Guide to the Harriet R. Mowrer (1899-) Papers, 1928-1978

Harriet Rosenthal Mowrer was born on August 25, 1899, in Milford, Illinois, She obtained a Ph.B. (1921) and an M. A. (1922) at the University of Chicago, both in sociology. For the next five years she was a case worker for various social and family service groups in Chicago. She and Ernest Mowrer were married on October 12, 1924; they had no children.

From 1927 through 1937 Harriet Mowrer worked for the Jewish Social Service Bureau of Chicago. She lectured in sociology at Northwestern University from 1930 to 1932. From 1937 to her retirement she was a clinical sociologist, consulting in marital adjustment in Chicago and Evanston. During the summer of 1940 she served as a visiting professor of sociology at Michigan State University.

Mrs. Mowrer was active with several sociology and counseling organizations in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

She wrote and spoke primarily on family problems, sexual conflict, and alcoholism.

• Names
  • Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.). Department of Sociology--Faculty
  • Mowrer, Harriet R. (Harriet Rosenthal), 1899-1988
• Subject
  • Clinical sociology--Illinois--Chicago
  • Sociology--Study and teaching--Illinois--Evanston

The Harriet R. Mowrer papers were transferred to the University Archives by Laura Higgins, Gifts and Exchange Department, Northwestern University Library (Accession #86-69 and #86-89).

William K. Beatty, July--August, 1986.

The teaching files and cases may be used only with permission of the University Archivist.

The Harriet R. Mowrer papers fill two boxes and are arranged in seven subseries: correspondence, teaching files, case records, research files, professional organization files, speeches and papers, and publications. These are preceded by two folders of biographical materials including vitae, entries for biographical works, and clippings.

These papers relate primarily to her professional activities; there is little personal material here.

The correspondence deals primarily with Mowrer's affiliations with professional organizations, her case work and consulting activities, and publications.

The teaching files contain reading and Lecture notes as well as student papers.

The cases subseries consists primarily of notes from case work interviews and drafts of interview summaries and reports. These materials for the most part document family and marital problems among Jewish immigrants Living on Chicago's near northwest side. The case records date from the late 1920s and early 1930s.

The research files contain raw data, notes, and drafts of reports.

The professional organizations subseries includes correspondence, notes, schedules, and other materials pertinent to meeting sessions over which she presided.

The speeches and papers subseries contains drafts of papers presented before professional and lay groups as well as related correspondence.

The publications subseries includes drafts, correspondence, and notes. Mowrer's popular book, Personality Adjustment and Domestic Discord, is documented here only with pertinent correspondence. One of her articles, “Sex and Marital Adjustment”, is a strongly worded critique of the second Kinsey Report.

For her husband's papers, see Northwestern University Archives' Series 11/3/25/1, the Ernest R. Mowrer Papers (12 boxes). Ernest Mowrer taught sociology at Northwestern from 1928 to 1963. When the Mowrers collaborated on publications the relevant materials will be found in the papers of the senior author.