Evolution and British psychology : the influence of Charles Darwin's theories on psychology in Britain between 1858 and 1910

Abstract

The extent of Darwin's influence on British Psychology may be estimated by a comparison of the situation for a period before and after the publication of his central theory in 1858-1859, by an examination of the frequency with which his ideas or modifications of them appeared in the psychological output for fifty years after 1858, and by a consideration of the relative importance of his theories for the work of the major writers of the period. As Darwin wrote primarily from the viewpoint of biology proper, any influence of his writings on psychology must have been indirect. His contribution of relevance to psychology consisted in: firstly, an affirmation of the theory of descent with modification plus a convincing statement of related evidence; secondly, the propounding of a means of modification in the theory of natural selection; and thirdly, the admission of other possible means of modification such as the inheritane of funtionally-acquired characteristics. The latter hypothesis, which exercised brief but extensive influence and partly countered that of the natural selection hypothesis, cannot be regarded as Darwin's original contribution, nor was he its chief exponent in the nineteenth century.