“Very much in love”: The letters of Magda Arnold and Father John Gasson

Abstract

Magda Arnold (1903-2002), best known for her pioneering appraisal theory of emotion, belonged to the second generation of women in psychology who frequently experienced institutional sexism and career barriers. Following her religious conversion, Arnold had to contend with the additional challenge of being an openly Catholic woman in psychology at a time when Catholic academics were stigmatized. This paper announces the discovery of and relies upon a number of previously unknown primary sources on Magda Arnold, including approximately 150 letters exchanged by Arnold and Father John Gasson. This correspondence illuminates both the development of Arnold's thought and her navigation of the career challenges posed by her conversion. I argue that Gasson's emotional and intellectual support be considered as resources that helped Arnold succeed despite the discrimination she experienced. Given the romantic content of the correspondence, I also consider Arnold and Gasson in the context of other academic couples in psychology in this period and argue that religious belief ought to be further explored as a potential contributor to the resilience of women in psychology's history.

Reconstructing the history of emotions: Revisiting Elizabeth Duffy’s rejection of the term “emotion”.

“…In contrast, appraisal theorists emphasize the need for a cognitive appraisal (either conscious or unconscious) in interpreting the bodily signals of emotion and the social context. Duffy’s contemporary Magda Arnold (1903–2002) is generally acknowledged as the originator of this cognitive turn in emotions theory, but contemporary historians of psychology have demonstrated that her emotions theory was more complete and complex than a sole focus on appraisal (Reisenzein, 2006; Rodkey, 2017; Shields, 2006; Shields & Kappas, 2006).…”

Critical feminist history of psychology versus sociology of scientific knowledge: Contrasting views of women scientists?

“…Other recent works within the genre of critical feminist history have included studies on the lives and works of Florence Goodenough (Johnson, 2015), Milicent Shin (Rodkey, 2016), and Magda Arnold (Rodkey, 2017). Johnson’s (2015) analysis of developmental psychologist Florence Goodenough, for instance, focused on Goodenough’s belief that women were just as capable of scientific achievement as men—a belief that grounded Goodenough’s confidence in mothers as scientific observers of their children.…”

Family, friends, and faith-communities: Intellectual community and the benefits of unofficial networks for marginalized scientists.

“…The most obvious example of the rich intellectual community Arnold found in the Catholic world was her close friendship with the Jesuit priest John Gasson. Gasson was a significant source of intellectual stimulation and encouragement to Arnold: He introduced her to Thomistic philosophy and influenced her pioneering appraisal theory (see Rodkey, 2017 for a discussion of their intellectual friendship). Their first conversations “opened up new vistas” (Arnold, n.d.-a, p. 12) for Arnold, resulting in “a great deal of rethinking” (p. 13).…”