Robert V. Guthrie facts for kids

Robert Val Guthrie (February 14, 1930 – November 6, 2005) was an American psychologist and teacher. The American Psychological Association called him "one of the most important African-American scholars of his time." Guthrie is famous for his book Even the Rat was White: A Historical View of Psychology. This book challenged old studies that had unfair and wrong ideas about Black people. It also highlighted many Black psychologists who made big contributions but were often forgotten.

About Robert Guthrie's Life

Robert Val Guthrie was born in Chicago on February 14, 1930. He moved to Lexington, Kentucky, when his father became a school principal. In Kentucky, schools were separated by race. Guthrie went to Black schools and churches. His friends were all from the Black community. Because of this, he saw few job choices. He planned to become a public school teacher.

In the 1950s, Guthrie served in the military at Sampson Air Force Base. There, he met Elodia Sexton, a nursing student from Guatemala. They got married and had one daughter and five sons. Robert Guthrie passed away on November 6, 2005, from brain cancer.

His Education and Career

Guthrie went to Florida A&M on a scholarship. He played the clarinet in the school band. In college, he first learned about psychology and loved it. His professor, Joseph Awkard, taught him about unfair ideas in psychology research. This inspired Guthrie to become a psychologist himself.

From 1950 to 1953, Guthrie's studies stopped. He was drafted and served in the Korean War. In the military, he saw more racial equality than before. The military had ended segregation. It also had rules against racism. Guthrie once said the military did a lot to make things fair for different races.

After the war, Guthrie returned to school. He earned a master's degree from the University of Kentucky. The university had just ended segregation in 1954. He was the only Black student in his program. He felt unwelcome there and lacked support. He decided to "get my education, then get the hell off campus." After his master's, he served in the Air Force again.

In the early 1960s, he moved to San Diego. He taught in high schools. Then, he became the first Black professor at San Diego Mesa College.

Founding the Association of Black Psychologists

In 1968, Guthrie and his friends were at a conference. It was an American Psychological Association meeting in San Francisco. There, they started the Association of Black Psychologists. This was a very important step for Black psychology.

Guthrie earned his PhD in 1970. He got it from the United States International University in San Diego. The next year, he became a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. He taught there until 1973. Then, he became a research psychologist. He worked at the National Institute of Education in Washington, D.C. There, he studied issues for different cultures.

In 1976, he went back to San Diego. He worked at the Navy Personnel Research and Development Center. He helped make working conditions better in the Navy. In the 1980s, he left this job. He started his own practice called Psychiatric Associates of South Bay. It focused on helping minority groups in San Diego.

From 1990 to 1998, he was a professor at Southern Illinois University. He liked helping students and opening their minds. This was like how his own professors had inspired him. After retiring, he taught one class per semester. It was about the psychology of the Black experience at San Diego State University. He also spent time writing his life story for a book.

Even the Rat was White Book

In 1976, Guthrie published his most famous book. It was called Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology. The book showed how psychology had a long history of racist ideas. These ideas were used to support unfair treatment of African Americans. They also promoted the idea that Black people were less smart.

The second edition of the book came out in 1998. It responded to new ideas in the field. For example, it looked at The Bell Curve. This book suggested differences in IQ between races.

Even more important, Guthrie's book listed the achievements of early Black psychologists. When he was studying for his master's, one professor doubted the work of Black psychologists. This included people like Kenneth and Mamie Clark. This made Guthrie start researching the work of Black psychologists who came before him.

In Even the Rat Was White, Guthrie wrote about many important Black psychologists. These included Francis Cecil Sumner, Kenneth and Mamie Clark, Allison Davis, Inez Beverly Prosser, Herman George Canady, Oran Wendle Eagleson, and Ruth Winifred Howard. He also wrote about mentors like G. Stanley Hall at Clark University. These mentors helped African Americans earn PhDs in psychology. They also helped them get jobs at universities.

Robert Guthrie's Legacy

In 2001, Guthrie became the first African-American to have his papers in the National Archives of American Psychology. This archive is in Akron, OH. The director, David Baker, PhD, said that Guthrie's work was special. He said, "We know almost nothing about the development of psychology at historically black colleges and universities, and only Bob Guthrie's work examines this in detail."

About Even the Rat was White, Baker said it was "an excellent piece of historiography." He added that it "offers a good, hard look at racism in the development of psychology." He also said that without it, many Black psychologists might have been forgotten. The American Psychological Association called Guthrie "one of the most influential and multifaceted African-American scholars of the century."

After he passed away, the American Psychological Association honored him. They said he was a great mentor and a caring doctor. They also said his work helped make psychology more fair for everyone. His work helped psychology see its mistakes. It also helped it become a more open and helpful field for all people.