
Charles Samuel Myers FRS (13 March 1873 –12 October 1946) was a significant English
psychologist
, who coined the term shell shock
. He was co-founder of the British Psychological Society and the National Institute of Industrial Psychology.
, London
on 13 March 1873, the eldest son of Wolf Myers, a merchant, and his wife, Esther Eugenie Moses. In the 1881 census he is an 8-year-old scholar living at 27 Arundel Gardens
, Kensington, London with his parents, 4 brothers and 4 servants.
In the 1891 census he is a scholar, aged 18 living at 49 Leinster Gardens, Paddington
, London, with his parents, 4 brothers, a visitor, and 4 servants (cook, housemaid, parlourmaid, and ladies maid).
where he studied sciences. Of this experience he wrote:
He attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
University, where he took a first in each part of the Natural Sciences tripos (1893 and 1895). He was Arnold Gerstenberg student in 1896. (This fund was set up in 1892 for the promotion of the study of Moral Philosophy and Metaphysics among students of Natural Sciences ) He also trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital
in London.
and William McDougall
on the Cambridge anthropological expedition organised by Alfred Cort Haddon
to the Torres Straits and Sarawak
. Here he studied ethnic music, carrying out research on rhythm in Borneo.
In 1904 Myers married Edith Babette, youngest daughter of Isaac Seligman
, a merchant in London; they had three daughters and two sons. Myers remained in Cambridge to become, in succession, demonstrator, lecturer, and, in 1921, reader in experimental psychology. From 1906 to 1909 he was also professor in experimental psychology at london University.
In 1909, when W.H.R. Rivers resigned a part of his Lectureship, Myers became the first lecturer at Cambridge University whose whole duty was to teach experimental psychology
. For this he received a stipend of £50 a year. He held this position until 1930.
From 1911 Myers co-edited the British Journal of Psychology with Rivers. In 1914 he took over as sole editor, continuing in this post until 1924.
In 1912, Myers used his enthusiasm and ability to raise funds to establish the first English laboratory especially designed for experimental psychology at Cambridge. He be came the laboratory's first Director and held this position until 1930. (The Cambridge Laboratory of Experimental Psychology).
and in 1916 he was appointed consultant psychologist to the British armies in France with a staff of psychotherapists at Le Touquet. In 1915 Myers coined the term "shell shock" in an article in The Lancet
. He tried to save shell-shocked soldiers from execution.
He became frustrated with opposition to his views during his time in the military, particularly the view that shell-shock was a treatable condition. His efforts have been called "a pioneering but frustrating struggle to get psychological evidence and applied psychology accepted" He was so upset by the rejection of his ideas by the military authorities that he refused to give evidence to the Southborough Committee on shell-shock because, as he wrote in 1940, "the recall of my past five years' work proved too painful for me."
In the last year of the war he devised tests and supervised their application for the selection of men suited to hydrophone
work for detecting enemy submarines.
Later, when the advisory committee on personnel selection was set up by the War Office, he was appointed a member.
He delivered the Bradshaw Lecture at the Royal College of Physicians
in 1933 on "A Psychological Regard for Medical Education".
He died in Winsford, near Minehead, Somerset in 1946.
in 1906. In January 1904, Myers became the first Secretary of the Society. In 1919 Myers suggested that membership should be opened up to "all those interested in various branches of psychology".
He was elected as the first president of the society, following its enlargement in 1920. He held this position between 1920 and 1923.
In 1920, Myers, represented the BPS on the board of management of a new journal, Discovery,
which dealt with the recent advances in scientific knowledge.
Dr Myers was also the Society’s representative on the committee formed to consider a
memorial to the late Dr W.H.R. Rivers. A fund was raised for the furtherance of the
sciences to which Dr Rivers had been interested, in particularly anthropology and
psychology.
in 1919, and received honorary degrees from the universities of Manchester (DSc, 1927), Calcutta (LLD), and Pennsylvania (DSc). He was a fellow (1919) and later an honorary fellow (1935) of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, a foreign associate of the French Société de Psychologie, twice president of the psychology section of the British Association (1922, 1931), president of the International Congress of Psychology in 1923, and editor of the British Journal of Psychology (1911–24).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, who coined the term shell shock
Shell Shock
Shell Shock, also known as 82nd Marines Attack was a 1964 film by B-movie director John Hayes. The film takes place in Italy during World War II, and tells the story of a sergeant with his group of soldiers....
