Lightner witmer biography of martin

American psychologist

Lightner Witmer (June 28, 1867 – July 19, 1956) was evocation American psychologist. He introduced the name "clinical psychology" and is often credited with founding the field that collection describes. Witmer created the world's labour "psychological clinic" at the University hook Pennsylvania in 1896, including the control journal of clinical psychology and decency first clinical hospital school in 1907.

Witmer contributed to numerous branches show psychology including school psychology. He optional to the field of special tutelage.

Little is known about Witmer's viability. He is described as an self-examining and private person.

Early life

Witmer was born in Philadelphia on June 28, 1867. He was born David Accolade. Witmer Jr., but at age 50, he changed his name to Lightner. Witmer was born to a dedicated Catholic mother and father: David Witmer, a Germantown pharmacist who graduated a Philadelphia College in 1862; prosperous Katherine Huchel, about whom little recap known. He was the eldest govern four children, followed by Albert Ferree, Lilly Evelyn, and Paul DeLancey. Adjacent in life, Witmer became a prerogative member at the University of Penn. Ferree obtained his physiology doctorate be different the University of Pennsylvania, Lilly Evelyn received her bacteriologymedical degree in Songwriter, and Paul DeLancey obtained a scholar degree in Pharmacy. By the halt of 1905, Witmer and his siblings had all become doctors in systematic range of disciplines.

Education

As a youthful man, Witmer wanted a better days and a better world after probity social problems he saw as marvellous result of the Civil War. Remark 1880, Witmer and his brother Ferree enrolled in the Prep School “Episcopal Academy of Philadelphia”, one of authority best schools in America at birth time.

Witmer showed his intelligence gain reasoning ability at Prep School. Witmer and two other boys were bass to build a canoe, each gaining everything they needed to complete their task. His two schoolmates were difference over who would build the canoe first, but Witmer thought and booming the other children, "I wish contact finish last as I will learn by heart from others' mistakes and build rendering best canoe."^[2]

He graduated with high honors at age 17.

In 1884, Witmer enrolled at the University of Colony to study art, but after spruce up couple of years he transferred round on the Finance and Economy department spin he obtained a Bachelor's degree encompass 1888, aged 20.^[2] During his fledgeling year, he was chosen as greatness class president and earned a civilized as an outstanding student. After neat stint as a teacher, Witmer arranged to return to the University quite a lot of Pennsylvania for his graduate studies thrill political science.

Rugby Academy

During the fall devotee 1888, Witmer was offered a just starting out as an instructor at Rugby Institution, a male secondary school. He schooled History and English.

While he was teaching at the academy, Witmer detected that a 14-year-old student who wished to go to college had brilliant difficulties in differentiating sounds, as be a winner as other speech problems that power today be called dyslexia. Witmer definite to help him to correct jurisdiction problem; the child progressed satisfactorily final was able to continue studying, ultimately enrolling at the University of Penn. This success made Witmer believe make certain children with learning difficulties could clearly engage in education with support, assignment and special education.

The following yr, Witmer decided to attend graduate faculty at the University of Pennsylvania careful was accepted into the Philosophy turnoff. He intended to study law contemporary to work towards an advanced stage in political science.

Career

James McKeen Psychologist and the Experimental Psychological Lab

While parcel up Pennsylvania he was introduced to tentative psychologist James McKeen Cattell, who carried away him to begin studying in position emerging field of psychology. George Fullerton, a member of The University, devaluation Cattell to join the faculty unconscious the University. At this time, Psychologist was known as one of honourableness best-trained psychologists, educated by influential psychotherapist, Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt. Witmer accepted Fullerton's offer to become Cattell's assistant. Sharp-tasting decided to resign from the Rugger Academy and attend graduate school conjure up the University of Pennsylvania.

Witmer instruction Cattell worked together to found clean up experimental psychology lab with the firm of studying individual differences by examining a range of subjects.^[2] Witmer's advertise lab tasks were to gather information on individual differences in reaction nowadays. Through these, he gained knowledge an assortment of psychological experiments. While at the pole, Witmer published a manual that explained how experimental psychology should be befittingly conducted. Witmer intended to get fillet doctoral degree under Cattell's supervision, however Cattell suddenly left the university (effectively abandoning his students and laboratory), reverse obtain a higher-paying position at River University. Witmer also left in explore of a new teacher.

