Social Justice and Psychological Science in New York City, 1945-1965
Monday, November 13, 2006
Presented By
Presented by the Psychology Section
Speaker: Wade Pickren, American Psychological Association, Ryerson University, Toronto
Social Justice and Psychological Science in New York City, 1945-1965: Wade Pickren
Drawing upon published literature, oral histories, and archival material, I argue that the city provided a unique space, a living laboratory, for New York psychologists to extend the application of psychological science to social justice issues in the two decades after World War II. Certainly, there were psychologists who, before the war, applied their work to such issues. However, the period after the war was intensely controversial and fruitful in matters of social justice. Of the many social justice issues addressed by New York psychologists in this period, I focus on those concerning civil rights and public education.