"Giving Up Maleness": Abraham Maslow, Masculinity, and the Boundaries of Psychology

Nicholson, Ian A.M. (2001) "Giving Up Maleness": Abraham Maslow, Masculinity, and the Boundaries of Psychology. History of Psychology 4(1):pp. 79-91.

Abstract

Psychology's boundaries consist of a network of methods, categories, and institutional practices. Strategically important, these markers distinguish the field from common sense and popular psychology. Although psychologists have attempted to define themselves in terms of natural science, gender considerations have also been woven into the fabric of the field. This article examines psychology's gender identity through a consideration of the career of Abraham Maslow. Trained as an experimentalist, Maslow is widely known for his attempt to expand the discipline's boundaries into humanistic domains. He was convinced that psychology had become too masculine for its own good, yet he struggled to find a way to "soften" psychology without completely undermining its "rigorous" foundation. His work highlights the connection between masculinity and science and the difficulty of redrawing psychology's boundaries without undermining its credibility.