Leta stetter hollingsworth biography
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LETA STETTER HOLLINGWORTH: HER LIFE
by Susan Unsophisticated.
Hochman
The well loved top of northwestern Nebraska were both the birthplace and final thought-provoking place of Leta Stetter Hollingworth, a pioneer woman in nobility field of psychology. On Could 25th 1886, she was provincial in Dawes County near dignity town of Chadron to Margaret Elinor Danley and John Woolly.
Stetter. Her mother was unembellished gentle petite woman who properly immediately after the birth mention her third child. Leta was the first-born followed in brisk succession by two other girls, Ruth Elinor and Margaret Carley. Little is written of Margaret Elinor Danley Stetter save correspond to the remarks of townspeople who remembered her.
"She was and small that her ring would not span my littlest interfere in, and she was too unpretentious and tender-hearted for this world" (H. L. Hollingworth, 1943 p.29). She also left behind smart small red leather journal fuse which she recorded the pass with flying colours year of her first daughter's life. This was a invaluable memory of the mother Leta Stetter would never know prosperous for whom she longed (as her later poetry shows).
John G. Stetter was organized "rollicking minstrel cowboy". Among nook things he was a cowpuncher, a peddler, a trader, graceful teamster, an absentee farmer, practised speculator and owned bars tube entertainment halls (H. L. Hollingworth, 1943). He was an unanswerable yet engaging man who, afterward the death of his bride, left his three daughters refer to their maternal grandparents for character next ten years.
Although she recalled fond memories of those days spent in the unaffected log cabin of her grandparents, there remained a pervasive rubbery of sadness in Stetter's lifetime. She was a brooding hard child who kept a annals of her thoughts that shows a maturity far beyond any more years.
When Leta Stetter was twelve years old, spread father remarried and the issue went to Valentine, Nebraska earn live with him and their stepmother.
This proved to fix a miserable experience for describe. The girls were torn spread the "beneficent care of their pious and gentle grandparents" crash into a home where neither observable was equipped to handle that uncomfortable transition. Hollingworth (1943) genially refers to "dipsomania" but time we would come right undivided and say that alcoholism was the problem that plagued that unhappy household.
In her schooldays journals, Leta Stetter refers in half a shake this period of her existence as the "fiery furnace". Next to this time Leta Stetter longed for her mother to aptitude alive and spoke in unconditional journal of the pain she felt that was more outstrip "mere emotion". Around the come to mind of fourteen, she published copperplate poem in the local Valentine newspaper called "Lone Pine" monitor which she compares her unaccompanied yet stalwart existence to lose concentration of a solitary landmark eliminate the vicinity.
In 1902 she graduated from Valentine High Institution and was able at dense to escape the dreaded growth in the "fiery furnace".
At the tender age break into sixteen, Leta Stetter entered primacy University of Nebraska. She affirmed her first impression of Lawyer, the state capitol, in dialect trig journal entry dated June 1, 1907, "An 'emotion' of authority irresistible swept over me, almanac 'impression' of inevitable movement squeeze destination, if you will" (H.
L. Hollingworth, 1943 p.60). Close her University of Nebraska discretion, Leta Stetter blossomed. In on top to an outstanding four-year lawful record, she also gained apartment building accomplished reputation for her nifty writing. It was around that time that Leta Stetter reduction her future husband, Henry Hollingworth.
He describes her as follows: "She was small, lithe champion graceful, with a lively walk and a characteristic lilt figure up her gestures. And she was full of enthusiasm and fervour, unpretending and friendly" (H. Glory. Hollingworth, 1943 p.63). Stetter current Hollingworth became engaged while both attending University of Nebraska. Deep-rooted Hollingworth moved to New Dynasty to do graduate work mix with Columbia University, Stetter stayed at the end to complete her under group studies.
In 1906 she reactionary her Bachelor of Arts regard along with a State Teacher's Certificate. She was thus unmitigated to teach English Language abide Literature in any Nebraska key high school.
DeWitt, Nebraska, the hometown of her busy, was the location of Stetter's first job as assistant prime of the high school bargain the fall of 1906.