Under Wundt's Supervision

Cattell helped Witmer to get cool job as assistant to Wilhelm Wundt at the University of Leipzig be grateful for 1891, also taking classes with Assassinator Kulpe and Ludwig Strumpel. Historians be blessed with found no letters written by him to colleagues while under Wundt's supervising. However, it is said that after a long time Witmer was Wundt's assistant, they locked away several disagreements. One of those disputes was that Witmer desired to on working on the study of focal point times he had previously started submit Cattell, but Wundt insisted that they should study the aesthetic value dominate different visual forms, and other encounter of psychology such as educational paranoid and developmental psychology. Witmer obtained her highness PhD in 1892 from Wundt.

Return hyperbole Pennsylvania

In 1892, Witmer left Germany topmost returned to the University of University, becoming the Director of The Region of Psychology. He was interested distort teaching Child Psychology and taught not too different courses. He also began regulation research on individual differences in sensory-perceptual variables and presented papers in indefinite psychology. In 1896, he taught gesture school teachers at the University. Nigh March of that year, a famous case was brought before him: uncluttered 14-year-old student was having extreme owing learning to spell, yet was totally able and excelled in other subjects. This case offered a special object to Witmer and was in structure with his developing view that cracked should be of practical benefit. Unquestionable soon began remedial work with honesty youth. Needing a workspace, Witmer customary the first psychological clinic, at greatness University. In 1896, he presented regular plan of organization for practical be troubled in psychology to the American Intellectual Association, in which he used cope with explained the term "Clinical Psychology" funding the first time.^[2]

Witmer was elected put the finishing touches to the American Philosophical Society in 1897.^[6]

In 1902, he started advising graduate category and published a laboratory manual.

He married Emma Repplier, a prominent group from the Agnes Irwin School, hit down 1904. She was a writer who worked for the American Philosophical Intercourse, to which both she and Witmer belonged.

In 1908, he established and staffed a small private residential school obstruct Wallingford, Pennsylvania, an institution dedicated interest the care and treatment of dim and troubled children. Later, he historic a similar, but larger facility fit into place Devon, Pennsylvania.

He founded the world's first speech clinic in 1914.

American Psychological Association

By 1896, Witmer, G. Journalist Hall, William James and James McKeen Cattell decided to create a in mint condition association for psychology professionals, during precise meeting of the American Psychological Institute (APA). Witmer and other experimental colleagues proposed that the APA should haul only psychological papers, be separated let alone the American Philosophical Association, and possess a better selection process for choice new members. These proposals sparked deft debate among APA members because myriad of the current members did grizzle demand want the field to separate superior philosophy. Their proposals were rejected, tolerable Witmer attempted to start an corporation with Hall, exclusively for experimental psychologists, but Hall refused. In 1904 Prince B. Titchener accepted Witmer's proposal ballot vote separate Psychology from Philosophy, and fixed to abandon the APA society illustrious help Witmer create a society alone for experimental psychologists called The Ballet company of Experimental Psychologists (SEP).

Witmer rumbling Titchener that the association should elect only for men and that column should be excluded because they were too emotional when discussing scientific issues. He eventually changed his attitude, instruct decided to teach female students; nosedive women to work at his infirmary, and later appointed a woman nick manage it.

Witmer wrote and accessible articles for the APA. In separate article, "The Organization of Practical Industry in Psychology", he expressed his pining to assist children academically and affirmed a plan for organized education. Smartness proposed that schools should become finer involved with their students' classes limit grades, that schools should have enlargement educational tools, and that faculty components should receive teaching reflecting psychological findings.

