Historical Background and the Milestone Wars

Contribution of military intelligence testing

The formal birth of what we know today as industrial psychology dates back to the early twentieth century, driven by critical state needs during large-scale war conflicts.

A decisive event was the participation of experts in the massive evaluation of recruits for the army of powers such as the United States during the world wars.

Faced with the challenge of classifying thousands of applicants quickly and efficiently, general intelligence tests were developed to identify whether an individual possessed high, average or low intellectual capacity.

This basic system made it possible to exclude unsuitable profiles and select the most suitable for advanced military training, demonstrating for the first time the economic and operational value of large-scale psychological evaluation.

Proliferation of tests and technical specialization

As the war progressed, the simple measurement of general intelligence proved insufficient to cover the complexity of military roles.

This forced the discipline to create more precise assessments to detect specific skills, such as the ability to operate complex weaponry, fly aircraft or manage logistics.

Without prior research, the pioneers had to develop these tools from scratch, establishing methodological foundations that would later become fundamental to civilian industry.

The success of these programs was such that, at the end of the conflicts, the general public and private companies began to demand similar methods to organize their workforces and select personnel according to well-defined technical profiles.

Adapting military knowledge to civilian use

The postwar period marked the beginning of the massive expansion of industrial psychology into sectors such as education and public health.

Methods that had served to mobilize armies were adapted to find quick and effective ways to classify students and health workers.

Tests were designed with a more heterogeneous approach to assess a wider range of skills for a variety of civilian occupations.

The amazing thing about this legacy is that many of these original instruments, after standardization and updating processes, are still relevant in today's selection processes.

This process of adaptation consolidated psychology as a key piece for social productivity, transcending its purely academic origin to become an indispensable applied discipline.

Summary

The formal birth of the discipline occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century due to the world wars, where experts developed massive intelligence tests to quickly classify military recruits.

The complexity of war roles forced the creation of precise tools to detect specific skills, establishing methodological bases that were later demanded by private companies to organize their civilian workforces.

After the conflicts, military methods were adapted to sectors such as education and health, consolidating psychology as an indispensable piece for social productivity and technical selection.