Abstract

CARPINTERO CAPELL, Heliodoro; GONZALEZ CALDERON, María José  and  DEL BARRIO GANDARA, María Victoria. Bela Szekely: su libro "Los Tests" en el contexto Latinoamericano. rev.latinoam.psicol. [online]. 2011, vol.43, n.2, pp.357-368. ISSN 0120-0534.

The aim of the present paper is to analyze, from a historiographical perspective, the noteworthy work on psychodiagnosis Bela Szekely's "Los Tests" (The Tests), which is very well-known among Latin American psychologists; in particular, we want to examine the development of both its structure as well as its contents throughout its successive published versions, paying particular attention to the Spanish contribution to it. The analysis allows us to conclude that The Tests is characterized by the interests and dominant perspectives in the Latin American psychology from the second half of the twentieth century; it emphasizes its applied value and close links with the diagnostic, psychometric and pedagogical fields. Likewise, it highlights the significant presence of European authors who promoted the Latin American psychology within the theoretical and applied areas, far from the prevailing North American behaviourism, to the detriment of the psychodynamic paradigm. The work has an essentially educational guidance, which focuses on the qualitative and descriptive aspects of psychodiagnostic tests not so much on their rigorous and scientific application. Regarding its structure, this book evolves from a list of tests which measure intelligence, primarily aimed at educators to a compilation of tests which evaluate not only intelligence but also personality for clinical purposes within a clearly psychoanalytic framework.

Keywords : Bela Szekely; tests; Latin American psychology.

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