Institute of Psychology (Szeged)
Encyclopedia
| Institute of Psychology | |
| University of Szeged University of Szeged The University of Szeged is one of Hungary's most distinguished universities, and is among the most prominent higher education institutions in Central Europe... Faculty of Arts |
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| Built: | in 1912, in Neo-Roman style |
| Address: | 6722 Szeged Szeged ' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary.... , Egyetem utca 2. |
| Founded: | 18 December 1929. |
| Anniversary: | 80th (1929–2009) |
| Official homepage: | http://www.pszich.u-szeged.hu/ |
Institute of Psychology University of Szeged
University of Szeged
The University of Szeged is one of Hungary's most distinguished universities, and is among the most prominent higher education institutions in Central Europe...
, Szeged
Szeged
' is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary....
, Hungary
The Institute of Psychology is located at 2 Egyetem Street, at the Szeged University Campus of the Faculty of Arts.
The Institute of Psychology in Szeged is the longest-standing psychology institute in Hungary (founded on 18 December 1929).
Today, the Institute provides one of the most dynamically developing Psychology training courses in the country – a three-year Psychology BA training, followed by a two-year MA course in two possible majors: Cognitive and Neuropsychology, or Counseling and Educational Psychology.
The beginnings (1872-1919)
The legal predecessor of the University of Szeged was the University of Cluj-NapocaCluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
(Kolozsvár), which was founded in 1872 by Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
as the second university in Hungary of that time. Psychology-oriented studies existed from the earliest days, but were taught by professors of Philosophy and Pedagogy. Psychology was first assigned its proper role by Professor Imre Sándor at the University of Szeged.
The beginnings of psychology education in Szeged (1921-1929)
Psychology was first assigned its proper role by Professor Imre Sándor, who realized that the study of psychology is just as important as that of pedagogy. Accordingly, on 20 October 1926, he filed his petition to the directors of the university for the establishment of a fundamentally different, modern Department of Pedagogy and Psychology. György Málnási Bartók, the Professor of the Department of Philosophy, was an avid supporter of the petition, since the tuition of Psychology had been the responsibility of his department at that period. In his petition, Imre Sándor listed the following fields and branches as belonging to the new Department's sphere of competence: General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Psychology of Differences, Education of Backward Children, Psychotechnics, and Pedagogical Somatology.
Psychology education between 1929 and 1940
In 1929, the establishment of the Second Department of Pedagogy and Psychology was brought about by lucky circumstances, given that the petition of Imre Sándor and György Málnási Bartók would not have been sufficient by itself. At the University of Szeged, which had been relocated from Cluj-Napoca, the Faculty of Arts had a very low number of attending students, which threatened the very existence of the university. In the fall of 1928, to aid the foundering university, the Minister of Culture, Kuno Klebelsberg, ordered the relocation of the Paedagogum and the academic section of Erzsébet Girls’ School to Szeged. Thus, the Teacher Training College for secular elementary schools was founded. As part of their curriculum, students of the college had to complete a part of their training – essentially one of the two compulsory majors – at the university, hence boosting the number of students there. At the same time, the Minister abrogated secular teacher training at nun schools, which meant that nuns also had to attend the University of Szeged to receive such training.Kuno Klebelsberg himself was completely unbiased by religion when appointing university teachers, however, under the pressure of Catholic bishops, he founded the Catholic departments as well. Thus, the first head of the Second Department of Philosophy was János Mester (1879–1954), a Catholic professor, while the First Department of Philosophy was led by the Protestant György Málnási Bartók. Likewise, the Second Department of Literature and the Second Department of Pedagogy and Psychology were founded with the leaderships of Catholic professor Sándor Sík and Dezső Várkonyi Hildebrand from the Benedictine Order respectively, on the other hand, the Protestant First Department of Literature and the First Department of Pedagogy and Psychology were led by Lajos Dézsi and Sándor Imre respectively. A most noble competition followed: both Dezső Várkonyi Hildebrand and Sándor Sík were excellent educators of the university and besides Philosophy, János Mester also engaged himself in studies of Psychology and Pedagogy.
On 18 December 1929, Dezső Hildebrand Várkonyi, a Benedictine monk was appointed as the Head of the Independent Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology. His appointment brought new perspective to the education at the University of Szeged. In Hungary, such an Independent Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology was founded in Szeged for the first time, only later to be followed by the establishment of the Department of Psychology at the University of Budapest
University of Budapest
The Eötvös Loránd University or ELTE, founded in 1635, is the largest university in Hungary, located in Budapest.-History:The university was founded in 1635 in Nagyszombat by the archbishop and theologian Péter Pázmány. Leadership was given over to the Jesuits...
