Beatrice Wright

Beatrice Ann Wright (born Beatrice Ann Posner December 16, 1917 – July 31, 2018) was an American psychologist known for her work in Rehabilitation psychology. She was the author of a seminal work on disability and psychology, Physical Disability—A Psychological Approach and its second edition, retitled Physical Disability—A Psychosocial Approach (1983).

Personal life Wright was born Beatrice Ann Posner along with her twin brother Sidney in Richmond, New York, on December 16, 1917. Her parents, Jerome and Sonia Posner, were Russian immigrants whose egalitarian and humanistic views later influenced her academic work.

Wright met her husband, Erik, while studying at the University of Iowa.

Professional life After graduating from high school at 16, Wright attended Brooklyn College, where she studied psychology.

The Wrights moved to Australia in 1959 when Erik, received a fellowship from the Fulbright Program. In 1983 she republished an extensively revised version of the book retitled Physical Disability—A Psychosocial Approach to reflect the importance of the interactions with the environment. The APA has also canonized the revision as an outstanding publication.