Most students of psychology will recognize the name of John B. Watson. He was a pioneer in the American study of psychology. His experiment with “Little Albert” is required reading in most introductory courses. What most people don’t know is that he was quite a womanizer. While a the University of Chicago, he met and married a student, Mary Ickes, whose brother was a confidant of the President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Despite marry a student, he continued womanizing. His affairs are part of what led to his dismissal from John Hopkins. He later divorced from his wife and married another one of the students with whom he was having an affair.
His views influenced childrearing in America through the forties and fifties. His books on how to raise children were seen as authoritative on the issue. He was the psychologist who boldly asserted that masturbation is not psychologically harmful in any way. It is ironic that he told a generation how to raise children, yet could not manage his own household and remain faithful to his wife. This is another case of “do as I say and not as I do” mentality.
Best Regards,
Jeff Murrah
