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Renzo Canestrari wrote several handouts and handbooks of psychology from the late 1960s to 2000s. His handbooks dealt with the main topics of general psychology and some topics of developmental, differential, comparative and animal psychology. He always aimed to provide accurate information not only on the most recent items of experimental evidence, but also on the theoretical frameworks within which they were gathered. In this manner he attempted to accompany the acquisition of information useful for the professional career with a cultural growth of students. This educational aim was associated to that of enhancing the theoretical impact of the studies carried out by Italian scholars in the postwar period. In this paper the content, cultural impact and didactic methodology of the four most important handbooks (published in 1970, 1974, 1984 and 1997) are described in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the topics of juvenile deviance treated by Renzo Canestrari in his long scientific and professional career. The analysis of his conspicuous scientific production makes it apparent how important the role played by the scientific validation of the observational techniques to be applied in criminology was. The bulk of his many writings shows that the personal and social dimensions were always considered as fundamental by Canestrari to interpret and prevent juvenile deviance within a comprehensive view of the education aims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the cultural climate that prompted some young psychologists of the University of Bologna to approach the artistic phenomena using scientific methods. The two most positive factors were the close relationships bet-ween the German Gestalt psychologists and the Bauhaus artists during the period 1911-1933 and the opportunity provided by Renzo Canestrari, in the early 1960s, to collaborate with both Italian Gestalt psychologists and some members of such artistic Italian vanguards as "Arte Programmata" and "Nuova Tendenza". This collaboration resulted in several research projects carried out in the Universities of Bologna and, later, of Roma Sapienza and Roma Tre. In particular, two new psychological disciplines ("Psychology of Art" and "Psychology of Music") were included in the DAMS degree course in Bologna and then in other universities. Moreover, a lot of theoretical and experimental studies were carried out on artistic languages and creativity in arts and scientific discovery. The results of these studies were highly appreciated in the international milieu for their complex methods and interdisciplinary skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Prof. Canestrari's training the physiological component was particularly important, as it allowed him to acquire the experimental method more than any other. In this paper the historical profile of the relationship between Psychology and Physiology up to the most recent developments is outlined. Particular emphasis is given to the clinical-psychological component that was decisive in his academic and public institutional activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]