author
J. C. (John Carl) Flugel
1884–1955
A British psychologist and practicing psychoanalyst, he helped bring Freudian ideas into English-speaking psychology and wrote influential books on family life, clothing, and the history of psychology. His work is remembered for mixing careful observation with curiosity about everyday human behavior.
1 Audiobook
The psycho-analytic study of the family
by J. C. (John Carl) Flugel
About the author
Born in 1884, he became known in Britain as both an experimental psychologist and a psychoanalyst. He studied the mind from more than one angle, and that mix shaped a career that linked academic psychology with the growing influence of psychoanalysis.
His best-known books include The Psycho-Analytic Study of the Family (1921), The Psychology of Clothes (1930), and A Hundred Years of Psychology, 1833–1933. Together, they show his wide range: he wrote about family relationships, dress and social behavior, and the development of psychology as a field.
He died in 1955, but his writing still stands out for treating ordinary things—like what people wear or how families function—as serious subjects for psychological thought. That ability to connect big ideas with daily life is a large part of his lasting appeal.