INTRODUCTORY REFLECTIONS ON THE STUDY OF THE PERIPETIC DEVELOPMENT OFPSYCHOLOGY IN SLOVAKIA

The significance of knowing the history of psychology in small regions (''small-scale psychology'') for the overall knowledge of the develop ment of psychology as a science and professional and practical activit y (''large-scale psychology'') is justified in this paper; this is par ticularly true for regions that survived totalitarianism. In accordanc e with E.R. Hilgard et al., five problem areas are brought to light in this context: continuity - discontinuity, historism - presentism, int ernalism - externalism, strong individualities - ''Zeitgeist'', ''cere monial pretending'' - critical assessment. Special attention is devote d to information source, where the so-called oral history has its spec ial place. The periodization of modern development of psychology in Sl ovakia is defined, more with respect to social-political events than t o internal development of psychological paradigms.