ADÉRITO ALAIN SANCHES

Adérito Alain Sanches (born 1945) received his doctorat d'état from Nice Uni-
versity in 1981. A specialist in the history of psychology and in research meth-
odology, he has also published in social psychology, psychophysiology, economic
psychology, and applied psychology. His works include Heurs et malheurs
de la science de l'ame and the three-volume Essai d'une définition mathé-
matique de quelques variables fondamentales en psychologie. The editor
of two collections, DN ( Didactique Nouvelle ) in French and Biblioteca de
ciências humanas in Portuguese, Sanches is joint director of the Laboratory of
General, Differential, and Applied Psychology at Nice University.

Modern French psychology emerged in the late 19th century,
closely related to psychiatry and physiology. Early pioneers were the world-
famous neurologist J. M. Charcot ( 1825-93) and the philosopher T. Ribot
( 1839-1916). Charcot headed the ephemeral Society of Physiological Psy-
chology ( 1885-93), which in 1889 organized in Paris the first International
Congress of Psychology. Ribot had been trying since 1870 to establish psy-
chology as a field of investigation separate from philosophy. In 1876 he
began the Revue Philosophique de la France et de l'Etranger, whose early issues
encouraged the new psychology.

At the beginning of the 20th century two of Ribot's disciples, P. Janet
( 1859-1947) and G. Dumas ( 1866-1946), founded the French Psychological
Society ( 1901) and the Journal de Psychologie Normale et Pathologique ( 1904).
By that time two additional journals were available: the medically oriented A.
Médico-Psychologiques, created in 1843 by J. Baillarger ( 1809-90), and L'Annaée

I am indebted to the colleagues who kindly answered my questionnaire. Special
thanks to Profs. Albou, Anzieu, Brés, Ghiglione, Reuchlin, and Vexliard, as well as
to Mr. Sillamy and Mr. Voutsinas, for their helpful comments.

Readers interested in contemporary French psychology can obtain additional ref-
erences and information by writing to the Laboratoire de Psychologie Générale, Dif-
férentielle et Appliquée, 98, Bd. Ed. Herriot, 06007 Nice Cedex, France.

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