Robert M. Lindner
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Robert M. Lindner (May 14, 1914 – February 27, 1956) was an American author and psychologist, best known as the author of the 1944 book ''Rebel Without A Cause: The Hypnoanalysis Of A Criminal Psychopath'', from which the title of
Nicholas Ray Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Described by the Harvard Film Archive as "Hollywood's last romantic" and "one of postwar American cinem ...
's 1955 film was adapted. His book described a psychopath as someone who is "incapable of exertions for the sake of others". Lindner's arguments on gambling psychology are well regarded and have been noted as "definitive statements" by the
American Academy of Political and Social Science The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmor ...
.


Early life and education

Robert Mitchell Lindner was born in New York City on May 14, 1914, to Charles and Sadie (née Schwartz) Lindner. He was educated in the public schools of New York and earned a B.A. at
Bucknell University Bucknell University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal-arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts a ...
. In 1937 he married Eleanor Johnson (1910-1996) while a graduate student at
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
, where he was awarded an M.A. in psychology in 1935 and a Ph.D. in psychology in 1938.


Career

Lindner soon became head of the combined psychiatric-psychological services department of the federal penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. It was here that he compiled the case history later published as ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1944). He also studied
psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: and is a set of theories and techniques of research to discover unconscious mind, unconscious processes and their influence on conscious mind, conscious thought, emotion and behaviour. Based on The Inte ...
while undergoing a training analysis with
Theodor Reik Theodor Reik (; 12 May 1888 – 31 December 1969) was a psychoanalyst who trained as one of Freud's first students in Vienna, Austria, and was a pioneer of lay analysis in the United States. Education and career Psychology Reik received a Ph.D ...
, who had only recently fled from Nazi-controlled Austria. When the United States entered World War II, Lindner joined the
United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHSCC; also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service) is the uniformed service branch of the United States Public Health Service and one of t ...
at the rank of lieutenant junior grade. He left the service at war's end and settled in Baltimore, where for ten years he maintained a large private practice in psychoanalysis and served as chief consultant to the Maryland Department of Corrections. He also became a senior training analyst at Reik's new institute, the
National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis The National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP) is an institution in New York City founded by Theodore Reik in 1948, established in response to the controversy over lay analysis and the question of the training of psychoanalyst ...
, which was one of the few organizations through which psychologists ( who were not medical doctors) could pursue psychoanalytic training. Among the large number of patients he treated during this period, the best known to have been publicly identified was the author
Philip Wylie Philip Gordon Wylie (May 12, 1902 – October 25, 1971) was an American writer of works ranging from pulp science fiction, mysteries, social diatribes and satire to ecology and the threat of nuclear holocaust. Early life and career Born in Bever ...
, who settled in Baltimore in 1952 to undergo a full analysis with Lindner, whom he had been seeing intermittently since meeting him while serving as a Navy officer during World War II. In 1947-1948 he served as the Maryland state chairman of the liberal
Progressive Citizens of America Progressive Citizens of America (PCA) was a social-democratic and democratic socialist American political organization formed in December 1946 that advocated progressive policies, which worked with the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) ...
, which became the state organization for
Henry A. Wallace Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) was the 33rd vice president of the United States, serving from 1941 to 1945, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served as the 11th U.S. secretary of agriculture and the 10th U.S ...
's quixotic 1948 third-party presidential campaign. In 1948 he was added to the national board of the PCA. The movie adaptation of ''
Rebel Without a Cause ''Rebel Without a Cause'' is a 1955 American coming-of-age melodrama film, directed by Nicholas Ray. The film stars James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Corey Allen and William Hopper. It is also the film debut of ...
'' brought Lindner a measure of notoriety when it was released, although the story by Nicholas Ray bore no relation to the case history in Lindner's book. In 1954 the publication of "The Jet-Propelled Couch" as a two-part article in ''
Harper's ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...
'' caused a small sensation with its tale of the delusional psychosis of a key government scientist, "Kirk Allen", who believed he was living a parallel life as overlord of a distant star system, and his treatment by Lindner. The true identity of "Kirk Allen" has been debated since, though it is likely that he was political scientist and intelligence operative Paul Linebarger, who became a well-known science fiction writer under the name
Cordwainer Smith Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger (July 11, 1913 – August 6, 1966), known by his pen-name Cordwainer Smith, was an American author of science fiction. He was an officer in the US Army, a noted scholar of East Asia, and an expert in psycholo ...
. It was collected in ''The Fifty-Minute Hour'' (1955), a collection of five case studies from his clinical practice. An ambitious attempt to adapt the story into a musical with songs by
Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...
came to nothing. In 1957 it was dramatized as an episode of TV's
Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...
as " The Jet Propelled Couch" starring
Donald O'Connor Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred, in succession, with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talki ...
,
Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, his appearance, and accented vo ...
,
David Wayne David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan; January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life and career Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen M ...
,
Gale Gordon Gale Gordon (born Charles Thomas Aldrich Jr., February 20, 1906 – June 30, 1995) was an American character actor who was Lucille Ball's longtime television foil, particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J ...
, and Vampira. Lindner was active in a number of professional associations. He was a fellow of the
American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...
, a fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
, and an officer of the Medical Correctional Association. In 1953 he was elected an honorary fellow of the Fortean Society.


Death

Robert Lindner died on February 27, 1956, at
Johns Hopkins Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1889, Johns Hopkins Hospital and its school of medicine are considered to be the foundin ...
, where he had been a heart patient since January 14. At the time of his death he had started work on another book, ''The Wizard'', which was to have been a study of a psychoanalyst. Shortly after Lindner's death plans were made for a memorial research foundation to be called the Robert Lindner Foundation.
Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American writer, journalist and filmmaker. In a career spanning more than six decades, Mailer had 11 best-selling books, at least ...
, who had become friends with Lindner after reading ''Prescription for Rebellion'', came to Lindner's funeral and became one of the sponsors and donors in setting up the foundation, along with Wylie,
Max Lerner Max Lerner (December 20, 1902 – June 5, 1992) was a Russia-born American journalist and educator known for his syndicated column. Background Maxwell Alan Lerner was born on December 20, 1902, in Minsk, then in the Russian Empire, the son of B ...
, Gerald W. Johnson, and Baltimore businessman Morton Abrahams. Theodore Reik was appointed to the foundation's professional committee,"Dr. Lindner's Name Honored", ''Baltimore Sun'', March 8, 1956, p. 22 and delivered two lectures under the auspices of the foundation later that year.


Works

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References


External links


Rebel Without a Cause
on
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Correspondence of Robert Lindner and Norman Mailer
o
Project Mailer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindner, Robert 1914 births 1956 deaths 20th-century American psychologists Cornell University alumni Writers from New York City 20th-century American writers 20th-century American male writers