Lightner Witmer

This book chronicles the life of a major figure in American psychology. Lightner Witmer, widely recognized as the founder of clinical psychology, is perhaps best known for establishing the world's first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896. Witmer was also a primary pioneer of school psychology and special education, but his most enduring contribution may be his insistence that the fruits of scientific psychology could have practical benefits - that is, that psychology could be mobilized to help people having personal difficulties in living. Author Paul McReynolds, the preeminent authority on Witmer, presents Witmer's life in a largely chronological, narrative fashion, in which personal events and circumstances provide an enriching backdrop to Witmer's scientific, academic, and clinical accomplishments.