ADOLF KOSSAKOWSKI

Adolf Kossakowski (born 1928) received the Dr. phil. degree from Karl Marx
University of Leipzig in 1960 and the Dr. phil. habil. degree from the same
university in 1964. A specialist in educational psychology and developmental
psychology, he has published five books, the most recent being Psychische Ent-
wicklung der Persönlichkeit in der Ontogenese. In addition, he has written
more than 80 articles in journals of various countries. A member of several edi-
torial boards, Kossakowski has been president of the Psychological Society of the
German Democratic Republic and the recipient of an honorary doctorate from
the Teacher Training College at Erfurt, GDR. He is director of the Psychological
Institute of the Academy of Pedagogical Science in Berlin.

After World War II conditions for the development of psychol-
ogy in Germany were very difficult. Scientific facilities had been destroyed
or severely damaged, and the means for their reconstruction were badly
restricted. Any serious scientific work in psychology was impossible. The
practical work of psychologists was constrained as well.

Psychology received a definite stimulus at the beginning of the 1950s with
the initial construction of a socialist society in the GDR. Together with the fun-
damental economic, political, and social transformations in the country, the
duties of science in general rose to a new level. At that time psychologists
were active chiefly in the training of teachers, doctors, lawyers, and so on;
that is, above all they served as teachers. However, they were also involved
in practical, clinical-psychological diagnosis and consultation and, to a lim-
ited extent, in research, which up to the beginning of the 1960s was still only
sporadically conducted. At the same time, a systematic training of univer-
sity psychology students (with a diploma certificate) was introduced. This
event, as well as an intensive working through of the theoretical and meth-
odological problems of psychology on the basis of dialectical and historical