Otto Selz

Otto Selz was a German psychologist born in Munich, Bavaria. His work had a significant impact on the field of psychology, particularly in the area of thinking and cognition. Selz's theoretical framework was influenced by the German phenomenological tradition, which emphasized the importance of subjective experience and consciousness. He employed the method of introspection in his research, a technique that involved systematically examining and reporting on one's own mental processes.

Selz's theory of thinking, formulated in 1913, marked a departure from earlier associationist theories. Notably, his approach did not rely on images and associations, distinguishing it from other theories of his time. This innovation was a significant development in the field, as it offered a new perspective on higher-level mental processes. Selz's work can be seen as a response to earlier thinkers, such as Wilhelm Wundt, who had used introspection in the 1880s but believed that certain mental processes were inaccessible to scientific study. Selz's contributions to the field of psychology remain an important part of the discipline's history and development.