Raymond B. Cattell (20 March, 1905 - 2 February, 1998) was a British and American psychologist who theorized the existence of fluid and crystallized intelligences to explain human cognitive ability. He was notoriously productive throughout his 92 years, and ultimately was able to claim a combined authorship and co-authorship of 55 books and some 500 journal articles.
Cattell was an early proponent of the application of factor analytical methods in psychology, as opposed to what he called mere "armchair theorizing." One of the most important results of Cattell's application of factor analysis was the derivation of 16 factors underlying human personality. He called these 16 factors source traits because he believed that they provide the underlying source for the surface behaviors that we think of as personality. ("Psychology and Life, 7 ed." by Richard Gerrig and Philip Zimbardo.) This theory of 16 personality factors and the instruments used to measure them are known collectively as the 16 PF.
Political criticism and the APA Lifetime Achievement Award debacle
As Cattell achieved major success and worldwide notoriety within the field of psychology, he attracted the attention of political critics. Most notably, two of his former colleages from his days at the University of Illinois, Jerry Hirsch and William H. Tucker, criticized him on the basis of his interests in eugenics, evolution and alternative cultures and political systems.
Tucker has claimed that in his early career Cattell (1937) had praised the eugenics laws of the pre-war Third Reich for promoting racial improvement (see Tucker 1994). Political critics also note that Cattell is also known for laying out a mixture of Galtonian eugenics and theology called Beyondism, which he considered "a new morality from science," and that his work in this area was published numerous times in Roger Pearson's Mankind Quarterly and Pearson has published a number of Cattell's monographs.
In 1997, Cattell, at 92, was chosen by the American Psychological Association (APA) for its "Gold Medal Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Science of Psychology." Immediately following Cattell's nomination for the award, the same earlier political critics launched a publicity campaign accusing Cattell of being sympathetic to fascist ideas. A blue-ribbon committee was convened to investigate the legitimacy of the charges. However, before the committee reached a decision, and shortly before he died, Cattell issued an open letter saying he "abhor[red]" racism and only supported "voluntary eugenics," and that he was withdrawing his name from consideration for the award.[1]
Selected publications
- Cattell, R.B., (1933). Psychology and social progress: Mankind and destiny from the standpoint of a scientist. London: C. W. Daniel.
- Cattell, R. B. (1937). The fight for our national intelligence. London: P. S. King.
- Cattell, R. B. (1972). A new morality from science: Beyondism. New York: Pergamon Press.
- Cattell, R. B. (1987). Beyondism: Religion from science. New York: Praeger.
Political publications mentioning Cattell
- Tucker, W. H. (1994). The science and politics of racial research. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
Comprehensive list of Cattell's books
Comprehensive list of Cattell's journal articles
External links
- A Memorial to Raymond Bernard Cattell
- Human Intelligence: Raymond B. Cattell
- The Psi Cafe: Raymond Cattell
- Official biography of Raymond B. Cattell
- Beyondism: Raymond B. Cattell and the New Eugenics via Institute for the Study of Academic Racism
- Interview With Raymond B. Cattell] from The Eugenics Bulletin, Spring-Summer 1984.