Because the papers include Confidential Health Information (CHI) as defined by Columbia University policies governing data security and privacy, access is allowed only under the terms of Archives and Special Collections’ Access Policy to Records Containing Confidential Health Information.
Professional correspondence; research materials for a variety of topics in the fields of fantasy, gender and sexual identity, love, sex, power, and psychiatric theory; raw data and statistical information from a sexual fantasy and experience study conducted by Person; talks and published articles by Person; notes and research materials used in the writing of Person’s books; and a small quantity of records of analysis performed by Person. There is very little material related to Person’s personal life.
History and Biography
Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst. Ethel Spector Person was born in Louisville, KY on Dec. 16, 1934 to Louis Spector and the former Anna Zimmerman. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago in 1956, and her medical degree from the New York University College of Medicine in 1960. Following an internship at Montefiore Hospital, she completed her psychiatric residency at Bellevue Hospital in 1962, followed by five years of psychoanalytic training at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. In 1964, while still in training, she went into private practice.
In addition to her private work, Person was a staff psychiatrist at the Vanderbilt Clinic of Presbyterian Hospital from 1964-1967, and held a number of positions at both the New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. In 1981, she was named Director of the Center, becoming the first woman to hold the position. During her time as Director, Person implemented many groundbreaking changes, such as freezing tuition in order to attract and retain students and expanding the curriculum to include feminist topics. She retired from academic life in 1991.
Person was best known for her pioneering research in the areas of transsexualism and transvestism. With Lionel Ovesey, Person did ground-breaking work on the psychosexual roots of transsexuality and transvestism, distinguishing core gender identity from gender-role identity, and gender identity from sexual preference. Unlike other researchers at that time, Person stepped outside the clinical setting to attend drag balls and visit sex shops, and consulted a wide variety of materials, including pornography.
Person also conducted groundbreaking research in the area of fantasy. Her most notable project was conducted at Columbia University, where, with Nettie Terestman, she surveyed students regarding their sexual and fantasy experiences, and then conducted a statistical analysis on the results in the context of gender.
In addition to her academic work, Person was noted for her popular works on sex, love, fantasy and sexuality. She was the author of four books: By Force of Fantasy: How We Make Our Lives (1995), The Sexual Century (1999), Feeling Strong: The Achievement of Authentic Power (2002) and Dreams of Love and Fateful Encounters: The Power of Romantic Passion (2006).
She was married three times, first to Allen Person, then to Barry Sherman from 1968 until his death in 1976, and finally to Stanley Diamond from 1978 until his death in 2009.
Person died in New York City on Oct. 16, 2012, of complications due to Alzheimers.
Organization
The collection has been divided into five series: I. Correspondence and Professional Papers; II. Research; III. Publications; IV. Conferences and Speaking Engagements; and V. Personal.
Series I. Correspondence and professional papers
Box 1
General professional correspondence and records of professional appointments and licensures; arranged chronologically.
Series II. Research
Boxes 2-33
Reference material, including correspondence, case histories, and newspaper, magazine and scholarly articles and specialty publications, for a broad variety of topics in the fields of bondage, domination, sado-masochism (BDSM), fantasy, gender and sexual identity, love, power and psychoanalytic theory. Many topics overlap and intersect and researchers are encouraged to read the sub-series descriptions and folder list carefully.
This series contains the following subseries:
Sub-series 2.1: Bondage, Domination and Sado-Masochism (BDSM) (1 box, .33 cu. feet)
Note to researchers: some material in this series is sexually explicit. Includes an issue of Ball & Chain, a BDSM newspaper; several BDSM product catalogs; and articles on psychoanalytic topics related to bondage, domination, and sado-masochism; arranged chronologically.
Sub-series 2.2: Fantasy (4 boxes, 1.33 cu. feet)
Newspaper, magazine and scholarly articles on a variety of topics in the field of fantasy, including sexual fantasies; self-actualization fantasies; fantasy and aggression; fantasy and violence; daydreams; and family fantasy.
Sub-series 2.3: Fantasy Project (3 boxes, 1 cu. feet)
Research project conducted at Columbia University by Person with Nettie Terestman which surveyed students regarding their sexual and fantasy history and then conducted a statistical analysis of the results in the context of gender. Materials include sexual and fantasy inventories, participant interviews, statistical data, published articles, and related correspondence.
Sub-series 2.4: Gender (6 boxes, 2 cu. feet)
Note to researchers: some material in this series is sexually explicit. Also, some terms used in the records, such as “cross-gender disorders” are no longer in common use but were appropriate at the time the materials were created.
