Running head: WOMEN IN PSYCHOLOGY

Women in Psychology Olivia Solis PSY 310 February 6, 2012 Dr. S. Kelly

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Women in Psychology Professional women in the early twenty-first century often face discrimination in the workplace and find themselves unable to rise above the proverbial (Goodwin, 2008, p. 195). During the mid-1800 and mid-1900s women were considered to be mentally inferior to men. Women were not allowed to receive a doctorate in psychology and other important careers such as medicine and science. However, there were many great women who contributed to psychology and the history of psychology. These women were pioneers, theorists, mathematicians, philosophers, and counselors. Some of those women are Christine Ladd-Franklin, Margaret Floy Washburn, and Mary Whiton Calkins among others. These women had in common struggling against a maleoriented discipline and to be recognized in the field of psychology. For example, Christine LaddFranklin was the first woman to participate in a meeting of experimental psychologists by presenting her work on color vision. Margaret Floy Washburn is best known for her work in comparative psychology. Washburn was the first to receive a doctorate in psychology by Titchener. Mary Whiton Calkins was another pioneer woman who challenged the male monopoly (Goodwin, 2008). Mary Whiton Calkins Mary Whiton Calkins was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on March 30, 1863. Her parents were Wolcott Calkins and Charlotte Whiton. Wolcott Calkins was a Congregationalist minister, whos believed the importance of educational value in Europe and the importance of being bilingual (Johnson, 2000). Charlotte Whiton, Mary Whiton Calkins mother was a social activist (Britannica Online, 2012). Both of her parents spoke German during Mary Whiton Calkins first years, by adulthood she learned more than three languages such as English, German, French, and

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Greek (Goodwin, 2008). Mary Whiton Calkins lived in a family with Christian values with seven members, including one sister and three brothers (Johnson, 2000). Mary Whiton Calkins grew up mainly in Buffalo, New York, but later moved to Newton, Massachusetts, with her family where she continued her education (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2012). Education Mary Whiton Calkins started her college education at Smith College in Western Massachusetts at around the age of seven-teen years old. Smith College was one of the new womens colleges were Calkins entered as a sophomore in 1882. However, her only sister Maud got very ill and died, therefore Calkins studies were interrupted skipping the academic year 1883-1884. However, even away from school, Calkins was studying Greek and tutoring her two youngest brothers (Johnson, 2000). After returning to college, she graduated in 1885 from Smith College with an interest in philosophy. Instead of returning to school Calkins decided to study on her own, exploring social and economic issues at Newton Social Science Club with a group of other women (Johnson, 2000). Moreover, about a year after her graduation from Smith College, the Calkins family took a trip to Europe for a little more than a year. Mary Whiton Calkins visited different places in Europe such as Paris, Leipzig, and Greece. In Greece Mary Whiton Calkins studied modern Greek and visited historical sites (Johnson, 2000). When the Calkins family returned to the United States, Mary Whiton Calkins was offered a position at Wellesley College as Greek teacher where she stayed for three years. Furthermore, while still working at Wellesley College teaching Greek, she impressed her superiors by being an engaging teacher and her deep and abiding interest in philosophy. One of Mary Whiton Calkins colleague recommended her as the appropriate person to teach psychology, after seeing her interests and desires to study philosophy. Nevertheless, Mary

