Editing Psychohistory (section)

{{Short description|Academic discipline}}
{{For|Isaac Asimov's use of the term in science fiction|Foundation universe#Psychohistory}}
'''Psychohistory''' is a social science that analyzes human behavior by combining psychology, history, and other social sciences, while also being an amalgam of [[psychology]], [[history]], and related [[social science]]s and the [[humanities]].<ref>Paul H. Elovitz, Ed., ''Psychohistory for the Twenty-First Century'' (2013) p. 1-3. Note that there are varying definitions by accomplished and often distinguished psychohistorians such as Peter Loewenberg (UCLA), Charles B. Strozier (CUNY Graduate School), George Kren (Kansas State University), Bruce Mazlish (MIT), Paul Roazen (York University--Canada), J. Donald Hughes (University of Denver), Vamik Volkan (University of Virginia Medical School), Henry Lawton (Author of ''The Psychohistorians Handbook'', 1988), Jacques Szaluta (US Merchant Marine Academy) and others.</ref> Its proponents claim to examine the "why" of history, especially the difference between stated intention and actual behavior. It works to combine the insights of psychology, especially [[psychoanalysis]], with the research methodology of the social sciences and humanities to understand the emotional origin of the behavior of individuals, groups and nations, past and present. Work in the field has been done in the areas of childhood, creativity, dreams, [[family|family dynamics]], overcoming adversity, personality, political and presidential psychobiography. There are major psychohistorical studies of [[anthropology]], art, [[ethnology]], history, politics and political science, and much else.