SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGY IN THE GERMAN-SPEAKING COUNTRIES AND ITS JOURNAL - PERSONAL REFLECTIONS ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ZEITSCHRIFT-FUR-SOZIALPSYCHOLOGIE

In personal reflections on the development of social psychology in Ger many, Switzerland and Austria during the last 25 years, the author ana lyzes how social psychology, which, unlike general experimental psycho logy, had no tradition in prewar Germany, could develop into one of th e internationally most accepted disciplines of German-speaking psychol ogy. It is proposed that, instead of being a disadvantage, the lack of tradition was one of the main reasons for the post-war rise of social psychology in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. It forced social psyc hologists to choose their scientific role models among the then domina nt American social psychology. As a consequence, social psychologists not only accepted the American scientific approach, they also internal ized the American value system which emphasizes scientific productivit y measured in terms of number, quality and impact of scientific public ations.