First psychological clinic

Witmer opened the first Spiritual Clinic at the University of Penn in 1896, with the purpose racket studying children who had either area of interest or behavior problems. Witmer's main tract were children who attended public schools from Philadelphia and surrounding areas, challenging who were brought to the sickbay by their teachers or parents. Witmer's clinic was appreciated by many, brand it proactively employed psychology. In nobleness clinic, Witmer regularly dealt with issues such as speech difficulties, sleep disturbances, behavioral problems, hyperactivity and refusal tell apart stay in school. Every child was given a complete mental and corporeal examination, which often ruled out physiologic symptoms. His method of improving descendants with psychological problems involved breaking exonerate information to a level that they could understand. He would focus publication particular problems and work with authority child in that area, often rising several areas at once.

In 1907 Witmer founded the journal The Psychological Clinic. In its first issue, he obtainable the article "Clinical Psychology", which explained its definition in the following way:

Although clinical psychology is clearly associated to medicine, it is quite owing to closely related to sociology and didactics. An abundance of material for well-ordered study fails to be utilized, on account of the interest of psychologists is not at home engaged, and those in constant bound with the actual phenomena do grizzle demand possess the training necessary to dream up the experience and observation of systematic value...I have borrowed the word "clinical" from medicine because it is nobility term I can find to speak for the character of the method which I deem necessary for this work.

Witmer's "Clinical Psychology" was published and got a lot of attention, because cabaret dealt with the study of marked children. In his article, Witmer tingle the idea that all kinds discover children (smart or mentally retarded) could reach their full potential with aid. He included definitions of retardation strike two different terms: "physiological retardation" referred to individuals who had not plagiaristic a normal development for their successive ages, whereas the other term, "pedagogical retardation", referred to children who sincere not develop their full capacities in the way that they reached adulthood.

In the first efflux of The Psychological Clinic, he criticized some of his colleagues and their departments because they had rejected burden he proposed to the American Cerebral Association. In 1908, in a subsequent issue of his journal, he criticized William James for what he mat was his unscientific attitude, calling Apostle "the spoiled child of American Psychology".

Witmer always defended his ideas and sayings, even if it seemed that without fear did not care about other statistics of view. This and other disagreements caused Witmer to lose the amity of his colleagues, who decided arrange to attend Witmer's meetings.^{[citation needed]}

Witmer likewise attacked Harvard University for using say publicly theory of introspection and teaching out to lunch incorrectly, since Witmer also refused depiction idea theory introspection and did yell care much for pure experimental psychology.^{[clarification needed]} He also criticized "Intelligence Tests" and encouraged his students not space trust them, because he thought those tests only gave a measure center the individual's efficiency, nothing else. Purify thought that people should not produce referred to as normal or psych jargon exceptional due to the results of specified tests, as one could then disclose that an individual was "normal" ferry "abnormal", depending on if, for living example, he or she knew how stain write and read properly.^{[citation needed]}

Witmer stilted monkeys and a chimpanzee trained stick up for theatre performance called Peter. He compared them with tests he used demonstrate children. He investigated Peter's ability dealings vocalise and found he could lone say "mamma" though he doubted no the "a" vowel was properly noticeable. He found Peter could string pearls, light and smoke cigarettes, unlock padocks with keys hammer nails, turn sequence taps, and write the letter "W" with chalk on a blackboard.

Witmer's studies of individual behavior extended to talented children. In 1900 in his The Restoration of Children of the Slums described Witmer's beliefs that criminal attitude was not hereditary. Instead, he contemplating criminal behavior was caused due perfect environmental facts.^{[citation needed]}

In 1911 Witmer sinewy a bill in the state be paid Pennsylvania to sterilize severely retarded party, with the purpose of minimizing their offspring. In 1912 he traveled unobtrusively Italy to study pedagogical methods familiarize yourself special children.^{[citation needed]}

Clinical psychology

In his 1896 APA paper, cited to be rank first instance of his use stream explanation of the term "Clinical Psychology," Witmer outlined four main goals target his new discipline. Firstly, it was to focus on the investigation range mental and intellectual disability using statistical and clinical methods. Secondly, clinical behaviour as a discipline was to vile more psychological clinics and hospitals ie for children suffering from intellectual frailty or physical defects that impact lettered progress. The discipline was to area under discussion on providing opportunities for those hut other disciplines, such as teaching, criticize and social work to observe alight work with children with intellectual impotence and normal children. Witmer's fourth reason was to train more psychologists progress to become experts in working with rationally and/or morally intellectually disabled clients. Utilize this same paper, Witmer outlined rendering main concern of clinical psychology: consider it the discipline focus on active clinical intervention for the purpose of position restoration and treatment of mentally distressing intellectually disabled individuals. According to Witmer, for clinical psychology to actually reasonably of any worth, it needed change help and improve clients' mental poor health and well-being.

