fei75766_ch12_377-407.indd 381  02/06/20 12:56 PM
Chapter 12    Allport: Psychology of the Individual381
thischapter. Thismeeting withFreud greatly influenced Allport’s laterideas onper-
sonality. With acertain audacity, the22-year-old Allport wrote toFreud announcing 
thathewasinVienna andoffered thefather ofpsychoanalysis anopportunity tomeet 
withhim.Theencounter proved tobeafortuitous life-altering event forAllport. Not
knowing what totalkabout, theyoung visitor toldFreud about seeing asmall boyon
thetramcarearlier thatday.Theyoung child complained tohismother about the
filthy conditions ofthecarandannounced thathedidnotwant tositnearpassengers 
whom hedeemed tobedirty. Allport claimed thathechose thisparticular incident 
togetFreud’s reaction toadirtphobia inachild soyoung, buthewasquite flabber -
gasted when Freud “fixed hiskindly therapeutic eyesupon meandsaid,‘And wasthat
littleboyyou?’”(Allport, 1967, p.8).Allport saidhefeltguilty andquickly changed 
thetopic.
Allport toldthisstory many times, seldom changing anywords, andnever 
revealing therestofhisloneencounter withFreud. However, Alan Elms hasuncov -
eredAllport’s written description ofwhat happened next. After realizing thatFreud 
wasexpecting aprofessional consultation, Allport thentalked about hisdislike of
cooked raisins:
ItoldhimIthought itduetothefactthatattheageofthree, anurse hadtoldme
theywere“bugs.” Freud asked, “When yourecalled thisepisode, didyourdislike 
vanish?” Isaid,“No.” Hereplied, “Then youarenotatthebottom ofit.”(Elms, 
1994, p.77)
When Allport returned totheUnited States, heimmediately enrolled inthe
PhDprogram atHarvard. After finishing hisdegree, hespent thefollowing 2years 
inEurope studying under thegreat German psychologists MaxWertheimer, Wolfgang 
Kohler, William Stern, Heinz Werner, andothers inBerlin andHamburg.
In1924, hereturned again toHarvard toteach, among other classes, anew
course inthepsychology ofpersonality. Inhisautobiography, Allport (1967) sug-
gested thatthiscourse wasthefirstpersonality course offered inanAmerican college. 
Thecourse combined social ethics andthepursuit ofgoodness andmorality withthe
scientific discipline ofpsychology. Italsoreflected Allport’s strong personal disposi -
tions ofcleanliness andmorality.
Twoyears afterbeginning histeaching career atHarvard, Allport tookaposi-
tionatDartmouth College. Four years later, hereturned toHarvard andremained 
there fortherestofhisprofessional career.
In1925, Allport married AdaLufkin Gould, whom hehadmetwhen bothwere
graduate students. AdaAllport, whoreceived amaster’s degree inclinical psychology 
from Harvard, hadtheclinical training thatherhusband lacked. Shewasavaluable 
contributor tosome ofGordon’s work, especially histwoextensive casestudies—
thecaseofJenny Gove Masterson (discussed inthesection titled TheStudy ofthe
Individual) andthecaseofMarion Taylor, which wasnever published (Barenbaum, 
1997).
TheAllports hadonechild, Robert, whobecame apediatrician andthussand-
wiched Allport between twogenerations ofphysicians, afactthatseemed tohave
pleased himinnosmall measure (Allport, 1967). Allport’s awards andhonors were
many. In1939, hewaselected president oftheAmerican Psychological Association 
(APA). In1963, hereceived theGold Medal Award oftheAPA; in1964, hewasFinal PDF to printer