Abstract

The article illustrates the studies on the history of science and psychology produced since the second half of the 20th century. In the first phase, a «positivist» type of historiography prevails, characterised by interpretations that are almost exclusively based on theoretical and experimental aspects (internalism) and conducted as if a scientific discipline were progressing in a linear and continuous manner (progressivism) and achieving results that had already been sketched out in the past (presentism). This is later countered by a «multifactorial historiography», which also considers the cultural and social aspects of an era and, as far as psychology is concerned, includes narrative procedures referred to as «constructivism», «histoire croisée» and «hybridization». In Italy, studies on the history of psychology developed since the 1970s have shown a predominantly multifactorial approach. In spite of the extraordinary research and publication activity of the last fifty years, the current prospects of historical-psychological studies in Italy appear rather uncertain