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Magda Arnold and the Human Person

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Magda Arnold and the Human Person Magda Arnold and the Human Person: A Mid-Century Case Study on the Relationship Between Psychology and Religion ELISSA N. RODKEY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Graduate Program in Psychology York University Toronto, Ontario July 2015 © Elissa N. Rodkey, 2015 ii Abstract The life of Magda Arnold (1903-2002)—best known for her pioneering appraisal theory of emotion—spanned the 20th century, and as a result she witnessed the rise and fall of many of the major “schools” of psychology. Arnold had an unusual perspective on these theories of psychology, due in large part to an event that occurred in 1948: her conversion to Roman Catholicism. Throughout her life, but especially following her conversion, Arnold rejected reductionistic theories of the human person, instead articulating theories which emphasized human agency and telos, and which held up the human experience as the primary source of psychological knowledge. Arnold’s conversion significantly affected her career, as she made professional sacrifices to teach in Catholic institutions and was open about her religious identity in her academic work at a time when Catholic scholars were suspect. Arnold’s conversion also shaped her psychological thinking—she later credited her conversion and her resulting exposure to scholastic philosophy with inspiring her appraisal theory. Although there were other Catholics active in psychology at mid-century, Arnold was unusual even in that cohort for her seamless integration of her faith and her science. Arnold’s involvement in psychology (1935-1975) roughly corresponds with a period in academic psychology in which there was very minimal investigation of religious topics (1930-1976)—they were generally considered taboo or unscientific. Yet the majority of American consumers of psychology remained religious in this period, and applied and popular psychology addressed their interests. Arnold’s life contributes an important perspective on this time period, highlighting how one psychologist of faith responded to the pressures of an increasingly secular psychology by rejecting the apparent conflict to affirm the fundamental compatibility of faith and science. As such Arnold’s life is a useful contribution to the growing literature on the iii “complexity” perspective on the relationship between science and religion (as opposed to the traditional “conflict” perspective). Arnold was also aware of her own perspective as a religious psychologist and emphasized experimenter subjectivity in her work—offering a critical perspective on psychology that anticipated modern critiques of scientific objectivity. As a result Arnold can contribute to discussions of reflexivity and objectivity in psychology, both by drawing on her writings about the role of basic assumptions in science, and by considering her life to see just how her personal beliefs shaped her science. iv Acknowledgments I am grateful to so many who have supported me during the writing of this dissertation, and throughout my graduate school journey. I would like to dedicate this dissertation to two of those people: To my father, John Rodkey, who taught me to be curious, to love words, and to do excellent work. Who is brilliant and driven enough to have gotten his PhD many times over, but instead has chosen to work “for the greater glory of God” and to serve his family–this is for you. It is you who taught me to think critically, and who first showed me that faith and inquiry go hand in hand. Thank you for so generously reading and editing the whole thing and always being willing to talk about it—I love you. And to my mentor and dear friend, Ann Seavey, without whose help I would never have gone to graduate school in the first place. Your unfailing love and support helped me survive college and you gave me the tools I needed to excel. Thank you for constant confidence in me, your encouragement along the way, and your joy in my victories. Grateful thanks to Joan Arnold for so graciously and openly sharing her mother’s correspondence and her own remembrances. And also thanks to Margaret Arnold and Eileen Gavin for sharing their memories of Magda. Thanks to Stephanie Shields for launching me on this journey by telling me about Arnold and so generously sharing her resources and contacts. Thanks to the wonderful staff of the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology for sharing the Magda Arnold papers, and to the Harvard University Archives staff for their friendly help. Thanks to Robert Kugelmann for his very helpful work on Catholic psychology, without which I would have been very lost indeed, and for the conversations and help with sources. Similarly thanks to Vincent Hevern for kindly sharing his knowledge of Catholics in psychology. And thanks to Russ Kosits for sharing your Allport research. Thanks to my committee members, Angela Febbraro and Michael Pettit, whose careful reading and critical comments made this project much stronger. Thanks to Alexandra Rutherford for being a wonderful advisor—the perfect balance of supportive and challenging! Thanks to Kirstin and Greg Jeffery Johnson for so generously allowing me to have a writing retreat at their beautiful farm at a time when I really needed to focus. Thanks to Peter Sam Raj for his work transcribing—even that terribly dull stuff on the amygdala! v Thanks to Christina Wassell and to my uncle, George Rodkey, for being my Catholicism consultants, and enthusiastic supporters of the project. Thanks to Gillian Ramsey for her help with the Latin, and Michael Buttrey for his help with the philosophy. Thanks to Kelli Vaughn Johnson and Jenn Bazar for the loving support and allowing me to talk through my ideas. Also thanks to all of my graduate school friends—you always surprise me with your generosity and love. Thanks to my Knox family—you have become my family away from home and I would not have stuck it out in Toronto without you. Thanks especially to Ali Derksen, Jo Wienhølts, and Samantha Mudiappahpillai for your constant encouragement and for always acting interested as I went off in raptures about Arnold and Gasson and told you probably far more than you wanted to know. A special thanks to Krista Rodkey for embodying the ideal of ‘family as intellectual community’—offering not just enthusiastic encouragement but new ideas and directions for my project. Heartfelt thanks to my family—all of you—for your love and support of this long and strange journey of graduate school. Even when it has been a mystery to you, you have loved me and been proud of me, and that has given me the strength to continue. Finally, I echo John Gasson: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 The Relationship Between Psychology and Religion: A Historical Review .................................. 6 Religion and the Discipline of Psychology ..................................................................................... 7 Religion and Popular Psychology ................................................................................................. 16 The Importance of Popular Psychology .................................................................................... 23 Objectivity and the Personal in Science........................................................................................ 24 Materials and Methods .................................................................................................................. 28 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 31 Chapter 1: Magda Arnold’s Biography ......................................................................................... 33 A Lonely and Independent Childhood .......................................................................................... 34 Romantic Attachments .................................................................................................................. 46 Strange Land, Unknown Future .................................................................................................... 54 The End of a Marriage .................................................................................................................. 58 New Intellectual Life .................................................................................................................... 63 Greener Pastures in America ........................................................................................................ 73 Into the Catholic Ghetto ................................................................................................................ 82 Professional Flourishing ..............................................................................................................
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