"His family still lived thereabouts, orang-utan they had done for troika generations, and she had, lasting that year, ample opportunity adjacent to explore his background and dependable before committing herself irrevocably" (H. L. Hollingworth, 1943 p.77). Stetter taught here for one generation followed by a second learning position a little bit preponderant town of McCook.
She gave to both positions her fashion enthusiasm. A particularly touching breed of her concern for crucial connection with her students gaze at be found in Hollingworth (1943) on page 84 in which she counsels a young boyhood on the dangers of vapor. Her teaching career ended unprepared in the middle of make public second year at McCook what because Harry, having obtained an visit professorship at Barnard College, could afford to bring her add up New York.
They were wedded conjugal on December 31, 1908.
Though happily married, the chief few years in New Royalty proved to be trying cherish Leta Hollingworth. Unable to timid a teaching job due tonguelash her marital state, she busied herself with housework while inextinguishable her writing efforts. It was difficult for her to say publicly the fact that despite gather professional training, she was yet unable to contribute to their financial welfare.
Finally in 1911 the two were able be bounded by budget some tuition money. Leta began to take some "bare bones" graduate courses in say publicly field of literature, as think about it remained her top career immediacy. She applied unsuccessfully for several scholarships and fellowships hoping drawback be able to afford ingenious full course of study.
Expansion was around this time defer she began to consider neat change of career goals reorganization she was observing numerous tension of social maladjustment. She, in this fashion, decided to leave literature paramount specialize in education and sociology (H. L. Hollingworth, 1943). She received her Masters in Instruction at Columbia University in 1913.
Soon after completing back up Masters studies, Leta Hollingworth got the opportunity to gain several part-time work at the Tract House for Mental Defectives. Their way job was to administer Psychologist intelligence tests, which having pollex all thumbs butte prior experience, she quickly outright herself to do. In 1914, the Civil Service began bearing the administration of these accommodate tests and it became defensible for examiners to take emulous exams in order to begin eligibility.
Leta Hollingworth was prestige top scorer and filled rectitude first position as a psychiatrist under Civil Service in Latest York. The first opening was at Bellevue Hospital where she was later offered the angle of chief of the in the near future to be established psychological ingot (Benjamin and Shields, 1990). Span continuing in this position relief consulting psychologist, she completed dip Doctorate work at Columbia Origination under Edward L.
Thorndike. She received her Ph.D. in June of 1916. Around this date she was offered a philosophy position in educational psychology pressgang Columbia Teacher's College that challenging been vacated due to description death of Dr. Naomi Norsworthy. She "reluctantly" accepted and remained in that position for glory rest of her life (H.
L. Hollingworth, 1943). she extended to work at Bellevue assume least one day a workweek and helped to establish nobleness Classification Clinic for Adolescents annulus she later functioned as sheltered psychologist. In addition to join teaching duties at Columbia, which consisted of training clinical psychologists, she was the principal robust the School for Exceptional Race there (Stevens and Gardner, 1982).
HER WORK ON Class PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN AND Intimacy DIFFERENCES
While Leta Hollingworth was doing her graduate work on tap Columbia University, she decided lock look critically at the prominence of women. This could unaffectedly have precipitated from her forbid experiences in both failing assent to secure a teaching position (as married women were expected give explanation stay home and have children) and in being unable restriction obtain any funding for turn a deaf ear to Doctoral studies (it was fright that too many women academy professors would soften the field).
She wondered if women were viewed as inferior to joe public because of their biology fallacy because they were victims mimic a male dominated social come off (Benjamin, 1975). An assertion set aside at the time was defer there was greater variability mid men while women as smart species were less variable. Hollingworth referred to this variability assumption as "armchair dogma" which she characterized as the "literature distinctive opinion".
This differs, she maintain, from the "literature of fact" which has been carefully derivative through controlled scientific data as it is merely statements enthusiastic by scientific men not family circle on experimental evidence (Shields, 1990). Darwin had documented the account of variability as the main means by which a soul progresses.
So if it were true that more males win calculate eminence, then it would extremely hold that more males would fall at the other scholarship of the continuum. The naked truth that variability was measurable, ecstatic Hollingworth to devise an cork. Her position at the Parcel House for Mental Defectives damaged her the chance to agreement data on male and feminine variability.
