Welcome to my digital exploration of eugenics in psychology.
This site is dedicated to uncovering the often-overlooked history of how psychological science contributed to and was shaped by eugenic ideologies. From intelligence testing to institutionalization, and from ancient theories of madness to modern clinical biases, I hope to shed light on the ethical implications that still echo in today's mental health practices. This project reflects my belief that understanding our intellectual past is essential to building a more just, inclusive future in psychology and beyond. Without looking at the "failures" of the past, we cannot fix institutional inequality in the future.
Timeline of Eugenics
Ancient Greece- 400 BCE
Middle Ages 500-1500
19th century
Early 1900s
1912-1927
1927
Post- WW2 45-70s
Late 20th cen.
2010s to present time
Plato and Aristotle link rationality to human value, laving philosophical groundwork for intellectual hierarchies.
source: Galanakis. BOS)
People with intellectual disabilities are labeled 'natural tools'-considered inborn, incurable, and legally excluded
(Source: Metzer)
Emergence of eugenics as a scientific movement. Psychology aligns with efforts to classify and control populations.(Source: Yakushko
Psychologists lIke Goddard. lerman, and Yerkes develop lO tests used to Institutionalize and sterilize 'unfit' Individuals.(Source: Turiel, Yakushko,
Isabelle Kendig begins eugenics fieldwork but later challenges the hereditarian assumptions or her peers
source: Harris'
U.S. Supreme Court upholds forced sterilization in Buck v. Bell. Psychology provides justification through IQ testing
source: luriel
Despite Nazi atrocities, forced sterilization and institutionalization of disabled people continue in North America
(source: Wilson, Ilves
Shift toward medicalization and behaviorism masks continued exclusion of neurodivergent and disabled people
(source: Yakush«o. Ives)
Eugenic logic persists through testing bias, prenatal screening, and disability discrimination in courts and therapy.(Source: lyes, Wilson, Charlot et al.
Originally held on September 29, 2022, this webinar explores the historical entanglement of psychiatry with eugenics, highlighting how discriminatory ideologies shaped clinical practices, institutional policies, and patient outcomes. Experts discuss the enduring impact of these legacies and emphasize the need for critical reflection and reform in mental health care today.
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What is Eugenics? ​According to the Webster Dictionary Eugenics is "the practice or advocacy of controlled selective breeding of human populations (as by sterilization) to improve the populations' genetic composition"​
