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Jean Baker Miller | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 29, 1927 Bronx, New York City |
| Died | July 29, 2006(2006-07-29) (aged 78) |
| Education | B.S.Sarah Lawrence College M.D.Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons |
| Occupations | Psychiatrist Psychoanalyst Social activist Feminist Author |
| Spouse | S. M. Miller |
| Children | Jonathan F. Miller Edward D. Miller |
Jean Baker Miller (1927–2006) was apsychiatrist,psychoanalyst, social activist,feminist, and author. She wroteToward a New Psychology of Women, which brings psychological thought together withrelational-cultural theory.[1]
Jean Baker Miller was born on September 29, 1927, in theBronx in New York City[2] to aJewish family.[3] She was diagnosed withpolio at an early age, and was inspired to pursue a career in medicine while in the care of nurses.[2] She attendedHunter College High School in New York City and in '48 graduated fromSarah Lawrence College.[2] She received her M.D. fromColumbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1952, and was in New York for psychiatric residency programs atMontefiore Medical Center,Bellevue Hospital Center, theAlbert Einstein College of Medicine,Upstate Medical Center,New York Medical College, where she completed her psychoanalytic training.[1][2]
Miller opened a private practice in New York, and then moved toBoston in 1973. She editedPsychoanalysis and Women: Contributions to New Theory and Therapy (1973), and then wroteToward a New Psychology of Women (1976), which has become a classic in its field and has been translated into twenty languages.[1][2] Miller describes the "relational model" ofhuman development ("Relational-Cultural Theory"), proposing that "growth-fostering relationships are a central human necessity and that disconnections are the source of psychological problems."[2] Inspired byBetty Friedan'sThe Feminine Mystique, and other feminist classics from the 1960s, Relational-Cultural Theory proposes that "isolation is one of the most damaging human experiences and is best treated by reconnecting with other people," and thattherapists should "foster an atmosphere of empathy and acceptance for the patient, even at the cost of the therapist’s neutrality."[4] The theory is based on clinical observations and sought to prove that "there was nothing wrong with women, but rather with the way modern culture viewed them."[5]
Following the publication ofToward a New Psychology of Women, Miller became the first director of the Stone Center for Developmental Services and Studies atWellesley College, which incorporated the relational model into all aspects of the Stone Center's treatment.[2] In 1986, she became the Director of Education for the Stone Center, where she established a group discussion program to share ideas about the relational model and published these ideas as "Working Papers" through the center.[2] In 1991, she published her second book,Women's Growth in Connection: Writings from the Stone Center,[2] co-authored with Judith V. Jordan, Alexandra G. Kaplan, Irene P. Stiver, and Janet L. Surrey. Her third book,The Healing Connection: How Women Form Relationships in Therapy and in Life, co-authored with Irene Pierce Stiver, Ph.D. was published in 1997.[1]
Miller also served as a clinical professor of psychiatry atBoston University School of Medicine and was a faculty member atHarvard Medical School, and practiced psychiatry atBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.[2] She was a member of theAmerican College of Psychiatrists, theAmerican Psychiatric Association, the American Orthopsychiatric Association and the American Academy of Psychoanalysis.[1]
In 1995, Jean Baker Miller established the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute (JBMTI) at theWellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, an organization that seeks to "promote social change by expanding definitions and societal norms of personal strength, human health, and cultural wellbeing.[6] She served as its Founding Director and used the institute to teach the theory of Relational-Cultural Theory to mental health professionals and nonprofit organizations.[4]
She was married toS. M. Miller, an emeritus professor of sociology at Boston University; they had two sons, Dr. Edward D. Miller andJonathan F. Miller,[4] Chairman and CEO ofAmerica Online. Jean Baker Miller died on July 29, 2006, at the age of 78 due to respiratory failure caused byemphysema and post-polio complications.[4][5]
