Ferenc Mérei
Encyclopedia
Ferenc Mérei was a Hungarian psychologist and educator.
After graduating from high school, he studied at the Sorbonne
from 1928, even though his mother wanted him to study in Berlin
. He specialised in political economy
, statistics
and literature
and studied eleven languages. It was child psychology and vocational
guidance that really captivated his interest. Henri Wallon
received him at the university as his pupil, and directed him in studying child psychology. He joined the French Communist Party
in 1930.
He gave his first scientific lecture in 1932. The lecture, in which he criticised Jean Piaget
, attracted Wallon's disapproval, and it was then that Mérei developed his key idea, the essence of which is the social determination of humans.
He obtained two degrees, one from a career advising college, and one from the Sorbonne Faculty of Arts in philosophy
, sociology
, psychology
and pedagogy
. He made life-long friends in Paris, where they and his teachers shaped his ideals and his world view.
in 1937: Child playing with buttons and The country-building child.
Between 1938 and 1940 he worked at the Special Education Teacher Training College, once again without a salary
, so he lived on the money he received from teaching languages. He married a teacher of special education (Vera Mérei née Molnár). They learned the organisation of examinations and worked together.
He was expelled from the laboratory because of the anti-Jewish laws. From 1940 he worked at the outpatient department of the Patronage Association led by Júlia György. In 1942 he wrote his first book, The Psychology of Choosing a Career, before he was sent away to do labour service
. In 1944 he escaped, crossed the front line
and joined the Soviet army, where he attained the rank of captain by the time his military service ended.
From 1945 until 1948 he was the leader of the Fővárosi Lélektani Intézet (Budapest Institute of Psychology), a teacher at the Pedagógiai Főiskola (Pedagogical College) and at the Eötvös Kollégium, and the leader of the central seminar of NÉKOSZ (People's National Association of Colleges). He was appointed the head of Országos Neveléslélektani Intézet (National Institute of Educational Psychology) in 1949. During these years he wrote several studies and three books: The Child's World View (1945), Collective Experience (1947) and Study of the Child (1948). His collective experience experiments are among the most important psychological experiments.
In 1949 he was awarded the Kossuth Prize
(silver medal) for his pedagogical work. In 1950 the institute was liquidated, Mérei was discharged from his position, and he became a translator for a living. He was rehabilitated in 1956, becoming a key scientific scholar at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Institute of Psychology, then in 1958 at the Institute of Biochemistry.
He was arrested in October 1958 and charged with seditious organisation and was sentenced to 10 years. He spent his imprisonment first in Budapest, then Sátoraljaújhely
and finally in Vác
. He started his "Psychological Diary” at the National Prison in Sátoraljaújhely in 1960 (he wrote it on toilet paper
for want of any other paper). His health deteriorated while he was in prison and he had a stroke
. He received an amnesty
in March 1963.
From February 1964 he worked at the National Neurological and Mental Hospital where he founded and became the leader of the clinical psychology laboratory. With the aim of having a workshop, he gathered his colleagues and students around him, including Lívia Nemes and Ágnes Binét. His laboratory became the centre for the training of psychologists in Hungary. Ágnes Binét became the co-author of two of his successful books, Child Psychology and the Ablak-Zsiráf child encyclopedia.
His sociometric examinations focused on the inner dynamics of groups and the roles of the individual. In his book Child Study he writes about the world view of children and the logic of the child's mind, based on his own experiments. It contains his theories about the development of the knowledge of mores and ethics, social behaviour, the sociometric analysis of the classes, the world view of the children and the development of values.
Between 1965 and 1970 fifty issues of the serial Vademecum, founded by Mérei, were published. Most of these were written by him for his students. They are still used in the education of psychologists. In the 1970s he wrote several significant books: The hidden network of communities (1971), Clinical methods in psychodiagnostics (1974) and Clinical Psychology (1974). From 1976 he led the Hungarian Psychological Society (Magyar Pszichológiai Társaság) and the training of psychodramatists.
In 1982 he was named a doctor of psychology by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
and was awarded the Pál Ranschburg medallion.
