ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Hildegard von Bingen’s practice of the medieval equivalent of psychotherapy as well as her writings, which provide a rich example of psychological theory during the medieval period. It discusses some of the earliest acknowledged women contributors to psychology, including Dorothea Lynde Dix, Mary Whiton Calkins, Margaret Floy Washburn, Christine Ladd-Franklin, and Lillien Jane Martin. The chapter describes some of the unique challenges these women faced, especially the struggle to break down the educational barrier that prevented women from enrolling in graduate programs in psychology. It also discusses some of the sociocultural factors influencing the movement of women out of the academic setting and into the applied areas of psychology. The chapter also examines the contributions of women in developmental psychology, which includes Anna Freud’s work in child psychoanalysis and play therapy, the multiple contributions of Mary Cover Jones, and Mary Salter Ainsworth’s attachment theory.