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Whiton Calkins was required to take at least a year studying psychology. Therefore, Calkins returned to school. After seeking a university that would accept woman, a petition by her father and a letter from the president of Wellesley College she was able to enter Harvard University. Calkins Mentors and Colleagues At Harvard University, Calkins began taking seminars with William James and Josiah Royce. William James had just published a text Principles of Psychology (1890) and Josiah Royce was articulating his own point of view of absolute idealism. Both James and Royce supported Calkins education in psychology. Although Harvard did not allowed women officially as students, but as guests, Calkins was able to use the laboratory at Edmund Sanford from Clark University conducting experiments (Johnson, 2000). Calkins continued to experiment in psychology, theoretical psychology, and philosophy; as well as getting ready for teaching psychology at Wellesley College. In 1891 Calkins opened a psychological laboratory at an American womens college and started as a psychology instructor at Wellesley College (Johnson, 2000). Moreover, Calkins was anxious to continue the study of psychology, thus seek the advice of her mentors and colleagues Royce, James, and Sanford for a place to study. Calkins has in mind studying at the University of Freiburg with Hugo Munsterberg but, Munsterberg moved from the University of Freiburg to Harvard to teach experimental psychology. Therefore, Calkins returned to Harvard to work with Munsterberg and soon became colleagues for the next two years. However, Calkins was still working as a psychology teacher at Wellesley College (Goodwin, 2008). In Munsterbergs laboratory, Calkins was investigating the influence of frequency, recency, vividness, and primacy on durability of associations (Johnson, 2000). Calkins invented a technic for memorizing method, which is still used today in memory research

WOMEN IN PSYCHOLOGY as the method of paired associates. Thus, member of Harvards philosophy department such as, Munsterberg, James, and others recommended Calkins for the Ph. D. in 1895. Munsterberg stated Calkins was superior to most applicants for philosophical Ph. D. and one of the strongest

teachers in psychology in the country (Goodwin, 2008). Despite all the efforts of Calkins and her colleagues, Harvard rejected their petition and refused to award the degree because Calkins was a woman. Moreover, Calkins never lost her interest in psychology and was promoted to professor of philosophy and psychology at Wellesley College for the next 31 years. Contributions to Psychology Calkins made significant theoretical contributions to psychology (Britannica Online, 2008, para. 9) such as arguing that consciousness needed to be studied closely from both the objective standpoint which is the science of ideas and from subjective standpoint which is the science of selves. This approach was included in her textbook An Introduction to Psychology (1905). However, Calkins found herself changing her argument to science of selves because she questioned the adequacy of science of ideas. Calkins soon after wrote With each year I live I am more deeply convinced that psychology should be conceived as the science of the self, or person, as related to its environment, physical and social (Johnson, 2000, para. 9). Equally important, Mary Whiton Calkins earned many honors in psychology and philosophy. Calkins was ranked twelfth out of fifty top psychologists by James McKeen Cattell in his textbook American Men of Science (1903). Mary Whiton Calkins was the first woman elected president of the American Psychological Association in 1905 and as well, the president of the American Philosophical Association in 1918 these two achievements are what Calkins is famous for. Even though Harvard University denied her doctorate, Columbia University and

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Smith College gave her honorary doctorates. Consequently, Calkins was recognized internationally (Johnson, 2000). Furthermore, Mary Whiton Calkins was devout Christian who supported social causes, such as the Consumers League and the American Civil Liberties Union. According to Johnson (2000) Calkins students described her as the most perfectly integrated personality I have ever knownHer philosophy, ethics, religion, psychology, and daily life were harmonious (para. 12). However, Calkins decided to retired in 1929 from Wellesley College to dedicate the rest of her life spending time with her mother and writing. The Persistent Problem of Philosophy (1907) was considered to be Calkins most important work (Goodwin, 2008). Moreover, Mary Whiton Calkins died of cancer in 1930, in Newton, Massachusetts (Johnson, 2000). Conclusion Mary Whiton Calkins was one of many women struggling against male-oriented discipline man of the 1850 thru 1950s (Goodwin, 2008). Contributions of women in psychology have been overlooked by society. However thanks to the brave and hard working women such as Mary Whiton Calkins women today can be recognized as psychologists. Not only Calkins helped by contributing to psychology, she also helped women be seen by society as equally or even more mental intelligent as man. Pioneer women from the past do encourage the future women of the future psychology.

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References Britannica Online. (2012). Mary Whiton Calkins. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBChecked/topic/89792/Mary-Whiton-Clakins Goodwin, C. J. (2008). A History of Modern Psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Johnson, D. (February 2000). Calkins, Mary Whiton. American National Biography Online. Retrieved from http://www.anb.org/articles/20/20-00/40.html