Virginia Lee Block (July 4, 1902 – September 14, 1970), also known as VL Block, was an American psychologist who contributed to studies regarding child and adolescent psychology.[1] Block worked as a professor at San Francisco State University, which now offers a scholarship in Block's name to be awarded to students studying to become counselors.[2]

Early life

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Block was born in New Jersey on July 4, 1902.[3] Raised in Montclair, New Jersey, she graduated from Montclair High School and earned an undergraduate degree from the New Jersey College for Women.[4] She attended Stanford University and Columbia University in the early 1920s.[citation needed]

Career

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Following her graduation, Block was placed at the head of a Child Guidance Clinic in Seattle, Washington. When she worked at the Child Guidance Clinic, Block also served as a special consultant at the University of Washington for students enrolled in the Counseling and Guidance Training Institute.[3]

During this time, Block also contributed as a member of the Soroptimist organization, a club which focuses on empowering women.[5]

Scholarly contributions and notable works

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Block has contributed to many published works, including books such as Student questionnaire, with manual of directions and Kefauver-Hand guidance tests and inventories, and journal articles such as "Conflicts of adolescents with their mothers" and "Can we vitalize English?"[6][7] Each of these contributed to the fields of adolescent, child, and education psychology.

References

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  1. ^ "Ella McBride Soroptimist photograph albums - Archives West". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  2. ^ "Virginia Lee Block Scholarship - San Francisco State University Scholarship Opportunities". sfsu.academicworks.com. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  3. ^ a b "Virginia Lee Block, former member of the Soroptimist Club of Seattle, approximately 1920s". digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  4. ^ "Dr. Virginia Lee Blocks Visiting Here", The Montclair Times, August 27, 1953. Accessed November 16, 2022, via Newspapers.com. Dr. Virginia Lee Block of San Francisco, Calif., formerly of Montclair, is visiting her mother, Mrs. Frank Block of 14 Forest Street, and her brother, Dr. Max Block of 80 Bellevue Avenue, Upper Montclair....A graduate of Montclair High School and New Jersey College for Women, she received her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1950."
  5. ^ "An Organization for Women". Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  6. ^ "APA PsycNet". psycnet.apa.org. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  7. ^ Block, Virginia Lee (1936). "Can We Vitalize English? A Controlled Experiment with Two Methods in Literature". The English Journal. 25 (8): 638–652. doi:10.2307/804975. ISSN 0013-8274. JSTOR 804975.