, under the supervision of Pál Schiller Harkai
Pál Schiller Harkai
Pál Schiller Harkai Hungarian philosopher and psychologist.He organized Psychological Institute at Budapest University in 1936.- His career :...
in 1936.
Following the appointment of Várkonyi, psychology training at the University of Szeged could develop its distinctive image, primarily focusing on the mainstream Psychology of that time, namely on questions of Paedology, Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology.
Várkonyi's lectures brought color to the history of education; he introduced the modern fields of Psychology, including the work of Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
, Alfred Adler
Alfred Adler
Alfred Adler was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. In collaboration with Sigmund Freud and a small group of Freud's colleagues, Adler was among the co-founders of the psychoanalytic movement as a core member of the Vienna...
, Carl Gustav Jung and Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology"....
. According to the recollections of his students, his lectures sometimes deviated from the formal rhetorical style and took on a more familiar character.
In the 1930s, István Boda, a Privatdocent at the University, held a series of lectures on the survey of the intellectuals, and the practical psychology of self-development.
The year 1940 brought another change in the life of the Institute and the university itself. Following the re-annexation of Northern Transylvania, the Franz Joseph University of Sciences was relocated back to Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, together with the majority of its teachers, Dezső Várkonyi Hildenbrand among them.
Psychology education at Horthy Miklós University of Sciences
In 1940, a new university was founded in Szeged, named after Horthy Miklós. The Institute of Psychology was established in 1941, as a new unit, with the Bendectine Pál Bognár Cecil – well known in the scientific circles of the time - appointed as Head of Institute.Cecil Bognár's work at the Institute was focused on Child Psychology and Educational Science; in his publications, he primarily examined the idiosyncrasies of primary school children, and the issues of child personality types.
Cecil Bognár was passionately devoted to teaching – the word to be taken in the broadest possible sense. In addition to his research and teaching activities he grasped all the opportunities to educate all that were interested: he held countless popular lectures, including Open University seminars, radio broadcasts and newspaper articles.
The decades following World War II
Following the retirement of Cecil Bognár, the Institute of Psychology was incorporated into the Institute of Education and Psychology, in academic year of 1950-1951, led by the university's former Privatdocent, Béla Tettamanti (1884–1959). He was famously well-educated, his personality and intellect manifested itself even across the compulsory curtain of political ideology. In the 1960s his fame spread along the student grapevine: there is an excellent teacher at the Institute of Education and Psychology, Béla Tettamanti. Even then it was possible to relay worthwhile ideas towards to audience under the guise of Education History.It is important to note that the role of Psychology was reduced in the 1950s, mainly due to political reasons. It was taught at a rate of merely two lectures per week, and only the study of General Psychology was allowed. This rather unfavorable, repressed position was brought about by the influence of high Party echelons, who were infamous for their malevolence towards Psychology.
Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, together with Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, was claimed to be seditionary and counter-ideological, and was generally thought of as a media of bourgeois ideology. Thus, under the leadership of Béla Tettamanti, the only possible approach for the Institute was to mimic the Soviet example, and teach in accordance with the ideology prescribed by Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin.
In 1959, Béla Tettamanti was replaced by the new director of the Institute of Education and Psychology, György Ágoston. Ágoston represented the Marxist pedagogy, and almost completely repressed Psychology; for all practical purposes, Psychology was only present in the name of the institute. György Ágoston directed the Institute of Education and Psychology from 1959 to 1970; and afterwards the Department of Education between 1970 and 1. January 1990.
The restitution of psychology
In the early 1990s, the Faculty of Arts of the József Attila University of Sciences
University of Szeged
The University of Szeged is one of Hungary's most distinguished universities, and is among the most prominent higher education institutions in Central Europe...
called for the reorganization of its departments as institutes. As a result, the Department of Education and the Department of Psychology were merged as the Institute of Education and Psychology.
Under Vajda Zsuzsanna's leadership, Psychology was made available as a major from the academic year 1996/1997; initially under the aegis of the Institute of Psychology (director: Zoltán Kovács) of the Kossuth Lajos University of Sciences (now University of Debrecen
University of Debrecen
The University of Debrecen is a university located in Debrecen, Hungary. It is the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education in Hungary .-History:...
).
The founding father of the independent Psychology major, available from the turn of the millennium, is Professor Csaba Pléh
Csaba Pléh
Csaba Pléh is a Hungarian psychologist and linguist, professor at the Department of Cognitive Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics.-Academic career:...
, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, who organized the Cognitive Science Group at the Department of Psychology, and in 1999, started the Cognitive Science and Neuropsychology Program of Szeged
Cognitive Science and Neuropsychology Program of Szeged
The Cognitive Science and Neuropsychology Program has been organised by Csaba Pléh, in 1999 at the Institute of Psychology, University of Szeged. The aim of the program is to introduce the theories and methods of cognitive science and neuropsychology both to undergraduate students and researchers...
, or in short, the Cognitive Program. He laid the foundation for a professional psychology training course at the University of Szeged. The university's Medical Faculty
Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University
Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University was originally established in Cluj-Napoca, then in Austria-Hungary, nowadays Romania, in 1872. After World War I, it was moved to Szeged. Between 1921 and the present, great advances have been made in the development of the University...
and the Cognitive Science Group, led by Csaba Pléh
Csaba Pléh
Csaba Pléh is a Hungarian psychologist and linguist, professor at the Department of Cognitive Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics.-Academic career:...
, organized the VIII. Conference of the Hungarian Cognitive Science Association (MAKOG), titled The Development and Disorders of Cognitive Functions for 4–6 February 2000 in Szeged.
From 1 September 1999, the independent Department of Psychology functioned as an independent department at the József Attila University of Sciences (now University of Szeged
University of Szeged
The University of Szeged is one of Hungary's most distinguished universities, and is among the most prominent higher education institutions in Central Europe...
).
As possibly a final chapter in the long and strife-filled history of Psychology tuition and research in Szeged, Psychology training is again in operation within the Institute of Psychology. The Head of the Institute – and formerly Head of the Department of Psychology – is Associate Professor Ágnes Szokolszky
Ágnes Szokolszky
Ágnes Szokolszky is a Hungarian educator and psychologist, a habilitated associate professor and director of the Institute of Psychology, Szeged....
.
In the summer of 2008, the Institute was moved to a new location, into a recently renovated wing of the Faculty of Arts. Currently there are three research laboratories on the premises:
- The Kardos Lajos Laboratory of Cognitive Sciences
- The Grastyán Endre EEG Laboratory
- Mérei FerencFerenc MéreiFerenc Mérei was a Hungarian psychologist and educator.- Early life :Born in Budapest into a bourgeois family, Mérei often spent time in his parents’ photography studio at the Garay Bazaar. He did not like school, where he felt excluded and his teachers' brutality caused him much pain...
Behavior Analysis Laboratory (a reference laboratory of Noldus Information Technology)
At the time of writing, the above mentioned EEG
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain...
and behavior laboratories are among the most modern laboratories of their kind in the country, and provide the opportunity for extensive scientific research of the highest standards, for lecturers and students as well.
Their achievements are marked by awards and grants from National Scientific Conferences for University Students and the Fellowship of the Hungarian Republic, a large number of Pro Scientia awardees, extensive ERASMUS
Erasmus programme
The Erasmus Programme , a.k.a. Erasmus Project is a European Union student exchange programme established in 1987...
relations, and a long list of well-known foreign guest-lecturers.
The history of Psychology training at the University of Szeged contains periods of glory as well as hardship. We mean to honor these memories and the work of our predecessors, and strive to live up to the example they set before us.
The Institute of Psychology today
István WinklerIstván Winkler
István Winkler Hungarian psychologist.Scientific Advisor and Head of the Department of General Psychology at the...
is Professor of Psychology at Institute of Psychology, University of Szeged from 2008. He's the Head of the Department of General Psychology, Institute for
Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
.
The current academic and research activities of our lecturers and students are of the highest possible standards. The wide spectrum of professional expertise provided by our teachers warrants that our graduating student are well-prepared and have a very strong knowledge base to further build on. Awards from the National Scientific Conference for University Students, the impact of publications by our teachers, and the popularity of their conference lectures mark the current activities at the Institute of Psychology in Szeged.
Regarding the performance of our students at National Scientific Conferences for University Students, suffice to say that year-to-year, they win 1st, 2nd or 3rd Prize or Special Awards in most subsections of the Psychology section, i.e. in General Psychology I., General Psychology II., Personality and Clinical Psychology
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
, Social Psychology
Social psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
and Applied Psychology
Applied psychology
The basic premise of applied psychology is the use of psychological principles and theories to overcome problems in other areas, such as mental health, business management, education, health, product design, ergonomics, and law...
. This means one of the most prestigious positions on the award-roster among all the colleges and universities that offer training in Psychology in the country. The supreme-quality modern equipment (such as the equipment available in the above mentioned EEG and Behavior Analysis laboratories) ensures further satisfactory results.