An interview film was prepared with him in 1984, when he was recovering after a serious operation. Parts of the interview, in which he was criticising the politics of Hungary, were not shown on TV until 2009.
He first wrote about his views on educational policy in 1948 in the study Democracy in School. This was not published until 1985. The ideal school, according to Mérei, is child-centered, and raises the child to be able to think independently. "If we want to change people, then it is essential to change pedagogy (...) so I studied the possibilities of change during pedagogy." He considered the training of teachers to be very important and did much to improve it.
Early life
Born in Budapest into a bourgeois family, Mérei often spent time in his parents’ photography studio at the Garay Bazaar. He did not like school, where he felt excluded and his teachers' brutality caused him much pain. He read a lot, even 4-500 page books in one sitting. His mother's liaisons with several men disturbed him.After graduating from high school, he studied at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
from 1928, even though his mother wanted him to study in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He specialised in political economy
Political economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
, statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and studied eleven languages. It was child psychology and vocational
Vocation
A vocation , is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity.-Senses:...
guidance that really captivated his interest. Henri Wallon
Henri Wallon (psychologist)
Henri Paul Hyacinthe Wallon was a French philosopher, psychologist , neuropsychiatrist, teacher, and politician...
received him at the university as his pupil, and directed him in studying child psychology. He joined the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
in 1930.
He gave his first scientific lecture in 1932. The lecture, in which he criticised Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology"....
, attracted Wallon's disapproval, and it was then that Mérei developed his key idea, the essence of which is the social determination of humans.
He obtained two degrees, one from a career advising college, and one from the Sorbonne Faculty of Arts in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
. He made life-long friends in Paris, where they and his teachers shaped his ideals and his world view.
Career
Returning home as a fresh graduate in 1934, he could not find employment, so he worked as a psychologist without pay at the Állami Gyermeklélektani Intézet (State Children's Psychological Institute), founded by János Schnell) until 1938. He was the first to research the social experience affecting the individual and the social role of the formation of rules and norms. He published two thesesThesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
in 1937: Child playing with buttons and The country-building child.
Between 1938 and 1940 he worked at the Special Education Teacher Training College, once again without a salary
Salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
, so he lived on the money he received from teaching languages. He married a teacher of special education (Vera Mérei née Molnár). They learned the organisation of examinations and worked together.
He was expelled from the laboratory because of the anti-Jewish laws. From 1940 he worked at the outpatient department of the Patronage Association led by Júlia György. In 1942 he wrote his first book, The Psychology of Choosing a Career, before he was sent away to do labour service
Labour service (Hungary)
Labour service arose in Hungary during World War II as the required military substitution for Jewish men, who were no longer permitted to serve in the regular armed forces since the passing of the Hungarian anti-Jewish laws...
. In 1944 he escaped, crossed the front line
Front line
A front line is the farthest-most forward position of an armed force's personnel and equipment - generally in respect of maritime or land forces. Forward Line of Own Troops , or Forward Edge of Battle Area are technical terms used by all branches of the armed services...
and joined the Soviet army, where he attained the rank of captain by the time his military service ended.
From 1945 until 1948 he was the leader of the Fővárosi Lélektani Intézet (Budapest Institute of Psychology), a teacher at the Pedagógiai Főiskola (Pedagogical College) and at the Eötvös Kollégium, and the leader of the central seminar of NÉKOSZ (People's National Association of Colleges). He was appointed the head of Országos Neveléslélektani Intézet (National Institute of Educational Psychology) in 1949. During these years he wrote several studies and three books: The Child's World View (1945), Collective Experience (1947) and Study of the Child (1948). His collective experience experiments are among the most important psychological experiments.
In 1949 he was awarded the Kossuth Prize
Kossuth Prize
The Kossuth Prize is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionary Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 by the Hungarian National Assembly, to acknowledge outstanding personal and group achievements in the fields of...
(silver medal) for his pedagogical work. In 1950 the institute was liquidated, Mérei was discharged from his position, and he became a translator for a living. He was rehabilitated in 1956, becoming a key scientific scholar at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
Institute of Psychology, then in 1958 at the Institute of Biochemistry.