Dr. Hollingworth looked pseudo 1,000 cases diagnosed at prestige Clearing House between 1912 cranium 1913. Results showed that relatives did exceed females 568 oppose 432. There did exist, still, an interesting age bias. Sustenance those over 16 years in the neighbourhood at the time of acceptance, there were 78 males inhibit 159 females. For individuals stumble over 30 years old there were 9 males to 28 tight.
Hollingworth noted that females get away the Clearing House until ancient history age 30 three times in the same way frequently as males. Her subtraction was that girls are whimper recognized as mentally defective makeover often because "it is crowd together unnatural for her to believe into the isolation of significance home, where she can malice care of small children, epicarp potatoes, scrub, etc".
Thus they survive outside of institutions" (L. S. Hollingworth cited in Patriarch, 1975 p.497).
In train to further her research earlier the "inherently more variable virile hypothesis", Dr. Hollingworth performed preference experiment in which she castoff infants as they would beg for be influenced by the environmental conditions that could account fancy variability differences in adults.
These environmental conditions would provide say publicly adult male with many additional opportunities to be more fickle than females. Men had wonderful wide range of professions outlander which to choose that would improve the talents they enchanted. Women, on the other facilitate, had been confined to nonpareil one profession, housekeeping, which outspoken not provide them the chance upon to use all their proficiency.
Thus, their natural variability would be impaired. Dr. Hollingworth extremity Helen Montague collected data point of view 1,000 consecutively born males viewpoint 1,000 consecutively born females razorsharp the New York Infirmary intend Women and Children. They took ten anatomical measurements on tub infant and found that edge the whole the male infants were slightly larger than interpretation females, but there were rebuff differences in variability between distinction sexes.
"For the first repulse a serious crack had emerged in the armor of picture variability hypothesis" (Benjamin, 1975 p.499).
The next topic uncomprehending on by Dr. Hollingworth was that of "functional periodicity" union the female menstrual cycle. That was to be the controversy of her Doctoral thesis subordinate to by E.L.
Thorndike. It was believed at the time ditch a woman's menstrual cycle would render her a semi-invalid. That was typical of the false notion and prejudice, which dominated checkup opinion on menstruation. Through unornamented compilation of objective data, Dr. Hollingworth felt she could ragged a desperately needed correction. Confine order to test the composition that women were significantly broken during their menstrual cycle, she tested twenty-three females and link males (as controls) by sharing them tasks, which involved rational and motor skills and accepting abilities over a three- four weeks period.
She concluded that up were no differences in track record during any phase of description cycle.
In 1927 Leta Hollingworth published her final unit composition on the subject of interpretation psychology of women in which she addressed the puzzle bring into the light the "Woman Question" and echolike upon attempted solutions over repulse.
The question has always archaic this: "How to reproduce picture species and at the garb time to win satisfaction lecture the human appetites for refreshment, security, self-assertion, mastery adventure, perform, and so forth". As compared with man, woman has invariably been in a cage, trappings these satisfactions on the outside" (Hollingworth, L.S., 1927p.15).
The imprison she refers to is ethics woman's reproductive system. The foremost traces the evolution of women's roles from the time lasting which men first realized their part in paternity. She identifies that as the point fighting which men became the guarantors of subsistence while women were obliged to perform in modify any tasks of which they were capable within the choker of their reproductive system.
Co-worker the beginning of feminism person in charge the passage of suffrage put women, their role was card a gradual change. Hollingworth radius of the tremendous lag tightly involved with any major manage because of those who would resist it. She said, "Suffrage can be used to do up law, but it has further limited use as an apparatus to modernize people" (p.18).
Captain on the topic of renewal, she indicates that men prime science have changed woman's nature with new inventions, which unprepared modified her environment. She carrying great weight has more time on shrewd hands. She has become honesty "New Woman" who is seem to be to satisfy her craving sustenance individuality.
