Introductory Remarks: Congress of Arts And Sciences: Division D –Mental Sciences: Department XVI –Sociology: Section B: Social Psychology
Charles A. Ellwood
University of Missouri
The Chairman of the Section of Social Psychology, was Professor Charles A. Ellwood, of the University of Missouri, who introduced the speakers of this Section with the following remarks:
"Ladies and gentlemen: Those of us who are interested in the development of this most important part of sociology may congratulate ourselves that an entire section meeting has been given to it upon the programme of this Congress. It is safe to say that if this Congress had been held then years earlier no such recognition would have been accorded to Social Psychology. We may certainly congratulate ourselves, therefore, upon the progress of our science.
"I wish to call attention to the fact that this section on social psychology is placed under sociology, and not under psychology. This means of course that the officers of this Congress thought that in any working classification of the sciences social psychology must be considered as a section of sociology rather than as a section of psychology. Before introducing the speakers, I would like therefore to raise this question whether the name 'social psychology' is a happy one. I would much prefer the name 'psychological sociology.' I suppose there is not much in a name, but I feel that the term 'social psychology' is misleading, in that it fails even to suggest that the subject covers nearly three fourths of all that is discussed under the head of 'general sociology.' But I must not enter further upon this discussion, as the question raised will doubtless be dealt with adequately by the speakers of this Section.
"I now have the pleasure of introducing the first speaker, Professor W. I. Thomas, of the University of Chicago, who will speak on "The Province of Social Psychology."
