George Wilson Albee (December 20, 1921 – July 8, 2006) was a pioneering, much published and multi award-winning American clinical psychologist who believed societal factors such as unemployment, racism, sexism, and all the myriad forms of exploitation of people by people were the major cause of mental illness.
During the 1950s and 1960s, Albee wrote groundbreaking studies that showed societal factors such as poverty, racism, sexism and child abuse, were to a large degree responsible for mental illness.
In 1963 Albee served on the National Institute of Mental Health training grants review committee.
[9] During his presidency of the APA, Albee challenged norms and current wisdom as it pertains to the improvement of humankind’s welfare.
[10] George had a way of showing others the social evils of society, that it is exploitation and abuse of power that contributes to the suffering of humans, not just the internal malfunctions.
Before becoming president of the APA, Albee served as an assistant executive secretary for it, in which capacity he was responsible for public information, relations, and placement.
[14] As one of his friends and colleagues, Stephen E. Goldston said that George Albee was the “social conscience of American psychology and that he showed us by word and deed how we could become better human beings.
[16] During his retirement he spent time travelling around the world giving lectures on psychology as well as writing a humor column for his local newspaper the Longboat Observer.