Edward Kellog Strong Jr.

Biography

Early life

Edward Strong was born in August 1884 in Syracuse, New York. He was born into a religious family as his father worked in ministry. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a biology degree in 1906. He briefly worked in the United States Forestry Service (from approximately 1906–1909). His job tasks included constructing bridges and landscaping, which lead to a passion for being outdoors. After his work in forestry, he returned to school to complete a master's degree in psychology in 1909. Strong initially planned to teach in China, but due to difficulties obtaining clearance from the government, he decided to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology at Columbia University. At Columbia University, he worked with Dr. James McKeen Cattell and assisted in the psychology laboratory of Dr. Harry Levi Hollingworth, where he met his wife, Margaret Hart. Edward Strong focused his doctoral research and dissertation on the benefits of commercial advertising. His research in advertising eventually led to several research publications and a published book, The Psychology of Selling and Advertisement. He completed his Ph.D. program at Columbia University and married his wife in 1911.

Career

Strong started his career by working at an advertising firm where he remained for approximately three years. In 1914, Edward Strong began teaching at George Peabody College for Teachers (now part of Vanderbilt University) where he wrote a psychologist professor's guide called Introductory Psychology for Teachers. He left his teaching position and joined the Committee on Classification of Personnel in the Army during World War I in 1917. While in the Army, Edward Strong worked in personnel selection and was responsible for matching army service members to positions within the military according to their interests and aptitude. He also used the Army Alpha and Army Beta tests and instructed military personnel in the use of these instruments.

After his military service, Edward Strong briefly became a researcher at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, where he began studying career theory and industrial/organizational psychology principles. He served as the President of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology from 1918 to 1920. He trained life insurance salespeople and wrote the book The Psychology of Selling Life Insurance. In 1923, he became a full-time faculty member at Stanford University, where he remained for the rest of his career. During his academic career, he chaired approximately 58 dissertation, contributed 46 journal articles, and wrote 6 books. The most well-known of his contributions included: his first edition of the Strong Interest Inventory in 1927, followed by another revised edition in 1938; Vocational Interests in Men and Women in 1943; and Vocational Interests Eighteen Years After College, in 1955.

Death and legacy

Strong died in Menlo Park, California on December 4, 1963. He received countless acknowledgements for his contributions to the field of psychology and vocational guidance and measurement. John Darley (1964) noted that "it is impossible to estimate how many thousands of young people have been helped in crucial career choices by the use of the Strong Vocational Interest Inventory." Edward Strong's contributions to the field of psychology are still very relevant, as the Strong Interest Inventory continues to be used, over 60 years after its original development.