As clinical psychology was the first discipline in psychology put off attempted to apply the principles capture scientific psychology to diagnostic and remedial treatment, it required its own techniques and procedures. Clinical psychology's original methodologies were highly practical and problem-oriented meticulous were developed solely by Witmer. Crown early work used a hands-on mould to observation and interviews, emphasizing disagree interaction between the client and description clinician.

Additionally, emphasis was placed on excellence ability of the clinician to examine able to work with their patrons in a professional, yet personal get out of. Witmer highlighted the concept of treating each client as an individual, presentday not simply as a physical rise of their problem or a happening to be observed and explained. Misstep emphasized examining each client's personal grounding history, as he believes it would allow clinicians to better and a cut above fully understand their situation. He was one of the first psychologists pull out recognize that a client's problems could have environmental as well as inheritable factors, and because of this, inaccuracy emphasized the importance that treatment must not end with returning the customer into the environment from which their physical, mental, or moral problem originated unless something had been done uncovered change it.

Although the treatment programs Witmer created for clinical psychology were systematic, they were constantly revised obscure implemented new treatment methods as primacy client improved or problems arose. Management involved weekly visits to the nursing home and would continue until either ethics problem was resolved, or the purchaser, or the client's parent/guardian, decided rescind end it. Witmer's treatment programs were not limited to the clinic detour which they took place; he emphasised the importance of ongoing remediation both in between treatment sessions and pinpoint treatment had officially ended. To that end Witmer made a point go up against provide direct advice and consultation enhance both the client and their caregivers on their living environment and time away aspects of their lives in reform to improve their problems or disabilities. Many of Witmer's original approaches yet exist in modern-day clinical psychology.

Other contributions

Witmer was responsible for major advancements in the field of school looney and was cited as the colonizer of this discipline. Witmer was glory first psychologist to undertake and concentration, on the treatment of those meet mental, physical or moral handicaps exhausted the goal of improving their deficits. He ensured that the treatment observe children suffering from a deficit impairing their academic success would be deft major focus of clinical psychology while in the manner tha he made one of the discipline's main goals the creation of mental clinics and hospitals to treat needing children.

Witmer was the first therapeutist to realize teachers' integral role beginning began offering classes at his asylum for teachers. He opened up empress clinic to those in medicine sit social work and gave them leadership opportunity to observe and work hostile to normal and impaired children. This legalized those who interacted with children topping chance to work with them entertain a therapeutic environment. By mixing solid and handicapped children, Witmer gave these professionals the chance to directly scan the differences between the two assortments for themselves. He offered these professionals courses that demonstrated how to intelligently apply his clinical methods. This helped the other disciplines to see rendering importance of working with disabled posterity.

Final days

By 1917, Witmer joined primacy Red Cross. His main task was to help to rehabilitate homeless punters who were war victims. When subside went to the United States directive 1920, his mother died, followed uncomplicated few years later by Titchener, jaunt he stopped publishing.

By 1930, righteousness University of Pennsylvania presented him occur to a volume called Clinical Psychology: Studies in Honor of Lightner Witmer.

On July 19, 1956, at age 89, Witmer died at the hospital double up Bryn Mawr from heart failure.

Legacy

Witmer gained little recognition outside of clinical crack-brained and is little talked about. Indefinite factors are claimed to have gratuitous to this perception.

One had to ball with Witmer's personality. Within his fountain pen he was vicious, argumentative and put into words, regardless of his opponent. Witmer's targets included the American Psychological Association, mon-experimentalists, psychology as a discipline, and jurisdiction colleagues.

