ABSTRACT
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The biography of an individual scientist cannot be expected to be of general interest except when there has been a spectacular achievement or a colorful personality or both. The present case has no claim to either. Some students may find encouragement in knowing that something can be accomplished in spite of much floundering with objectives that do not seem as clear as they will in retrospect.
—Thurstone, 1952, p. 295 Although L. L. Thurstone’s autobiography begins with these words, in actuality Thurstone’s achievements were spectacular. His personality, if not colorful, certainly was strong and memorable. His career goals eluded him until his mid-thirties, but by that time he was aware that he had become a creative, productive, world-renowned research psychologist.