The history of women is a rare topic in psychology.
Names such as Sigmund Freud, Ivan Pavlov,
and Wilhelm Wundt are known to such an extent of almost being common, public
knowledge. And yet, not many non-psychology majors would necessarily recognize
the names of Mary Whiton Calkins, Margaret Floy Washburn, or Lillian Gilbreth.
It is with this blog post that we wish to rectify this err. These women were
successful and influential psychologists, whose works have impacted psychology
and our greater lives.
To start, Mary
Whiton Calkins was a pioneer in psychology – especially for women. She studied
at Harvard – as an unofficially enrolled student – under the skilled
supervision of William James (Benjamin Jr, 2014). After completing her studies,
she went on to _____, although she
did not receive her PhD, due to her unofficial enrollment status. Even without
her PhD, she went on to accomplish a multitude of successes in the field of
psychology. Her contributions to psychology include the following: (1) in 1891,
she established the first psychology laboratory founded by a woman, (2) she
published many articles, specifically, on memory, (3) she is well-known for her
“paired-associates” method, (4) she studied the primacy and recency effects, as
well as retroactive interference, (5) she was an advocate of self-psychology
and introspection, (6) and, lastly, she was elected the first female president
of the APA. (Benjamin Jr., 2014). These major accomplishments highlight the
influence and respect she commanded in her field.
Calkin’s successes
are amazing on their own, but even more so when understood in the context of
the time; she was a woman in a man’s world. At this time, women were not
allowed to enroll at most colleges, including Harvard (hence, her unofficial
status as a student there), right to vote?,
and they were considered creatures of domesticity. It was hard and rare to be a woman academic
at this point in history. And yet, she was. Mary Whiton Calkins paved the way
for future women in psychology, such as Margaret Floy Washburn. Margaret Floy
Washburn can be reminded for her studies in experimental psychology and her
work on “The Animal Mind.” In “The Animal Mind,” Washburn uses the method of
“introspection of analogy” in which she analyzes the cognition of animals based
on animal behavior (Benjamin Jr., 2014). Like Calkins, Washburn also held residency
over office of APA president: she served as the second female president. Also
like Calkins, Washburn greatly impacted psychology.
Lastly,
Lillian Gilbreth also proved to be a force in psychology: (1) she published
“The Psychology of Management” (1914), “The Homemaker and Her Job” (1927), and
“Management in the Home” (1954), (2) she designed houses compatible for the
physically disabled, (3) she was the first female member of the American
Society of Mechanic engineers, and also of the National Academy of Engineering.
Her work would now be classified as engineering psychology/ human factors
(Benjamin Jr, 2014). Her designs – including that of a trashcan with a pedal –
have impacted the everyday lives of so many people.
These three
women have proved themselves to be forces in the history of the field of
psychology.
Found in the British Science
Museum, this is a device from the early 1900’s that was used for removing or
destroying certain parts of the brain. The device was to be mounted on the top
of a patient’s head, using the framework to position a needle tipped in
radioactive material intended to destroy lesions and tumors. The significance
of this invention is articulated by the fact that a modern version of this
technology called Gamma Knife is one of the leading methods of removing
cancerous cells, using almost conceptually identical methods.
Timeline: 1903, Walter D. Scott publishes his first book on
a new field of psych The Theory of Advertising.
Benjamin, L. (2007). A brief history of modern psychology
(2nd ed., pp. 64-66). John Wiley & Sons.
Link of Darwin’s House: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/home-of-charles-darwin-down-house/
*Edit: After completing her studies, she went on to complete work on memory, as well on the many "states of the self," although she did not complete her PhD due to her unofficial enrollment status.
ReplyDelete*Edit: At this time, women were not allowed to enroll at most colleges, including Harvard (hence, her unofficial status as a student there), were still struggling for their right to vote, and were considered creatures of domesticity and of the household.
*Edit: Margaret Floy Washburn can be remembered for her studies in experimental psychology and her work on “The Animal Mind.”