Pavel Petrovich Blonsky
Encyclopedia
Pavel Petrovich Blonsky (1884-1941) was a Soviet psychologist who lived in the Ukraine
until 1918. He introduced the behaviorist approach in Russian psychology (under the label "objective Marxist psychology"). During the 1930s he was severely criticized for his adherence to psychological testing
and studies of inborn capabilities (which contradicted to the official Soviet ideology of "inborn equality of all people"). Blonsky's search for a new psychology began with the condemnation of philosophical idealism that he - the specialist in Plato
and neo-Platonism - now considered to be clearly irreconcilable with "normal common sense".
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
until 1918. He introduced the behaviorist approach in Russian psychology (under the label "objective Marxist psychology"). During the 1930s he was severely criticized for his adherence to psychological testing
Psychological testing
Psychological testing is a field characterized by the use of samples of behavior in order to assess psychological construct, such as cognitive and emotional functioning, about a given individual. The technical term for the science behind psychological testing is psychometrics...
and studies of inborn capabilities (which contradicted to the official Soviet ideology of "inborn equality of all people"). Blonsky's search for a new psychology began with the condemnation of philosophical idealism that he - the specialist in Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
and neo-Platonism - now considered to be clearly irreconcilable with "normal common sense".