Publication by our lecturer Iwona Koczanowicz-Dehnel on Mieczysław Kreutz and the beginnings of psychology in Wrocław after World War II.
The monograph 'Wrocław Psychology. People and Ideas', published by the Rys Publishing House in 2024, under the scientific editorship of Dr Jolanta Kowal, Professor UWr, and Kiriakos Chatzipentidis, shows the richness of the history and achievements of psychology in Poland. This publication was born out of the need to commemorate the remarkable path of psychology in Wrocław and to pay tribute to the outstanding researchers who shaped its development. Within the framework of this monograph, it is worth bringing A chapter dedicated to the figure and achievements that started the post-war history of psychology in the capital of Lower Silesia: "Mieczysław Kreutz and the beginnings of psychology in Wrocław after World War II", by Dr Iwona Koczanowicz-Dehnel.
Mieczyslaw Kreutz the hero of the publication
The article focuses on the character Mieczyslaw Kreutz (1893-1971), an outstanding psychologist and student of Kazimierz Twardowski, who played a fundamental role in the reconstruction and organisation of psychological studies in Wrocław after the Second World War. In March 1946, Prof. Kreutz gave the first post-war lecture in psychology in Wrocław, and in May of the same year he led to the establishment of the first Chair of Psychology in post-war Poland. He brought from Lviv the tradition of the Lviv-Warsaw school, characterised by a rigorous scientific and didactic approach.
Dr Koczanowicz-Dehnel portrays Kreutz as a researcher who defined the direction of psychological research at the new academic centre. Of key importance was his work on the methodology of introspection and his publication of 'The Foundations of Psychology' (1949), in which he recognised conscious phenomena as the subject of psychology and introspection as its fundamental research method. He was a prominent introspectionist, defending this method as essential to the science of psychology.
Other researchers described in the publication
The chapter also presents the contributions of other important figures who co-created the beginnings of psychology in Wrocław, such as Dr Helena Sloniewska, who organised research in applied psychology, founding the Department of Educational Psychology and in charge of the Regional Mental Health Clinic. He also mentions Marian Kulczycki, who initiated the development of clinical psychology, and Maria Porębska and Zbigniew Skorny, important figures in developmental and educational psychology. The complementarity of Kreutz and Sloniewska's work in preparing students both theoretically and for practical work is highlighted. Dr Iwona Koczanowicz-Dehnel's chapter perfectly demonstrates how, against enormous damage and subsequent systemic obstacles, Mieczyslaw Kreutz and his early colleagues and students laid the foundation for the dynamic development of psychology at the University of Wrocław, and Kreutz himself is considered the father of Polish post-war psychology.
The article does not overlook the difficulties and obstacles faced by psychology in post-war Wrocław, including the abolition of psychology studies in 1952 and the transfer of Prof. Kreutz to Warsaw. He describes this time as a "complete void" in Polish psychology, when the Department in Wrocław was reduced in size and focused on teacher training. Despite these challenges, others such as Sloniewska, Kulczycki and Porębska continued their work. We invite you to read this fascinating chapter, showing the determination and contribution of the pioneers to the reconstruction and development of psychology in Poland after the war.
Link to monograph: https://repozytorium.uni.wroc.pl/Content/141567/PDF/Wrocławska psychology. People and ideas.pdf