George S. Klein: Reminiscences

In considering possible thesis topics, I was intrigued by a study on subliminal perception published by George Klein, Bob Holt, and their colleagues at New York University. George and Bob had been recruited in the mid-1950s to start the Research Center for Mental Health, a unit within the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program devoted to the empirical study of psychoanalytic concepts. Its mission was not simply to test hypotheses derived from psychoanalytic theory but to use the theory as a broad framework for empirical study of relevant psychological phenomena (e.g., cognitive functioning under conditions of sensory deprivation or LSD).

The paper I referred to above sparked my interest in using subliminal stimulation to study psychoanalytic symbolism. It also led me to apply for a postdoctoral NIMH fellowship to work at the Research Center for Mental Health under George's sponsorship. It was a challenge to make this happen. As I learned, it was not George's strong suit to respond promptly to inquiries. It took my thesis sponsor and mentor, the late Emory Cowen, who barely knew George, to track him down at an Eastern Psychological Association meeting, introduce us, enable me to describe my research interests to George, and ask him to sponsor my application for a NIMH postdoctoral research fellowship. When I arrived at the Research Center in early September, George seemed surprised, as though we were meeting for the first time. He started to introduce me to the research staff as Ben and told me he had assembled an impressive group of young investigators dedicated to the investigation of psychoanalytic ideas. In due course, several of them went on to have successful careers in the field.

George was one of the first psychologists accepted for full training at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, but with the second-class designation of “research candidate.” He paved the way for several of us at the Research Center (Fred Pine, Leo Goldberger, Don Spence, and me) to be traine