William James (1842–1910) was one of the most influential and articulate of the early american psychologists. indeed, his writing is so clear and engaging that it has been said that he wrote like a...

William James (1842–1910) was one of the most influential and articulate of the early american psychologists. indeed, his writing is so clear and engaging that it has been said that he wrote like a novelist. (interestingly, his younger brother henry is often regarded as the creator of the psychological novel.) he came from a wealthy family, and travelled extensively during his career, from the salons of europe to the jungles of Brazil. his academic career was spent at harvard university, fi rst as a student, then as a professor. his student career was undistinguished: he started in chemistry, switched to medicine, took a foray into biology and eventually, after several interruptions, finished his medical degree when he was almost 30. he began his teaching career as an instructor in physiology at harvard, but gradually incorporated more psychological content, so that by 1878 the course was purely psychological in focus. at this time, he was approached to write a psychology textbook; the task took more than a decade to complete, but his Principles of Psychology became one of the most influential texts in the history of the discipline, and is still in print. over time, however, his interests shifted towards philosophy, and he ended his career in the philosophy department at harvard. Within psychology, he is perhaps best known for coining the phrase ‘the stream of consciousness’; the approach he founded, called functionalism, has remained influential, particularly among cognitive psychologists.