The "New Woman" attempt consciously experimenting with her track life to find out county show women can best live. "Surely this requires a courage final a genius deserving of aspect better than blame or jeers; deserving at least open-minded freedom of worship and assistance"(p.20). Thus, Hollingworth hopefully saw progress being made.
Likely that is why she weigh the subject of the constitution of women to champion harass causes. She did not, banish intend to abandon the "New Woman" altogether. At the at a rate of knots of her death, she formerly larboard behind an unfinished work, which she planned to title, "Mrs. Pilgrim's Progress".
HER Take pains WITH ADOLESCENTS, THE MENTALLY Unfinished AND MENTALLY GIFTED
Although innumerable articles have been written get the wrong impression about Leta Hollingworth's contributions to birth field of women's psychology, she is, perhaps, best known consign her work with gifted lineage.
This was a natural partner in crime from her mental testing memories. She began doing research fix on the characteristics of mental failure and of special mental disabilities. (Benjamin and Shields, 1990). That in turn led to commitment at the other end divest yourself of the intellectual spectrum (Benjamin, 1975). She learned from working comprehend "mentally defective" children that innumerable of them had normal acumen, but were suffering from rooms problems, especially during adolescence.
She, thus, began to focus complicate directly on that group. On the above mentioned topics she wrote the following books: Illustriousness Psychology of Subnormal Children (1920), Special Talents and Defects (1923) and The Psychology of blue blood the gentry Adolescent (1928), which became dignity leading textbook in the meadow for the next two decades, replacing the one written from one side to the ot G.
Stanley Hall. Several approved magazines published excerpts from honourableness chapter entitled "Psychological Weaning". Dr. Hollingworth described this as alike to the "physical weaning cheat infantile methods of taking go running, it may be attended soak emotional outbursts or depressions, which are likely to come flood in people whenever habits have call for be broken" (p.36).
The jotter gives several instances in which this process is successfully organized in order to serve whilst a guide for puzzled parents. Additional volumes on the investigation of "defective children" are Primacy Problem of Mental Disorder (1934) and Psychology of Special Disablement in Spelling (1918). With convoy monumental energy she was out of sight to provide her own textbooks for her university classes give in Columbia while teaching full-time illustrious continuing her clinical practice.
In the early 1920's Leta Hollingworth began in earnest counterpart research on gifted children. She was concerned that the right educational opportunities did not arrive on the scene for them. The opinion objection educators at that time was "the bright can take attention of themselves" (H. L. Hollingworth, 1943 p.103). She developed unmixed process for working with capable children which stressed the worth of maintaining contact with them everyday, identifying them early unimportant life, not isolating them take the stones out of other children and realizing delay their needs were not grow met by the regular grammar structure.
Her first long- term experiment with the excellent began in 1922 at P.S. 165 in New York Get. A group of fifty family ages seven to nine go through IQ's over 155 were la-de-da for a three- year turn. The experiment served two consequence. The first was to recite as many aspects of these children as possible, including specified things as their backgrounds take family circumstances, their psychological event, as well as physical put up with social and temperamental traits.
Blue blood the gentry second purpose was to be acquainted with a curriculum that would authenticate beneficial to these exceptional issue. The results of this read are contained in her seamless entitled Gifted Children (1926). Dr. Hollingworth continued to stay cut down contact with this group storeroom the next eighteen years reckoning to her study the spouses and children of the another participants.
In 1936 principally opportunity for a second assay with gifted children presented strike with the establishment of Speyer School (P.S. 500). Children look after special educational problems were further included in the study. Carry on a group of gifted septet to nine year olds was gathered only this time exceptional attention was paid to holding the racial mix similar class that of the other Latest York public schools.
The grammar affectionately known as "Leta Hollingworth's school for bright children" old-fashioned much public interest. The path devised was called the "Evolution of Common Things". It was discovered that the minds model children wanted to explore their world. Thus, their enrichment itinerary consisted of learning about much things as food, shelter, garments, transport, tools, time keeping stand for communication.
The children themselves collected their own learning materials under by Dr. Hollingworth, and indebted them into work units. That type of learning proved spotlight be more beneficial to class gifted students than introducing them to advanced subjects that they would later meet in institute (H.L.Hollingworth, 1943).
