125 Years of the American Psychological Association

From its origins in the late 19th century, through the two World Wars and a major reorganization, to the social and cultural turbulence of the 1960s and the economic uncertainties of the 1970s and 1980s, APA's development has mirrored the growth of psychology as a discipline in the United States.

This volume, first published as part of APA's centennial celebration in 1992 and updated in 2017 for APA's 125th anniversary, demonstrates how the association has evolved over the years in response to intellectual, cultural, political, economic, and other historical developments.

Chapters describe the personalities and events that transformed APA from a tiny organization of 26 members to one of the largest professional associations in the world.

Key topics include the changing role of women in APA and the organization's considerable contributions to social change.

This special 125th anniversary edition describes the unique challenges and triumphs that have marked APA's early years of the 21st century.

Contributors

Preface: 125 Years if the American Psychological Association

I. History of the American Psychological Association

1. The Historical Roots of the American Psychological Association
   Thomas C. Cadwallader
2. Origins and Early Years of the American Psychological Association: 1890 to 1906
   Michael M. Sokal
3. Growing Pains: The American Psychological Association From 1903 to 1920
   Rand B. Evans
4. The American Psychological Association and World War I: 1914 to 1919
   Thomas M. Camfield
5. The American Psychological Association Between the World Wars: 1918 to 1941
   Franz Samelson
6. The Power of Service: World War II and Professional Reform in the American Psychological Association
   James H. Capshew and Ernest R. Hilgard
7. Rapid Growth and Change at the American Psychological Association: 1945 to 1970
   Meredith P. Crawford
8. Growth, Conflict, and Public Policy: The American Psychological Association From 1970 to 1985
   Michael S. Pallak
9. The American Psychological Association: 1985 to 1992
   Raymond D. Fowler

II. Essays on the American Psychological Association at 125

10. Challenges to the American Psychological Association and Paths for the Future
    Wade E. Pickren and Alexandra Rutherford
11. Women in the American Psychological Association
    Elizabeth Scarborough and Alexandra Rutherford
12. The American Psychological Association in Relation to Social Responsibility and Social Justice
    M. Brewster Smith and Wade E. Pickren
13. The American Psychological Association Knowledge Dissemination Program: An Overview of 125 Years
    Gary R. VandenBos

Appendix: Presidents of the American Psychological Association

Index

About the Editors

Wade E. Pickren, PhD, received his doctorate in psychology and the history of science from the University of Florida. He is a widely respected author or editor of eight books, numerous journal articles and book chapters, and has given conference presentations and invited talks on four continents. His current research interests include the history of culture, health, and resilience and the history of race, ethnicity, and gender in American psychology.

Pickren served as the historian of APA from 1998–2012 and as the editor of History of Psychology from 2010–2015. He has served as president of the Society for General Psychology and Interdisciplinary Inquiry and the Society for the History of Psychology.

Pickren is a fellow of four APA Divisions.

Alexandra Rutherford, PhD, is a professor of psychology at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her work focuses on the history of feminist–scholar activism in psychology and its impact on society.

She is the founder and director of the Psychology's Feminist Voices Oral History and Digital Archive Projectopens in new window, which documents, preserves, and promotes the contributions of women and feminism in psychology.

She is a fellow of APA and the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA).

In 2012 she won the Distinguished Publication Award from the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP) for her coedited volume Handbook of International Feminisms: Perspectives on Psychology, Women, Culture, and Rights. She has won feminist mentoring awards from CPA and AWP.

Rutherford has coauthored two textbooks on the history of psychology, is an associate editor of the APA Handbook of the Psychology of Women, and is the advising editor for psychology for the Oxford University Press publication American National Biography.

In 2013, she served as president of the Society for the History of Psychology and is currently a member of the advisory board of the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology.

This special 125th anniversary edition describes the unique challenges and triumphs that have marked the APA's early years in the twenty-first century.
—Midwest Book Review