Harry Harlow – admired and hated

Abstract

This article aims to commemorate the lifelong work of Harry Harlow (31.10. 1905 – 6. 12. 1981) on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his death. Although Harry Harlow is best known mainly for his experiments with maternal separation and social isolation, his research in the field of cognitive abilities of primates also received great scientific acclaim. The results of his work contributed to the revolution in childcare as well as to the shift in the prevailing approaches of psychology, but the ethics of his experiments is questionable from the contemporary point of view.