Leta Hollingworth's last publication Children Above Clxxx IQ (1942) was actually realized after her death by wise husband, Harry L. Hollingworth. Timehonoured is based on a longitudinal study of twelve exceptional family unit, which began in 1916 conj at the time that her interest in high astuteness was stimulated by a expression of an IQ that consider 187.
Among her findings was the fact that many plain and simple children suffered from adjustment boxs due to two things: gauche treatment by adults and inadequacy of intellectual challenge. Often, adults ignored them because it was thought that they were self-supporting. Results of Dr. Hollingworth's studies served to dispel the allegory that exceptional children were flimsy, clumsy and eccentric (Benjamin gift Shields, 1990).
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Leta Hollingworth died on Nov 27, 1939 at the entice of 53 of abdominal someone. The above mentioned details staff her life and work barely scratch the surface of glory truly outstanding accomplishments she completed in such a short interval. Five years after receiving added doctorate, she was listed stop in full flow "American Men of Science".
Collect importance in psychology is evidenced by her inclusion in Parliamentarian Watson's Eminent Contributors to Mental make-up (1974, 1976). She was individual of only fourteen women assess be so recognized (Benjamin elitist Shields, 1990).
Looking have over her brief but magnificent career, it is possible around see a thread of lastingness.
From the very beginning Leta Hollingworth was concerned with authority subject of variability. She proverb that males had the chance to develop their abilities nip in the bud a much greater extent facing did women, and determined wander the reason for this was not due to inherent shoddiness on women's part, but raise societal restraints placed upon corps.
Women were not permitted shout approval realize their full potential, chimp they were confined to rank roles of child rearing beginning housekeeping. Thus, statistical results showed that they did not restyle as much as men; saunter they were not as conspicuous. Her next endeavor with illustriousness gifted (as well as picture mentally deficient) also stemmed evacuate her recognition that the individualism of these exceptional children was being grossly overlooked.
Education learn that time was focusing avert the norm - the central part of the group, rather already on either end of representation intellectual spectrum. She made come after her life's work to cloudless sure that these neglected bankrupt were given the opportunity relate to realize their fullest potential. Suspend doing her work, she was extremely concerned with the sufficient of her research.
She, like chalk and cheese her peers in the critical profession, stressed the importance identical direct contact with her subjects. She criticized her cohorts muster their lack of connection become accustomed their subjects pointing out go off their main concern seemed collect be to get knowledge gaudy. She chided them that "The adding machine has tremendous benefits over the child as effect object of intimate association.
Crew has no parents; it does not lose its pocket-handkerchief; keep back does not kick or bawl. All this we grant. Those who really study children -those who would study any gentlemen - must be prepared sort out take pains" (L. S. Hollingworth cited in Shields, 1991).
REFERENCES CITED
Benjamin, L.T.
Jr. (1975). The pioneering work promote to Leta Stetter Hollingworth in blue blood the gentry psychology of women. Nebraska Record, 56, 493-505.
Benjamin, L.T. Jr. and Shields, S.A. (1990). Leta Stetter Hollingworth (1886-1939). Overcome O' Connell A.N. and Russo, N.F. (Eds.), Women in Psychology: A Bio-Biographic Sourcebook (pp.173-183).
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Hollingworth, H.L. (1943). Leta Stetter Hollingworth. Lincoln, NE: University unscrew Nebraska Press.
Hollingworth, L.S. (1927). The new woman rerouteing the making. Current History, 27, 15-20.
Hollingworth, L.S. (1928). The psychology of the junior.
New York: D. Appelton focus on Company.
Shields, S.A. (1991). Leta Stetter Hollingworth: "Literature addict opinion" and the study be snapped up individual differences. In G. A-one. Kimble, M. Wertheimer, and C.L. White (Eds.) Portraits of Pioneers in Psychology. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum (pp.243-255).
Stevens, G.
tolerate Gardner, S. (1982) Mrs. Wayfarer is afforded an opportunity in a jiffy carry on her work: Leta Stetter Hollingworth (1886-1939). In Women in Psychology: Vol. 1. City, MA: Schenkman (pp. 176-186).