Mark Calkins

Infancy

1863

Mark Calkin was born in Hartford Connecticut to Wolcott and Charlotte Calkins. She is raised in a supportive family environment, where she is the eldest of 5 children.

Childhood: Early Schooling

1882

Mary Calkins enters attended Smith College. She gets particularly interested in classics and philosophy. Shortly after starting school her younger sister passed away pushing her to go back home.

Adolescence

1885

Calkins returned to Smith college where she would then obtain a degree in Classics and Philosophy. Upon receiving her degree, she then decided to keep pursuing her education and went on to complete the requirements to get a Ph.D. from Harvard. Identity vs. Role Confusion: Women seeking education in this time were looked down upon and challenged. Despite this Calkins still went on, committed to her intellectual growth.

Young Adult

1891

Calkins completed her requirements for a Ph.D. from Harvard, but was refused her degree due to her gender. Calkins keep working though, and started conducting her research on the topic association.

Middle Adulthood: First Experimental Research Lab

1891

Calkin went to Wellesley College to work as an instructor in Psychology. In her first year of starting here, Calkins setup a psychological laboratory in a small attic in the main campus building. She then goes on to found and head the department of psychology at Wellesley College, being the first woman to do so.

Middle Adulthood: Paired Association

1896

Calkins's work in her research lab have payed off as her process was revolutionary in psychology. Calkins studied how her subject reacted to certain stimuli, this would later come to be known as the Paired Association Technique.

Middle Adulthood: President of APA

1905

Calkins was nominated as president of the American Psychological Association. This is the first time that a woman has been in this role since psychology at this time was mostly dominated by men. She would go on to publish many books. Generativity vs. Stagnation: Calkins worked and had many contributions to the field of psychology. Her actions of founding the Psychology Department along with her nomination as APA president showed her impact to the development of the field.

Late Adulthood

1918

Mary Calkins was elected the president of the American Philosophical Association, where she was one again the first woman to hold that rank. Calkins continued to teach and Wellesley College until she retired in 1929. This was sadly followed by her death in 1930.