Mary Roth Walsh (1939–1998).

Memorializes Mary Roth Walsh, who made significant contributions to the psychology of women and women's issues. In the books that Walsh authored and edited, she made detailed analyses of the discipline of feminist psychology. Within the American Psychological Association, Walsh was probably best known for organizing the annual Division 35 preconvention workshop, "Teaching and Learning about the Psychology of Women and Gender." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feminist psychology in Canada: Early days.

Several of the events that marked the origins of feminist psychology in Canada are discussed in this paper beginning with an account of the "Underground Symposium" which took place in Montreal in 1972. Four other influential events from the early days are described--the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Task Force on the Status of Women in Canadian Psychology, the founding of the CPA Interest Group on Women and Psychology in 1976, the implementation of an Institute on Women and Psychology in 1978, and the establishment of the CPA Status of Women Committee. Parallels with comparable events in the American Psychological Association are identified. The paper concludes with a forecast of the future of the psychology of women as a specialization within the discipline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

W(h)ither psychology of women? Current trends and future directions for the section on women and psychology.

Focuses on two areas critical to the reassessment of the Section on Women and Psychology (SWAP). In the first half, the following question is addressed: Is SWAP still needed? Relying on Canadian data where possible, a mixed pattern of gains and impasses is discussed in relation to the following areas: women's curtailed advancement; curricular neglect of psychology of women; the (il)legitimate status of psychology of women and feminism; the rhetoric of equality, progress and individualism; and the (re)scientizing of psychology. The second half of the paper centres on specific pragmatic strategies for increasing SWAP's membership and raising its national and international profile. Strategies discussed include expanding publication outlets, establishing awards to increase public recognition of women's contributions to the discipline, and expanding intradisciplinary efforts through jointly sponsored SWAP symposia and institutes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sandra Schwartz Tangri (1937-2003).

Presents an obituary for Sandra Schwartz Tangri, who died on June 11, 2003. Dr. Tangri was an expert in the field of social psychology whose areas of study included occupational role innovation in college women and sexual harrassment in the federal workforce. Her many recognitions include the Distinguished Publication Award from the Association for Women in Psychology for her publication on ethics in population programs, the naming of her work on role innovators as a citation classic, and the Carolyn Wood Sherif Award from APA's Society for the Psychology of Women for outstanding contributions to the psychology of gender, which honors the aspects of Tangri's work that have had a significant impact on research and theory in feminist psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Letter from the Section President.

Introduces this special issue of Psychoanalytic Psychology. Section III has had a vital history within the Division. Over the last several years, we have worked in a number of arenas to join women's issues and feminist concerns with the project of psychoanalytic psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Report of the Task Force on the Status of Women in Canadian Psychology, March, 1976.

Describes the formation of the Task Force on the Status of Women in Canadian Psychology, states the terms of reference adopted, summarizes the supporting papers prepared by members of the Task Force, and presents recommendations for action by the Canadian Psychological Association in 4 main areas of concern: the status of women within the discipline of psychology, the education and training of women in psychology, sex bias in psychological research, and psychological services provided to women. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section on evidence-based psychological treatments for older adults.

Psychology has a strong tradition as a science-based discipline. This tradition has also been strong in the subfields of geropsychology and clinical psychology. The convergence of these traditions leads to an expectation that mental health and aging practices will be theoretically sound and empirically tested. This Psychology and Aging Special Section on Evidence-Based Psychological Treatments for Older Adults presents findings which demonstrate that there are a number of evidence-based treatments that can contribute to exemplary care of older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological climate changes for women in academic psychology: Forecasts, sources, and implications.

Reflecting on the past, and observing the present, what kinds of psychological changes might be in the forecast for women in psychology, for women affected by our discipline, and for the discipline itself? Using metaphors borrowed from meteorology and climatology, a psychological almanac is constructed for feminist psychology in Canada, warming trends are examined on both the academic and applied fronts, and weather advisories are issued. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disappearances, silences, and anxious rhetoric: Gender in abnormal psychology textbooks.

Argues that from a feminist perspective the history of clinical psychology reveals a troubled relationship with women. Diagnoses and treatments have at times controlled and victimized women. Over the past 25 yrs, feminist scholarship, activism, and practice have contributed to knowledge. Yet, these accomplishments may go unnoticed in the field of abnormal psychology. Besides sexism, there may be other sources of resistance. Textbooks present disorders as abstracted, medicalized entities. Within this frame of reference, everyday identities, social categories (such as gender), and cultural politics are rendered irrelevant. Textbooks present an idealized image of psychology as a scientific, objective discipline that is humane and beneficent. That image could not be sustained if an accurate account of its history and social relations were given as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Publication Records of Women Counselors During the Past Decade.