. He was co-founder of the British Psychological Society and the National Institute of Industrial Psychology.
Family background
Myers was born in KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 13 March 1873, the eldest son of Wolf Myers, a merchant, and his wife, Esther Eugenie Moses. In the 1881 census he is an 8-year-old scholar living at 27 Arundel Gardens
Arundel Gardens
Arundel Gardens is a street in Notting Hill, London, located between Ladbroke Grove and Kensington Park Road. It was built in the 1860s, towards the later stages of the development of the Ladbroke Estate, until that time a largely rural area west of the expanding suburbs of London.-History:In 1852...
, Kensington, London with his parents, 4 brothers and 4 servants.
In the 1891 census he is a scholar, aged 18 living at 49 Leinster Gardens, Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
, London, with his parents, 4 brothers, a visitor, and 4 servants (cook, housemaid, parlourmaid, and ladies maid).
Education
He attended the City of London SchoolCity of London School
The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
where he studied sciences. Of this experience he wrote:
He attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
University, where he took a first in each part of the Natural Sciences tripos (1893 and 1895). He was Arnold Gerstenberg student in 1896. (This fund was set up in 1892 for the promotion of the study of Moral Philosophy and Metaphysics among students of Natural Sciences ) He also trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, also known as Barts, is a hospital in Smithfield in the City of London, England.-Early history:It was founded in 1123 by Raherus or Rahere , a favourite courtier of King Henry I...
in London.
Travels and study of ethnic music
In 1898 he joined W. H. R. RiversW. H. R. Rivers
William Halse Rivers Rivers, FRCP, FRS, was an English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist and psychiatrist, best known for his work with shell-shocked soldiers during World War I. Rivers' most famous patient was the poet Siegfried Sassoon...
and William McDougall
William McDougall
William McDougall may refer to:*William McDougall , Canadian lawyer and politician from Ontario*William McDougall , Canadian shipbuilder and politician from Nova Scotia...
on the Cambridge anthropological expedition organised by Alfred Cort Haddon
Alfred Cort Haddon
Alfred Cort Haddon, Sc.D., FRS, FRGS was an influential British anthropologist and ethnologist.Initially a biologist, who achieved his most notable fieldwork, with W.H.R. Rivers, C.G. Seligman, Sidney Ray, Anthony Wilkin on the Torres Strait Islands...
to the Torres Straits and Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
. Here he studied ethnic music, carrying out research on rhythm in Borneo.
Early career
On his return to England he was appointed house physician at St Bartholomew's. In 1902 he returned to Cambridge to help Rivers teach the physiology of the special senses.In 1904 Myers married Edith Babette, youngest daughter of Isaac Seligman
Isaac Seligman
Isaac Seligman was a German-American merchant banker and philanthropist. He was the youngest of eight brothers, all of whom emigrated to America and became involved in running various branch offices of the merchant banking house J. & W...
, a merchant in London; they had three daughters and two sons. Myers remained in Cambridge to become, in succession, demonstrator, lecturer, and, in 1921, reader in experimental psychology. From 1906 to 1909 he was also professor in experimental psychology at london University.
In 1909, when W.H.R. Rivers resigned a part of his Lectureship, Myers became the first lecturer at Cambridge University whose whole duty was to teach experimental psychology
Experimental psychology
Experimental psychology is a methodological approach, rather than a subject, and encompasses varied fields within psychology. Experimental psychologists have traditionally conducted research, published articles, and taught classes on neuroscience, developmental psychology, sensation, perception,...
. For this he received a stipend of £50 a year. He held this position until 1930.
From 1911 Myers co-edited the British Journal of Psychology with Rivers. In 1914 he took over as sole editor, continuing in this post until 1924.
In 1912, Myers used his enthusiasm and ability to raise funds to establish the first English laboratory especially designed for experimental psychology at Cambridge. He be came the laboratory's first Director and held this position until 1930. (The Cambridge Laboratory of Experimental Psychology).
First World War
In 1915 Myers was given a commission in the Royal Army Medical CorpsRoyal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
and in 1916 he was appointed consultant psychologist to the British armies in France with a staff of psychotherapists at Le Touquet. In 1915 Myers coined the term "shell shock" in an article in The Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
. He tried to save shell-shocked soldiers from execution.