Renowned guest lecturers in recent years
- Alan Baddeley (Bristol): Human Memory
- Csibra Gergely (London): Cognition of Newborns
- Csányi Vilmos (Eötvös Lóránd University): Human Ethology
- Kovács Gyula: Neurobiology and Computational Bases
- Kovács Ilona, Káldy Zsuzsanna (New Jersey): The Development of Perception
- Csibra Gergely: The Cognitive View of Counting
- Pléh Csaba: The Evolution of Cognition
- Kónya Anikó: Autobiographic Memory and Narration
- Ehmann Bea: Narrative Psychology
- Csépe Valéria: Language Usage, Language Disorder and the Neural Network
- Bánréti Zoltán (Linguistic Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences): Defective Grammatical Principles in Agrammatic Aphasia
- Winkler István (Psychology Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences): The Intelligent Basic Processes of Auditory Perception (Spring Semester, 2005)
- Fiser József (Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester): The Computational Principles of Cognitive Neurosciences
- Mérő László: Economic Psychology
ERASMUS relations
- Universidad de Salamanca (Spain)
- University of KlagenfurtUniversity of KlagenfurtThe University of Klagenfurt was founded in 1960 in Klagenfurt, Austria. It began as a College of Educational Studies . Since October 2004 the official German name is Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt in order to stress the intercultural connections between the Alpine regions and the Adriatic Sea...
(Austria) - University of Bielefeld (Germany)
- Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Psychology (Germany)
- Katholieke Universiteit LeuvenKatholieke Universiteit LeuvenThe Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
, Faculty of Psychology and Pedagogy (Belgium) - University of PortsmouthUniversity of PortsmouthThe University of Portsmouth is a university in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The University was ranked 60th out of 122 in The Sunday Times University Guide...
, Department of Psychology (Great Britain) - Aalborg Universitet, Department of Communication, Psychology (Denmark)
- University of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiThe University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
(Finland) - Luleå Tekniska Universitet (Sweden)
- Abant Izzet Baysal UniversityAbant Izzet Baysal University- Overview :Abant Izzet Baysal University was founded on July 3, 1992 with the aim of establishing a centre of excellence in higher education and research. Today it has 8 faculties, 3 institutes, 5 two-year programmes, 6 vocational schools and 4 research centres. Nine hundred academicians teach...
(Turkey)
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Cooperation with foreign and Hungarian universities
- Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
(Washington, D.C.) - University of ConnecticutUniversity of ConnecticutThe admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
- Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
(BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
) - University of Reims Champagne-ArdenneUniversity of Reims Champagne-ArdenneUniversity of Reims Champagne-Ardenne is a French university, in the Academy of Reims. It was established in 1960 and includes the much older Rheims Faculty of Law, a law school....
(Applied Psychology Lab) - Budapest University of Technology and EconomicsBudapest University of Technology and EconomicsThe Budapest University of Technology and Economics , in hungarian abbreviated as BME, English official abbreviation BUTE, is the most significant University of Technology in Hungary and is also one of the oldest Institutes of Technology in the world, having been founded in 1782.-History:BME is...
, Department of Cognitive Science - University of PécsUniversity of PécsThe University of Pécs is the Hungarian university with the largest number of students and faculties.-History:...
, Evolutionary Psychology Group - Hungarian Academy of SciencesHungarian Academy of SciencesThe Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
, Research Institute for Psychology
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External links
- Winkler István et al. Newborn infants detect the beat in music
- Cognitiv Science Group, Szeged
- ERASMUS, Szeged
- Homepage of the Institute of Psychology, Szeged University (SZTE Pszichológia Intézetének honlapja)
- Word of cognition from Csaba Pléh
- Béla Pukánszky: Pedagogical and Psychological Scientific Schools in Szeged (Pedagógiai és pszichológiai tudományos iskolák Szegeden)
- The History of Psychologist Training in Szeged, in a Nutshell (A szegedi pszichológus képzés története dióhéjban)
- About the New Laboratories of the Szeged Institute of Psychology: Improvement Helps Education, Research and Healing, Too. Szeged University, 2008. (Új laborokról a Szegedi Pszichológia Intézetben: az oktatást, kutatást és gyógyítást is segíti a fejlesztés, Szegedi Egyetem, 2008)
- Value, Standard, Atmosphere. Szeged University, (Érték, színvonal.hangulat), Szegedi Egyetem, 2009
- At Home, at an International Level. Szeged University (Itthon, de nemzetközi szinten), Szegedi Egyetem, 2007
- The University of Szeged and the Szeged Institute of Psychology in the Press (A SZTE és a Szegedi Pszichológiai Intézet a sajtóban)
- Portrait Gallery (under production)
- Cselekvés Iskolája, Szeged, table of contents