The present survey of the publishing habits of women in the Journal of Counseling Psychology found that women published in this journal in higher proportion than would be expected by their membership in Division 17 of the American Psychological Association at the end of the past decade. Women published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology at the end of the 1970s in proportion to the percentage of women who earned counseling psychology PhDs in the mid-1970s. Women published most often with members of the opposite sex, whereas men published with members of the same sex. When men and women published together, first authors were generally men; however, when articles where one man published with one woman were examined, first authorship was shared equally between the sexes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Shaping of the science.

Analyzes the development of psychology from the perspective of scientific disciplines as conceptual paradigms shaped over the course of their history by both internal (conceptual, methodological) and external (social, political) factors. Psychology is analyzed as a search for knowledge, as a role for which people are educated, and as an expert skill to be used in the service of society. The impact of both internal and external factors on the shaping of the discipline of psychology is noted. It is stressed that the interplay of these factors in the development of psychology is inevitable, and that its continuing vitality rests on the maintenance of a variety of paradigmatic perspectives. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian feminism and psychology: The first decade.

The history of the Canadian Psychological Association's recognition of the validity of a feminist perspective in psychology is outlined, and the current status of women psychologists in the nation is discussed. Documenting the development of a "psychology of women" speciality, a selected review is presented of the research conducted by psychologists in Canada dealing with sex roles, sex differences, achievement, feminism, and psychobiology. In the applied areas of the discipline, analogous developments have occurred in terms of the establishment of a link between sex roles and psychopathology, the critical appraisal of traditional therapies, the creation of alternative therapy approaches, and the generation of ethical standards pertinent to the provision of psychological services to women. The interdisciplinary quality of the psychology of women is discussed and an overview of this new field is provided. (French abstract) (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Perceptions of Academic Women in School Psychology: A National Survey.

There is a paucity of research examining the experiences and perceptions of women employed as school psychology academicians. The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain female school psychology academicians' perceptions of their respective academic climates, levels of support, incidences of harassment, and levels of stress. Comparisons between women currently working in psychology departments and those in colleges of education were of particular interest. A total of 128 female school psychology academicians (52% response rate) completed the 48-item survey entitled, "Women in School Psychology: Academia Questionnaire." The findings suggested that the majority of participants (61%) reported that climate differences did not exist. Additionally, the majority of participants were not dissatisfied with their experiences in academia. Although women perceived their respective academic climates as positive, areas of perceived gender disparity were identified. Results are discussed in terms of implications for recruitment and retention of women faculty in school psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and violence against women.

The discipline of psychology has made many contributions to the understanding of the social problem of men's violence against women during the past 15 years by reframing the problem as one of misuse of power by men who have been socialized into believing they are entitled to control the women in their lives, even by violent means. The new scientific psychology data base formed by integrating feminist gender analysis methods into more traditional psychological methodology is discussed, as are the implications of the resulting empirical data on which are based newer assessment, treatment, and forensic applications. A review of the major psychological advances in psychotherapy with women who have been sexually assaulted, exploited, and battered is presented, as well as implications for national policy. The feminist model presented is one in which science and practice concerns are carefully considered at all steps of the process. The article concludes with a discussion of the challenges involved in making the future training of psychologists more relevant to women's mental health concerns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The epistemology question in psychology.

That psychologists are debating epistemological questions appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon only if one has no appreciation for the history of the discipline. Whether we evoke the writings of Wundt, Hull, Tolman, or more recent cognitive psychologists, it is impossible to escape the recurrence of certain fundamental questions on the nature of psychological knowledge and the justification of that knowledge. Even Skinner is a remarkably adept epistemologist despite his avowal that theories of learning are not necessary. But psychology has been enthralled for the better part of this century by a caricature of the very science it would become, and, while it has been consistently and severely criticized for this mistake, it has shown itself to be remarkably immune to such criticism. Part of the reluctance to change has stemmed from the lack of a serious indigenous alternative to the hackneyed version of logical empiricism and its operationist credo that have held sway over the discipline for the better part of its life. The papers included in the present issue of Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne are a small wedge into the broader conversation concerning what it means to have psychological knowledge. Each of these was part of a symposium presented at the Canadian Psychological Association Meetings in Montreal in 1988 by the Section on the History and Philosphy of Psychology. Each of the four papers argues (a) against the status quo of the shop-worn operationism and its attendant claims which pass for epistemology in psychology, and (b) for a renewed emphasis of either some one form of realism or constructionism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Iowa tradition.