Materials include scholarly articles on a variety of topics in the field of gender, including “cross-gender disorders,” gender and sexual identity, and intersexuality; case histories of transsexuals and transvestites recorded by Person; newsletters, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, newsletters and other printed materials intended for male-to-female transsexuals and transvestites, most notably pamphlets from the Erickson Educational Foundation, and publications such as TVIS, DRAG, and Transvestia; newspaper, magazine and scholarly articles on prominent and/or famous transsexuals; scholarly articles on the medical and psychoanalytic differences between transvestites and transsexuals; a comic book and unpublished amateur fiction depicting the practice of forced feminization; and a small quantity of photographs of transvestites; arranged chronologically.
Sub-series 2.5: Love (3 boxes, 1 cu. feet)
Newspaper, magazine and scholarly articles on all aspects of love, including love and sex and love and power; arranged alphabetically by sub-topic and then chronologically.
Sub-series 2.6: Power (2 boxes, .66 cu. feet)
Newspaper, magazine, and scholarly articles on different aspects of power, including power and sex and power and self-actualization; arranged alphabetically by sub-topic, and then chronologically.
Sub-series 2.7: Psychoanalysis (4 boxes, 1.33 cu. feet)
Scholarly articles on topics in the field of psychoanalytic theory, including erotic transference; articles about psychoanalytic practice and education; history and legacy of the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, and records of analysis conducted by Person; arranged chronologically.
Sub-series 2.8: Sex (5 boxes, 1.66 cu. feet)
Newspaper, magazine, and scholarly articles and papers on all aspects of sex; topics include homosexuality, perversion, sex and biology, sex and power, and sex and gender; arranged alphabetically by sub-topic and then chronologically.
Sub-series 2.9: Minor Topics (5 boxes, 1.66 cu. feet)
Correspondence, newspaper, magazine, and scholarly articles, and other reference materials for miscellaneous areas of Person’s research including eating disorders, forgiveness, Jewish history, loneliness, memory, suicide, plagiarism, post-traumatic stress disorder, and trauma, as well as materials collected for an article on Hans Morgenthau. Arranged alphabetically by sub-topic, and then chronologically.
Series III. Publications
Boxes 33-41
This series is organized into the following sub-series:
Sub-series 3.1: Articles (3.5 boxes, 1.33 cu. feet)
Articles written by Person on a variety of topics in the areas of love, sex, power, fantasy and psychoanalytic theory; discussions of other people’s work by Person; discussions of Person’s work by her academic peers; unpublished articles; arranged chronologically.
Sub-series 3.2: Books (5 boxes, 1.66 cu. feet)
Correspondence, reference material, and manuscript fragments for Person’s books: By Force of Fantasy: How We Make Our Lives (1995), The Sexual Century (1999), Feeling Strong: The Achievement of Authentic Power (2002) and Dreams of Love and Fateful Encounters: The Power of Romantic Passion (2006). Also includes material related to books planned but never completed, such as Mothers & Daughters. Arranged chronologically.
Series IV. Conferences and Speaking Engagements
Boxes 42-47
Correspondence, talks, brochures, and other materials related to speeches given and conferences attended by Person; arranged chronologically.
This series is organized into the following sub-series:
Sub-series 4.1: Conferences (6 folders)
Conferences attended by Person, mainly of the American Psychoanalytic Association; arranged chronologically.
Sub-series 4.2: Talks (6 boxes, 2 cu. feet)
Correspondence, copies of talks and related materials for presentations given by Person on topics in fantasy, forgiveness, love, memory, power, psychoanalytic theory, and sex and gender; arranged alphabetically by topic and then chronologically.
Series V. Personal
Boxes 47-48
Miscellaneous personal correspondence, a photograph of Person, and material related to the Barry Sherman Memorial Prize and Nat Sherman Foundation. Also includes a personal narrative documenting an intimate relationship (no author given, but details in the text suggest Person) and a typescript of a condensed, anonymized version of the same narrative; arranged chronologically.
Professional correspondence; research materials for a variety of topics in the fields of fantasy, gender and sexual identity, love, sex, power, and psychiatric theory; raw data and statistical information from a sexual fantasy and experience study conducted by Person; talks and published articles by Person; notes and research materials used in the writing of Person’s books; and a small quantity of records of analysis performed by Person. There is very little material related to Person’s personal life.
Subject Headings and Related Records
Administrative Information
The records were transferred in 2013 from the library of the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, now known as the Ethel S. Person Library. (Acc #2013.016 )
Arranged, organized and finding aid written by Jennifer McGillan, November 2013-May 2014. Duplicates were removed and some materials were photocopied for the purpose of preservation. Also removed was a quantity of material that belonged to Barry Sherman, mostly class notes from Temple University, and two items that belonged to Stanley Diamond.