心理历史学在其短暂且并不都是快乐的存在过程中引起了极大的争论。对新近把其他学科的理论和方法应用于过去颇有怀疑的“传统”政治和理性历史学家批评的尝试,心理历史学家强调无意识的动机而非有意识的目的。对传统政治和理性历史很是恼火的“现代”社会历史学家, Psychological history has caused great controversy in its brief and not always happy existence. Attempts to newly apply the theories and methods of other disciplines to critiques of “traditional” political and rational historians who were skeptical in the past, psychologists emphasize unconscious motives rather than conscious ends. The “modern” social historian who is annoyed at traditional political and rational history,