Psychology at the University of Iowa began in 1887, when George R. W. Patrick started a psychology laboratory. Since its inception, Iowa psychology has passed through four stages, each with a distinctive emphasis: (a) the establishment of psychology as an independent discipline, (b) the development of psychology as an experimental science, based on natural science methodology, designed to yield reliable knowledge, (c) the formulation of a comprehensive theory, and (d) the current reorientation designed to benefit from the lessons of the past. The Iowa tradition in psychology, most indebted to the efforts and achievements of Carl E. Seashore and Kenneth W. Spence, represents the strivings for a synergistic relationship between experimental and applied psychology, a close and intimate bond between research and comprehensive theorizing, and a continuing methodological clarification of psychology. In line with the tradition of methodological surveillance, some of the major trends of Iowa psychology, during its third stage, are assessed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology and women’s studies: Epistemological dilemma or opportunity?

Women used to be relegated to the periphery in psychology: most of us were not really heard as primary members of our discipline. Moreover, fundamental concepts and methods were developed by men about men, and applied to women only as an afterthought and without due process. Recently, more women are speaking straightforwardly from their experiences and are beginning to be heard with increasing respect, though change is slow. Concurrently, Women's Studies is coming to its own as an academic discipline. Now it is paradoxical that as women psychologists, many of us find ourselves with one foot in each of two different worlds—one in psychology and the other in women's studies. As I reflect on what it must have been like for women many years ago in psychology and on how that experience has (and has not) changed in my generation, I am coming to appreciate the intellectual challenge which I face. In this essay I discuss several epistemological and methodological issues in Women's Studies which are relevant to psychology in an attempt to bring both of my feet closer together. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Barbara Strudler Wallston (1943–1987).

Presents an obituary for Barbara Wallston. Wallston graduated from Cornell University in 1965 with a major in mathematics. In 1966 she obtained an MA in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Connecticut, and in 1972 she received her PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Wisconsin. She spent all of her 15-year career as an academic researcher at George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University. For most of her professional life, much of Wallston's work focused on the development and utilization of the health locus of control scale that she devised with her colleague and former husband, Kenneth Wallston. The scale is now used throughout the world to measure people's beliefs about who or what controls their health status. She also worked in the areas of dual careerism, stereotyping, helping behavior, differential perceptions of women and men, and feminist methodology in psychology. Wallston's scholarly contributions to psychology were rivaled only by her record of service. She assumed a variety of leadership roles in several divisions of the American Psychological Association, and she was the recipient of the Carolyn Wood Sherif Lectureship Award for her achievements in and commitment to feminist scholarship, teaching, and mentoring and to professional leadership in feminist psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Awards for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest.

Discusses the contributions of Hortensia Amaro and Florence L. Denmark, the 1992 recipients of the Awards for Distinguished Contribution to Psychology in the Public Interest awarded by the American Psychological Association. Amaro is recognized for research and public policy leadership on behalf of ethnic minority communities and for advancement of issues confronting ethnic minority, particularly Hispanic, women. She is founder of the Latino Health Council, the Latino Health Network, and the Multicultural AIDS Coalition. Denmark is recognized for scholarship on the psychology of women; advocacy on behalf of ethnic minorities, children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and gay men and lesbians; and writing on the pedagogical issues involved in integrating new scholarship on gender, race, ethnicity, and feminist and multicultural perspectives into psychology courses. Biographies of recipients are given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Sex Roles: Origins, Influences, and Implications for Women.

Reviews the book, Sex Roles: Origins, Influences, and Implications for Women by Cannie Stark-Adamec (Ed.) (1980). This book contains the proceedings of the first IGWAP (Interest Group on Women and Psychology) Institute on women which was held in conjunction with the 1978 CPA meetings in Ottawa. The book begins with an introduction by the editor in which she discusses the male bias in traditional psychological research, the purpose and history of IGWAP, the papers included in this volume, and some studies of the effects of language on the way people think about sex roles. The Introduction is followed by the invited address given at the Institute by Dr. Sandra Pyke, "Androgyny: A Dead End or a Promise." The rest of the book consists of 14 papers which were submitted in response to a call for papers and presented at the Institute. Since the papers included here were received in response to a call for papers (with the exception of the introduction and the invited address on androgyny), the topics covered are not comprehensive nor systematic enough to make the book useful as a textbook. There are simply too many holes and too little information tying the specific findings together. Although not useful as a textbook, this book has value both as a reference book and as a historical document of the research Canadian psychologists were doing from a women's perspective in the mid 1970's. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)