Wallin,J.E.Wallace (1876–1969)

Abstract

J. E. Wallace Wallin (1876–1969) was a pioneer in the fields of clinical psychology, special education, and mental hygiene. During the second decade of the twentieth century Wallin proposed the first training models for clinical psychology by specifying the ideal personal qualities as well as academic background and practical work that would be necessary to become expert mental examiners of children with developmental disabilities, the prime occupation of clinical psychologists of the time. Wallin also paved the way for the establishment of the first professional organization to represent clinical psychologists: the American Association of Clinical Psychologists. Wallin believed strongly that public schools should provide education for developmentally disabled children. Through his affiliation with more than 25 institutions of higher education and as director of eight psychoeducational clinics, and as the author of over 30 books and 350 articles, Wallin staunchly advocated for programs, policies, and regulations that ensured that developmentally disabled children received this education.

The professionalization of psychologists as court personnel: Consequences of the first institutional commitment law for the “feebleminded”

“… John Edward Wallace Wallin was a pioneer in the fields of clinical psychology, special education, and mental hygiene during the first decades of the 20th century (Farreras, ). He was especially critical of physician William Hickson, Director of the Psychological Laboratory of the Chicago Municipal Court, who claimed that nearly 90% of the women he examined from the Chicago Morals Court were feeble‐minded (Curtis, ; Willrich, ).…”