He became frustrated with opposition to his views during his time in the military, particularly the view that shell-shock was a treatable condition. His efforts have been called "a pioneering but frustrating struggle to get psychological evidence and applied psychology accepted" He was so upset by the rejection of his ideas by the military authorities that he refused to give evidence to the Southborough Committee on shell-shock because, as he wrote in 1940, "the recall of my past five years' work proved too painful for me."
In the last year of the war he devised tests and supervised their application for the selection of men suited to hydrophone
Hydrophone
A hydrophone is a microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening to underwater sound. Most hydrophones are based on a piezoelectric transducer that generates electricity when subjected to a pressure change...
work for detecting enemy submarines.
Postwar career
After the war, Myers returned to his Cambridge position. But here too he was deeply dissatisfied, wanting wider opportunities for the development of his more practical interests, and feeling that official and academic circles showed little genuine interest in psychology. From 1922 he did devote himself to the development of the National Institute of Industrial Psychology (NIIP) which he had founded with Henry John Welch in 1921. He was also involved in what became the industrial health research board.Later, when the advisory committee on personnel selection was set up by the War Office, he was appointed a member.
He delivered the Bradshaw Lecture at the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
in 1933 on "A Psychological Regard for Medical Education".
He died in Winsford, near Minehead, Somerset in 1946.
Myers and the British Psychological Society
Myers was one of the ten founding members of The Psychological Society in 1901 which would later become the British Psychological SocietyBritish Psychological Society
The British Psychological Society is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. The BPS is also a Registered Charity and, along with advantages, this also imposes certain constraints on what the society can and cannot do...
in 1906. In January 1904, Myers became the first Secretary of the Society. In 1919 Myers suggested that membership should be opened up to "all those interested in various branches of psychology".
He was elected as the first president of the society, following its enlargement in 1920. He held this position between 1920 and 1923.
In 1920, Myers, represented the BPS on the board of management of a new journal, Discovery,
which dealt with the recent advances in scientific knowledge.
Dr Myers was also the Society’s representative on the committee formed to consider a
memorial to the late Dr W.H.R. Rivers. A fund was raised for the furtherance of the
sciences to which Dr Rivers had been interested, in particularly anthropology and
psychology.
Psychology
- Text-Book of Experimental Psychology (1909) Read 1911 version online.
- Introduction to Experimental Psychology (1911) went through several editions.
- Present-day applications of Psychology (1919). Methuen. Read online
- Mind and work, the psychologial factors in industry and commerce (1920), University of London Press
- Mind and work (1921) G.P. Putman's sons
- Industrial Psychology in Great Britain (1926) J Cape Ltd.
- Industrial Psychology (1929) T. Butterworth ltd.
- Psychological conceptions in other sciences (1929) Clarendon Press.
- Ten Years of Industrial Psychology (with H. J. Welch, 1932)
- The absurdity of any mind-body relation (1932) Oxford University Press, H. Milford Series: L.T. Hobhouse memorial trust lectures,, no. 2
- A Psychologist's Point of View (1933)
- In the Realm of Mind (1937). The University Press.
Anthropology (Ethnic music)
- Myers, C.S. (1904). "A study of rhythm in primitive peoples". British Journal of Psychology, 1, p. 397.
Accolades
In 1915 Myers was elected FRS; he was appointed CBECBE
CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
in 1919, and received honorary degrees from the universities of Manchester (DSc, 1927), Calcutta (LLD), and Pennsylvania (DSc). He was a fellow (1919) and later an honorary fellow (1935) of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, a foreign associate of the French Société de Psychologie, twice president of the psychology section of the British Association (1922, 1931), president of the International Congress of Psychology in 1923, and editor of the British Journal of Psychology (1911–24).
Myers was rather above medium height, well built, and remembered for his smile. He made friends readily, but had a tendency to imagine enemies. He enjoyed mountain climbing and lawn tennis, and was a talented violinist. He combined freemasonry with philanthropic activity for the Jewish community. Students and visitors from every part of the world were always welcome at his home. Myers died at his home at Winsford Glebe, near Minehead, Somerset, on 12 October 1946. He was survived by his wife.
Myers undertook more laboratory experimental work than his publications would suggest, but his greatest contributions to the emergent science of psychology in Britain were in establishing many of its pioneering institutions, and promoting it internationally.
External links
- Photograph at the National Portrait Gallery http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp58777
- Wilson