- George Albee
George Wilson Albee (1921 –
July 8 2006 ) was a pioneer inclinical psychology , who believed societal factors were the major cause of mental illness. He was one of the leading figures in the development ofcommunity psychology .Career
Albee was born in
St. Marys, Pennsylvania , he attended Bethany College and graduated in 1943. He was drafted into the Army Air Force until the end ofWorld War II .
After leaving the forces he attended theUniversity of Pittsburgh where he attained his Masters and Doctorate degrees. Having received his doctorate in 1949 he spent the next two years in a research appointment atWestern Psychiatric Institute , later working for the APA as assistant executive secretary.In 1953 Albee went to
Finland for a year as a Fulbright scholar, before returning to the USA to become a Professor atCase Western Reserve University , a post he held for 16 years.
In 1971 Albee left Case Western for a position at theUniversity of Vermont . He remained here until his retirement in 1991. During that time, he married Constance Impallaria,and had 4 kids: Alec, Luke, Maud and Sarah.During his career Albee was the author of groundbreaking studies in the 50's and 60's, that showed societal factors such as poverty, racism, sexism and child abuse, were to a large degree responsible for mental illness. He believed the psychological profession needed to focus more on prevention, rather than one to one treatment.
After his retirement Albee spent time travelling around the world giving lectures on psychology. He also found time to write a humor column for his local newspaper the Longboat Observer.
He was the author of more than 200 articles and book chapters on community approaches to mental illness, as well as writing more than a dozen books.
Albee died in
Longboat Key, Florida .Positions and awards
*Served on Eisenhower's and Carter's Presidential Commissions on mental health.
*From 1969 – 1970 Albee was the President of theAmerican Psychological Association (APA)
*1973 received the APA Distinguished Professional Contribution Award.
*1993 awarded theAmerican Psychological Foundation Gold Medal.
*1997 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Applied Preventive Psychology.External links
* [http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Human_Development_Center/pubs/l1georgealbee.html An interview with George Albee]
* [http://copac.ac.uk/wzgw?id=7987344&field=au&terms=Albee%2C+George+W%2E Albee's bibliography atCopac ] .
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