Psychotechnics in Austria, 1920-1950

The research project Psychotechnics in Austria, 1920-1950 focusses on the emergence and development of applied psychology, which in the first half of the 20th century was known as Psychotechnik in the German-speaking world. The main expertise of "psychotechnicians" was testing psychological performance such as reaction speed, dexterity or spatial perception, in order to test the suitability of individuals for certain occupational fields. At the heart of the research project is the Psychotechnical Institute Vienna, founded by Karl Hackl, and the national and international network of supporters, customers and promoters of psychotechnics in Austria. Numerous actors and institutions from science and politics, industry and trade, as well as employment offices and trade unions, shaped the development of this field of practice from its founding years in the First Republic to the time after the Anschluss of Austria to the Third Reich, and the post-war period in the 1950s. Based on the archive of the Psychotechnical Institute Vienna and university archives, state archives and provincial archives in Germany and Austria, the interdisciplinary project team reconstructs the transformation of the field of Austrian psychotechnics over three decades. The early growth phase in the 1920s was followed by drastic economic and political upheavals after the onset of the economic crisis and the proclamation of the Austro-fascist Ständestaat in the early 1930s. In the 1920s, the Social Democratic-governed Red Vienna formed an important basis for the institutionalisation of Austrian psychotechnics. As a result of the economic recession and the rise of Austrofascism, the welfare state was dismantled in the early 1930s. With the annexation of Austria in March 1938 and the outbreak of the Second World War, psychotechnical expertise was increasingly implemented and promoted in the military, the prison system and the armaments industry. After 1945, the reconstruction of the field was only partially successful and was also made hindered by the involvement of several actors in National Socialism. Following on from the FWF-funded research project Psychology in the `Ostmark` (P28119), this project makes a contribution to the historiography of Austrian science, politics and economy, and also addresses a research gap concerning the history of the emergence of psychology as an independent profession in Austria. More information about the project will be published on the homepage of the project https://psychologie.sfu-berlin.de/de/forschung/forschungsprojekt- psychotechnik-in-oesterreich/ .