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Absent Minds

The untold story of the women who changed psychology forever

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Absent Minds

By: Madeleine Pownall
Narrated by: Dr Madeleine Pownall
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A bold new history of psychology that uncovers the lost legacies of the women who shaped our understanding of what it is to be human

If asked to name a psychologist, who springs to mind? No doubt Freud, perhaps Pavlov and his dog, maybe Jung or Piaget.

But what of Mary Whiton Calkins, who has still not received her doctorate from 1895 on account of her gender despite her research influencing contemporary psychology; or Mamie Phipps Clark, whose work informed the US court case that ruled racial segregation illegal; and Beatrice Edgell, the first British woman to earn a PhD in psychology, whose studies have determined how generations of children are taught. Crucial to our modern world, yet largely unrecognisable. That changes now.

In Absent Minds, award-winning psychologist Dr Madeleine Pownall takes readers from the advent of the discipline through to psychologists' response to the COVID-19 pandemic and screentime debate. Entertaining and empowering, she uncovers lost legacies, documenting how women shaped the field and provided alternative, creative and more critical ways of thinking about the human experience, the benefits of which we still feel today.

'A scintillating tour of the human mind through the work of history's forgotten female psychologists. Illuminating, engrossing and beautifully written, I couldn't put this book down' - Victoria Bateman, author of Economica

'Absent Minds is essential reading . . . With a clear and compelling voice, Dr Madeleine Pownall shows readers the crucial contributions to psychology made by women' - Elizabeth Norton, author of Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy©2026 Dr Madeleine Pownall Gender Studies Professionals & Academics Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences Social Scientists & Psychologists Women
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Critic reviews

A scintillating tour of the human mind through the work of history's forgotten female psychologists. Illuminating, engrossing and beautifully written, I couldn't put this book down (Victoria Bateman, author of Economica)
Absent Minds is essential reading. At times it is a depressing read, taking readers on a journey through biased experiments and a distinct lack of interest shown in women's experiences by many practitioners. Yet, it is also exhilarating. Through its pages, readers are introduced to the stories of countless female psychologists who battled against the odds to gain professional recognition both for themselves and for their sex within the discipline. With a clear and compelling voice, Dr Madeleine Pownall shows readers the crucial contributions to psychology made by women. With the fascinating stories told in Absent Minds, readers will be left wondering how the history of psychology could ever be told without reference to the central contributions of women (Elizabeth Norton, author of Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy)
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Most relevant
This is a well-researched thorough overview of the impact of women in psychology over time. The author weaves a robust narrative not just of the contributions of women, but also some of the critical debates of psychology and its methods and perspectives over time. This book is the missing piece of the story of psychology as a discipline. Once you've learned about these women and their key contributions to building and shaping the field, the fact that these stories are absent from the mainstream recounting of psychology's story is such a huge oversight. Excellent and important work.

The book is narrated well by the author, which I always prefer. Sadly she has been a bit let down by some poor editing in places, where some parts are repeated or mistakes are corrected. There aren't very many, but it can be easily fixed by the publisher.

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