Wright Institute
Encyclopedia
The Wright Institute is a Clinical Psychology Graduate School located in Berkeley, California.
in 1968 when he left Stanford. His approach was motivated by the desire to reinvigorate the "conversation" between Marx and Freud
and that graduate schools had become "too narrow in their thinking, the problems they approached, and their student body".
accredited PsyD program, with a complete change in curriculum and nearly complete change in faculty. Recent changes have included the establishment of an MA program in Counseling Psychology.
. The Institute is also accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
In a ranking of US and Canadian clinical psychology doctoral programs by the Social Psychology Network based on how well their graduates performed on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)
from 1988 to 1995 the Wright Institute was ranked 163rd out of 183.
Founding
The Institute was founded by Nevitt SanfordNevitt Sanford
Nevitt Sanford was professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley. He studied ethnocentrism and antisemitism, and was one of the authors of The Authoritarian Personality. His co-authors in this work were Theodor W. Adorno, Else Frenkel-Brunswik and Daniel Levinson...
in 1968 when he left Stanford. His approach was motivated by the desire to reinvigorate the "conversation" between Marx and Freud
Freudo-Marxism
Freudo-Marxism is a loose designation of several twentieth-century critical theory schools of thought that sought to synthesize the philosophy and political economy of Karl Marx with the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud....
and that graduate schools had become "too narrow in their thinking, the problems they approached, and their student body".
The Program
At its outset the program was interdisciplinary. Faculty members were drawn from a range of disciplines including sociology, philosophy, and history. Only a few were psychologists. The structure of the program was "spare" with only four required courses. Two of these were "Psychopathology" and a course that criticized the notion of "Psychopathology". Alongside the Institute was a clinic in which students and faculty could practice. Students were required to write a thesis. Until 1985 it was possible to practice psychology in California if one had a PhD in any field, and passed the State Board exams. The Institute was recognized as a leading center for "critical psychoanalysis" and the place for people who already had PhDs in other fields, like sociology, literature or history.The evolution of the program
Since its inception, the Institute has gone through various incarnations, with extensive changes in governance, faculty and philosophy. The most notable change was in 1995, when the earlier PhD program, focused on psychology as inherently critical and multidisciplinary, became an APAAPA
- Associations :* Aborigines Progressive Association, an Australian organization* All Peoples' Association , a British voluntary organization* Allied Pilots Association, the certified collective bargaining agent for American Airlines pilots...
accredited PsyD program, with a complete change in curriculum and nearly complete change in faculty. Recent changes have included the establishment of an MA program in Counseling Psychology.
Current status
Today, the institute claims to teach the "scientific knowledge base of clinical psychology" and to "enrich that learning by exploring the meanings of students' own experiences in relationships with clients". It has around 40 full and part-time faculty and offers programs in Clinical PsychologyClinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
. The Institute is also accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
In a ranking of US and Canadian clinical psychology doctoral programs by the Social Psychology Network based on how well their graduates performed on the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)
Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)
The Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology is a licensing examination that is used in most US states and Canadian provinces....
from 1988 to 1995 the Wright Institute was ranked 163rd out of 183.
Notable alumni
- Derek DraperDerek DraperDerek William Draper is a former lobbyist, former editor of the LabourList website, and psychotherapist. As a political advisor during the 1990s he became widely known for his role in two political scandals, "Lobbygate" and "Smeargate".-Biography:Draper was educated at Southlands High School in...
, MA Psychology, 2004 - Amalia Mesa-BainsAmalia Mesa-BainsAmalia Mesa-Bains , born in Santa Clara, California, is a psychologist, curator, author and artist. She received a B.A. in painting from San Jose State University before earning a M.A. in interdisciplinary education from San Francisco State University and a Ph.D...
, Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, 1983 - Suzanne SegalSuzanne SegalSuzanne Segal was a New Age writer and teacher about spiritual enlightenment, known for her sudden experience of depersonalization which she wrote about in her book Collision With the Infinite: A Life Beyond the Personal Self....
Notable Former Employees
Charles Hampden-TurnerCharles Hampden-Turner
Charles Hampden-Turner is a British management philosopher, and Senior Research Associate at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge since 1990...