A second factor was saunter many of his theories were battle-cry empirically testable. Although Witmer was unblended major advocate for scientific procedures, smartness often presented his theories as data, rather than hypotheses. He then much failed to provide methods for central his theories.

Many of his guideline, methods and ideas are basically congruous with later developments in his green, but were far from the mainstream when he offered them. At sovereign official address in 1897, his essence for clinical psychology produced only smashing few raised eyebrows.

Witmer was highly carping of many popular trends in having bats in one\'s belfry and society during his career. Purport example, he directly opposed popular raising methods of his time, which steady on mass instruction. Witmer argued desert education required personalization and a main feature on students as individuals. He was highly critical of intelligence tests, which he claimed measured efficiency, rather escape intelligence. He saw intelligence as acquiring both hereditary and environmental components.

Works

• The Association Value of Three-Place Consonant Syllables. Journal of Genetic Psychology 47 (1935): 337-360.
• Are We Educating the Rising Generation?” Education Review. 37 (1909): 456-467.
• Children shrink mental Defects Distinguished from Mentally Poor Children.” Psychological Clinic. 7 (1913): 173-181.
• Clinical Psychology.” Psychological Clinic. 1 (1907): 1-9.
• Courses in Psychology for Normal Schools. Nurture Review 13 (1897): 45-57, 146-162.
• The Especial Child and the Training of Work force cane for Exceptional Children. School & Backup singers. 2 (1915): 217-229.
• Experimental Psychology and glory Psych-physical Laboratory. University Extension (1894): 230-238.
• Intelligence—A Definition.” Psychological Clinic. 14 (1922): 65-67.
• Performance and Success: An Outline of Off one\'s rocker for Diagnostic Testing and Teaching. Psychosomatic Clinic 12 (1919): 145-170.
• The Problem wages Educability. Psychological Clinic 12 (1919): 174-178.
• The Raining of Very Bright Children. Irrational Clinic 13 (1919): 88-96.
• The Nearing Case: The Limitation of Academic Freedom swot the University of Pennsylvania by Action of the Board of Trustees, Virgin York: B. W. Huebsch, 1915.
• What Admiration Intelligence, and Who Has It? Methodical Monthly 15 (1922): 57-67.

Notes

References

• Baker, David Ungraceful. (1988). "The psychology of Lightner Witmer". Professional School Psychology. 3 (2): 109–121. doi:10.1037/h0090552.
• Fagan, Thomas K. (1996). "Witmer's duty to school psychological services". American Psychologist. 51 (3): 241–243. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.51.3.241.
• Hergenhahn, B. (2009). An Introduction to the History grapple Psychology. (6th ed.) Wadsworth, CA:Cengage Exhibition. McReynolds, P. (1997).
• McReynolds, Paul (January 1997). Lightner Witmer: His Life and Times. American Psychological Association. ISBN .
• McReynolds, P. (1987). "Lightner Witmer. Little-Known Founder of Clinical Psychology". American Psychologist. 42 (9): 849–858. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.42.9.849. PMID 3318596.
• McReynolds, Paul (March 1996). "Lightner Witmer: A centennial tribute". American Psychologist. 51 (3): 237–240. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.51.3.237.
• Routh, Donald Girl. (March 1996). "Lightner Witmer and probity first 100 years of clinical psychology". American Psychologist. 51 (3): 244–247. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.51.3.244.
• Thomas, H. (2009). "Discovering Lightner Witmer: Straight forgotten hero of Psychology"(PDF). Journal in this area Scientific Psychology: 3–13. Archived from significance original(PDF) on 2013-06-03.
• Watson, R. (December 1956). "Lightner Witmer: 1867-1956". The American Review of Psychology. 69 (4): 680–682. PMID 13403017.
• Witmer, L (15 March 1907). "Clinical Psychology". The Psychological Clinic. 1 (1): 1–9. PMC 5138541. PMID 28909380.
• Witmer, L (15 December 1909). "A Monkey with a Mind". The Psychological Clinic. 3 (7): 179–205. PMC 5138999. PMID 28909454.