Nationality American Children Staughton Lynd Education Wellesley College | Role Philosopher Name Helen Lynd | |
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Born March 17, 1896 ( 1896-03-17 ) La Grange, Illinois Alma mater Wellesley College, B.A., 1919, Columbia University, M.A, philosophy, 1922, Columbia University, Ph.D., 1944 Occupation Sociologist, social philosopher, professor Employer Ossining School for Girls, Miss Master's School, Sarah Lawrence College, Vassar College Notable work Shame and the Search for Identity; co-author of Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American Culture Spouse(s) Robert Staughton Lynd, m. 1921 Died January 30, 1982, New York City, New York, United States Books On Shame and the Search for Identity, England in the eighteen-eighties, England in the 1880's Organization Rockefeller Foundation, American Federation of Teachers, American Civil Liberties Union | ||
{Also see Actor Helen Lynd}
Helen Merrell Lynd (March 17, 1896 – January 30, 1982) was an American sociologist and social philosopher, and was the author of Shame and the Search for Identity and co-author of Middletown: A Study in Contemporary American Culture with husband Robert Staughton Lynd. She was a professor at Sarah Lawrence College from 1929 to 1964 (Lester 2007).
The model of shame that Lynd advocated in the book is loosely Marxian, insisting upon "the importance of historical context and of transcultural analysis within single social formations" (particularly Western). Her theory of shame finally hinges upon the clashing of different social or moral ‘values’ in specific locations at specific moments, highlighting the trauma experienced by members of communities marginal to dominant culture: those most likely to feel shame are those made to feel ‘inappropriate’ by dominant cultural norms" (Fox 1994:13).
Lynd and her husband were pioneers in the use of social surveys.