He was arrested in October 1958 and charged with seditious organisation and was sentenced to 10 years. He spent his imprisonment first in Budapest, then Sátoraljaújhely
Sátoraljaújhely
Sátoraljaújhely or אוהעלי ) is a town located in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county in northern Hungary near the Slovak border. It is east from the county capital Miskolc.- History :...
and finally in Vác
Vác
Vác is a town in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spellings of the name are Vacz and Vacs.-Location:...
. He started his "Psychological Diary” at the National Prison in Sátoraljaújhely in 1960 (he wrote it on toilet paper
Toilet paper
Toilet paper is a soft paper product used to maintain personal hygiene after human defecation or urination. However, it can also be used for other purposes such as blowing one's nose when one has a cold or absorbing common spills around the house, although paper towels are more used for the latter...
for want of any other paper). His health deteriorated while he was in prison and he had a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. He received an amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
in March 1963.
From February 1964 he worked at the National Neurological and Mental Hospital where he founded and became the leader of the clinical psychology laboratory. With the aim of having a workshop, he gathered his colleagues and students around him, including Lívia Nemes and Ágnes Binét. His laboratory became the centre for the training of psychologists in Hungary. Ágnes Binét became the co-author of two of his successful books, Child Psychology and the Ablak-Zsiráf child encyclopedia.
His sociometric examinations focused on the inner dynamics of groups and the roles of the individual. In his book Child Study he writes about the world view of children and the logic of the child's mind, based on his own experiments. It contains his theories about the development of the knowledge of mores and ethics, social behaviour, the sociometric analysis of the classes, the world view of the children and the development of values.
Between 1965 and 1970 fifty issues of the serial Vademecum, founded by Mérei, were published. Most of these were written by him for his students. They are still used in the education of psychologists. In the 1970s he wrote several significant books: The hidden network of communities (1971), Clinical methods in psychodiagnostics (1974) and Clinical Psychology (1974). From 1976 he led the Hungarian Psychological Society (Magyar Pszichológiai Társaság) and the training of psychodramatists.
In 1982 he was named a doctor of psychology by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest.-History:...
and was awarded the Pál Ranschburg medallion.
An interview film was prepared with him in 1984, when he was recovering after a serious operation. Parts of the interview, in which he was criticising the politics of Hungary, were not shown on TV until 2009.
He first wrote about his views on educational policy in 1948 in the study Democracy in School. This was not published until 1985. The ideal school, according to Mérei, is child-centered, and raises the child to be able to think independently. "If we want to change people, then it is essential to change pedagogy (...) so I studied the possibilities of change during pedagogy." He considered the training of teachers to be very important and did much to improve it.
Studies in English
- Indirect modelling: Actometric investigations from the field of developmental social psychology (1980). Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. pp. 35–48. From Attitudes, interaction and personality.
- Studies in clinical psychodiagnostics and psychotherapy.[Authors Mérei at al.; ed.-in-chief Lajos Kardos (1987). Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. 191 p. ISBN 963-05-4068-1
Literature
- Pedagógiai lexikon. Keraban Könyvkiadó, (1997)
- Bagdy E. – Forgács P. – Pál M.: Mérei emlékkönyv. Budapest, (1989)
- Erős F.: Mérei Ferenc fényében és árnyékában. Budapest, (1989)
- Mérei Élet-Mű, Tanulmányok (2006)
- Sárvári Gáborné közlése
Legacy
- The Hungarian Psychological Association founded the Ferenc Mérei Publication Prize, awarded annually to a young scholar.
- By the decision of the Budapest City Assembly, the biggest pedagogical institute of the country bears Mérei's name from the semester starting in Autumn 2008. The naing ceremony was held on 9 October 2008 in the Vas Street building of the Institute. Gábor DemszkyGábor DemszkyGábor Demszky is a Hungarian politician, lawyer and sociologist by qualification. Demszky was the Mayor of Budapest from 1990 to 2010.- Biography :...
, the mayor of Budapest opened the exhibition about Mérei's life and unveiled the memorial plaque on the wall of the institute. The ceremony was attended by Mérei's family members.