Joseph Wilder Papers
Scope and Contents
The contents of the Joseph Wilder Collection primarily document the notes Dr. Wilder used to write his book “Stimulas and Response: The Law of Initial Value.” These are handwritten notes both in English and German/Austrian. The correspondence in the collection primarily document reaction to his theory “The Law of Initial Value” and his response to several letters he received commenting on his theory. There are also several letters where he thanked other professionals for quotes he used in his book.
Dates
- Creation: 1946-1971
Creator
- Wilder, Joseph F., 1895-1976 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
Dr. Joseph Wilder was born in Austria and graduated in 1919 from the University of Vienna. From 1943 to 1958, when he came to the United States, he was director of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital Rosenhugel in Vienna. He was clinical professor emeritus of neurology at the New York Medical College, and was a founder and the first president of the Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy.
Dr. Wilder conceived and developed the law of initial response, also known as Wilder’s law, starting research on it in 1931. It postulates that the change in any physiological function depends largely on the pre-stimulus level of that function, and is the foundation of a field of measurement called “basic try.” Dr. Wilder summed up his law in the last of his four books, “Stimulus and Response,” published in 1966.
Dr. Wilder was the Associate Editor of “The American Journal of Psychotherapy” when he retired in 1968. He practiced psychiatry and neurology in New York City before his retirement. He died on Oct 31, 1976 in West Hartford, Conn. He was 81 years old.
Extent
0.25 linear feet
Language of Materials
English
German
Abstract
Joseph Wilder graduated from medical school in Vienna, Austria and later became a practicing psychiatrist. The collection contains handwritten notes of “The Law of Initial Value” that he authored, a list of reprints that were moved to the general collection, miscellaneous papers, and correspondence.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into one series.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Joseph Wilder Collection was donated to the Wright State University School of Medicine in 1977 by Hedy Wilder, the widow of Joseph Wilder.
Bibliography
Processing Information
The collection was initially processed in 1989 by an unidentified archivist. It was re-processed in July 2011 by John Armstrong and the finding aid updated to the EAD format.
- Title
- Guide to the Joseph Wilder Papers (FSC-3)
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092
library-archives@wright.edu
