Women in psychology: Mary W. Calkins

Women in psychology: Mary W. Calkins

Introduction

The era of 1890's was the period to the development of the field of psychology. During this era the establishment of universities was at its high pace. Psychology has been taught in various forms. There were few individuals who have managed in making their names regardless of the odds they are suppose to face. This was the time when women were not only taught to be an inferior, and even got disqualified from most of the institutions, Mary Whiton has become the most widely known lady in history of psychology (Goodwin, 2008). Marry was the lady with strong will and courage regarding her higher education. She has made herself prominent as a student, psychologist, educator and an author too. She was born in the year of 1863 and has met death in 1929. She has showed her exceptional work in the field of psychology and has proved herself among brave ladies of history. The paper attempts to discuss the background along with the theoretical perspective. The paper will also address the contributions of Mary Calkin in the area of psychology and has proved her exceptional work.

Her father, a native of Painted Post, N.Y., was of Welsh lineage, his earliest American ancestor being Hugh Calkins, who had come to Hingham, Mass., in 1638. Her mother, a Bostonian, was descended from John and Priscilla Alden of the Plymouth Colony. Mary Calkins spent most of her childhood in Buffalo, N.Y., where her father, a graduate of Yale and of Union Theological Seminary, was a Presbyterian minister. In 1880 he moved to a Congregational pastorate in Newton, Mass., Miss Calkins' home for the rest of her life (Charles2002).

Background

The lady Mary Calkin who has graduated from the Smith Collage and has began the teaching career at a collage named Wellesley College. She has five other siblings. Initially she had a wish to tech psychology but as she has no academic in psychology background therefore she was asked to learn psychology for one year before going for teaching. During that time she searched for various schools where some psychological programs are being taught. While pursuing psychology as her education, she also gave a thought for going outside country for education (Christopher 2000).

After elementary schooling in Buffalo, supplemented by private lessons in German, she entered the Newton High School at the age of seventeen. In 1882 she entered Smith College as a sophomore. Because of the death of her sister in 1883 she stayed at home the following year, studying Greek and tutoring two of her younger brothers. She reentered Smith in the fall of 1884 as a senior and graduated with her class in 1885, having specialized in the classics and philosophy. In 1886, while on a trip to Europe with her family, she met and traveled to Greece with a young Vassar instructor in the classics, ABBY LEACH. The acquaintance turned her interests toward a teaching career, and in September 1887, with her father's encouragement, she accepted ...