Carolyn Wood Sherif (1922-1982) was a social psychologist who, among other things, conducted important research on topics such as intergroup conflict, cooperation, power relations, social judgment, prejudice, and gender identities.

The work of Wood Sherif was carried out in a context that did not promote the participation of women in social psychology, and they are also considered some of the most influential in the development of this discipline. Next we will make a brief review of a biography of Carolyn Wood Sherif , and we will see some of her contributions to social psychology and gender studies.

Carolyn Wood Sherif: biography of a pioneer in social psychology

Carolyn Wood Sherif was born on June 28, 1922 in Indiana, United States. She was the youngest of three children, who soon developed a strong motivation for higher education, especially in the exact sciences. Her father was affiliated with Purdue University, which gave Carolyn and her brothers the opportunity to begin their academic training at that institution.

Although her interest was mainly in the world of humanities, history and other social sciences, her father’s insistence led Carolyn to train in mathematics as well. This is how she soon positioned herself as one of the best students in different fields, before arriving at social psychology .

Beginnings in social psychology

After training in various disciplines, and once established as a social psychologist, Wood Sherif herself wondered… how did I come to be a social psychologist? (1983). There were not many opportunities to train and practice as a social psychologist in this context, and mixed models between professional development and family commitments were rare.

Turning to the American context of the Second World War, which is where her academic and personal development took place, she answers that it was her desire to do something to improve the world that led her to ask herself different questions, which gradually brought her closer to social psychology.

Likewise, this desire led him to ask himself about the possibilities that this discipline had to integrate the study of human cognition with motivation and social behaviour. He was interested, for example, in the social psychology developed by Kurt Lewin, as well as in the studies of cultural and social organization, as developed by Muzafer Sherif and Frederic Bartlett.

Carolyn Wood Sherif and Muzafer Sherif

After finishing his studies at Purdue University, he entered the University of Iowa to pursue a master’s degree in psychology, which he completed in 1944. Later he started working for a research institute in Princeton , New Jersey. Through this position she gained a lot of experience in research, however, she felt that it was a very unrelated to the social issues she was interested in, so she finally decided to quit.

At this point she began to take advice on where and with whom to continue studying, and obtained the proposal to work as a researcher also at Princeton, but together with Muzafer Sherif, who was already one of the most important social psychologists.

The drawback now was that Princeton University did not accept female students, so Carolyn started taking courses at Columbia University . Not without stopping, in parallel, research with Sherif, especially on the subject of inter-group relations. Years later, Muzafer Sherif would become her husband.

The Cave of the Thieves

In the years that followed, Carolyn Wood Sherif and Muzafer Sherif continued to work together at Princeton, Yale, and Oklahoma Universities, publishing numerous articles and books that are widely consulted in social psychology to this day.

However, due to the frequent neglect of women’s scientific activity in this context, it is common for Carolyn Wood’s participation in such work to be dismissed or directly omitted, and for the credit to be reserved for Muzafer alone.

One of their most popular investigations is the classic experiment of the thieves’ cave , where they analyzed the possible origins of prejudices in different social groups, as well as several inter-group dynamics. In very broad terms, they conducted an experiment with 22 male adolescents in a rural area of Oklahoma, where they were able to observe how group formation occurs, how social hierarchies are created; and what are some of the origins of friction, hostility and integration.

Academic activity and lines of research

In 1958, Carolyn Wood Sherif began training in a doctoral program at the University of Texas, under the supervision of Wayne Holtzman and the accompaniment of Muzafer Sherif and his three daughters. She graduated in 1961, and directed a project at the United States Office of Vocational Rehabilitation , where she concentrated on studies of self-concept and youth.

She also worked as a research associate at the Oklahoma Institute for Group Relations and published numerous articles and books on youth, reference groups, attitudes and social justice. Finally, in the 1960s her interests focused on psychology and gender, specifically gender identity, roles, and their reproduction. The latter coincided with the feminist movements of the same decade, which favoured both their academic recognition and their militancy.

In this context she presided over the 35th division of the American Psychological Association (APA), during the 1970s, which is known as the Society for the Psychology of Women . Her work and experience earned her various awards, including distinguished publication awards and prizes for her contributions to psychology education.

In the same vein, Division 35 of the APA has dedicated an award in her honor (the Carolyn Wood Sherif Award), through which it recognizes the work of teaching, research and professional leadership in women’s psychology, both male and female psychologists.

Bibliographic references:

  • George, M. (2011). Profile. Carolyn Wood Sherif. Psychology’s Feminist Voices. Retrieved June 27, 2018. Available at http://www.feministvoices.com/carolyn-wood-sherif/.
  • O’Connell, A. and Russo, N. (1983). Models of achievement: Reflections of eminent women in psychology. New York: Columbia University Press.