New Book: 125 Years of the American Psychological Association

To mark the 125th anniversary of the American Psychological Association (APA) the APA is releasing 125 Years of the American Psychological Associationan updated version of a volume first released in 1992 to mark the association’s centenary. Edited by Wade Pickren and Alexandra Rutherford, the volume

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 the APA, and the organization’s considerable contributions to social change.

From its origins in the late nineteenth 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 special 125th anniversary edition describes the unique challenges and triumphs that have marked APA’s early years of the twenty-first century.

Contents

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

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

About Jacy Young

Jacy Young is a professor at Quest University Canada. A critical feminist psychologist and historian of psychology, she is committed to critical pedagogy and public engagement with feminist psychology and the history of the discipline.