Ravenna M. Helson (1925-2020)

Memorializes Ravenna M. Helson (1925-2020). Helson was a pioneering feminist researcher whose studies advanced the understanding of women's development and creativity, and revealed the power of personality across the life span. She spent her 55-year career at the University of California Berkeley's Institute for Personality Assessment and Research. In 1955, she was the only woman on staff, and remained the only woman for decades. In 1958 with a 2- and a 1-year-old in tow, she launched the Mills Longitudinal Study of creative potential in 142 female seniors at Mills College. In those times, before second wave feminism or a women's movement, and without any psychology of women, she worked hard to attain visibility for her findings. In 1980 the Mills study transformed to a 50-year research program about women's adult development. Helson died October 2, 2020. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).