»Mir ging und geht es um eine Anwendung psychologischen Wissens, um die Handlungsrelevanz psychologischer Forschung im Sinne von Campbells ›reform experiments‹.«

Abstract

Ali Wacker has worked early on the ontogenesis of societal understanding in Germany. In the present interview he recapitulates his scientific biography from his student’s days in Cologne, Berlin and Bochum up to his activity as a professor of psychology at the University of Hannover. It becomes clear how his interest in the societal understanding of children developed and which connections exist to his longtime engagement with a psychology of unemployment, in particular also in form of documentations on one of its classics – the study on Marienthal. Evidently the 68 revolt and the scientific and practical efforts linked with it to create an emancipatory psychology were of great importance. Much space is given to a retrospect on Wacker’s relevant anthology “Die Entwicklung des Gesellschaftsverständnisses bei Kindern” (“The development of children’s societal understanding”) from the year 1976. The interview is not least a document on the history of psychology in West Germany in the second half of the 20^th century.