Henry A. Murray Archive: A Center for the Study of Lives
| Alternate Names: |
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| Murray Archive |
| Murray Research Center |
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| Phone Numbers: |
| (617) 495-7481 |
| fax | (617) 496-5149 |
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| Email Addresses: |
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| Address: | Henry A. Murray Archive
1737 Cambridge St
Cambridge, MA 02138 |
| Access Policy: |
| Open to all; application for the use of data and approval required. |
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| Extent of Collections: | 500 ft. |
| Dates: | 19th century to present, chiefly after 1960 |
| Holdings Description: | Raw and computer-accessible data from over 270 studies including some small, in-depth case studies, larger studies with open- and closed-ended interviews, and national surveys emphasizing panel (longitudinal) data on changing life experiences of American women. Original protocols may include interview transcripts, open-ended questionnaire items, personality tests, and psychological projective tests. Data sets also include publications based on the original data collections, blank copies of the measures, computer-accessible data with accompanying codebooks. Major subject areas include life patterns of educated women, including work situations and career aspirations, women in blue-collar occupations, family structure, physical and mental health, satisfaction and personal values, self-esteem, attitudes and orientations, aging and retirement, decision-making, role conflict, sex role socialization, and social networks and support systems. Collections include data from mostly female subjects from age three to the elderly. The center also has two specialty archives focusing on mental health, one of which includes over 25 data sets drawing from samples that include ethnic and racial minorities. |
| History: | The Henry A. Murray Archive sponsors and conducts research on the impact of social change on women's lives; incorporates the perspectives of several social science disciplines, including psychology, sociology, political science, education, economics, and anthropology; and offers research support grants, a fellowship program, seminar series, and conferences. Established in 1976 with the assistance of a grant from the Ford Foundation, the center was named in honor of Dr. Henry A. Murray in recognition of the principles embodied in his work in personality theory: that individual lives are best understood in their social and historical context, through multidisciplinary study using a wide array of research methods, and taking the entire life course into account. During its first five years, the center acquired the data from nearly one hundred social science studies of significance to women's lives. Acquisitions policy emphasized studies that include data gathered over an extended period, from unique groups, or of an unusually rich and detailed texture. These data sets make it possible for researchers to use previously collected data to answer new questions. The special features of the Murray Research Center that distinguish it from other data banks are its emphasis on material pertinent to the study of women's lives, its focus on longitudinal research in which individuals are followed over time, and the availability of both computer-accessible data and original records of the study participants. In 2005, the Archive was moved from under the auspices of the Radcliffe Institute and is now held under the rubric of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. |
| Printed Guides & Catalogs: | A Guide to the Data Resources of the Henry A. Murray Research Center of Radcliffe College, A Center for the Study of Lives (January, 2000). |
| Online Guides & Catalogs: | Holdings can be accessed online by visiting our website http://www.murray.harvard.edu/mra/index.jsp; they are also available in the HOLLIS Catalog; and they are described in the Guide to the Data Resources mentioned above which can be purchased by calling the center. |
| Contact for permission to publish requests: | Christopher Hyde
chyde@fas.harvard.edu |
| Reproduction services: |
| Users may photocopy where permissible for a small charge. |
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| Items allowed in Reading Room: |
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Please address comments and updates to archinfo@hulmail.harvard.edu.
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