Jonas Gudaitis-Vabalas

Jonas Vabalas-Gudaitis (14 January 1881 – 14 November 1955) was a Lithuanian psychologist, educator, agronomist, hydrologist, philosopher of language, criminology and ethics, and professor of the Vytautas Magnus University and Vilnius University. he is best known as the beginner of experimental psychology and scientific pedagogy in Lithuania, being one of the first in Europe to apply the principle of synergetic interaction in pedagogy and psychology.

Studies in Russia

After three years of study, Vabalas-Gudaitis quit and began attending courses held by Konstantin Ushinsky. In 1907 Vabalas-Gudaitis became a laboratory assistant at Aleksandr Petrovich Nechayev's laboratory of experimental psychology. In 1910, at the first convention of Russian experimental pedagogues, Vabalas-Gudaitis presented his work on research of attention, arguing that attention is not caused by a stimulus given by a stranger, but rather is performed by the subject himself when he is best prepared to respond to the stimulus.

Psychologist in Lithuania Return to Lithuania After returning to Lithuania, Gudaitis-Vabalas could not decide whether to become a teacher, a biologist, or an agronomist. According to his wife, Vaclovas Biržiška convinced Vabalas-Gudaitis to become a pedagogue. Vabalas-Gudaitis wrote the institute's statute, created a pedagogical museum, a laboratory, and also a school. As Vilnius was under Russian occupation at that time due to the Lithuanian Wars of Independence, Vabalas-Gudaitis was sent over to Moscow and St. Petersburg to get acquainted with similar institutions.

Later years

Soviet and German occupation of Lithuania After the 1940 Soviet occupation of Lithuania, Vabalas-Gudaitis was made the head of the pedagogy department of Vilnius University. During the Nazi German occupation of Lithuania in 1941, Vabalas-Gudaitis was relieved from his duties and had to go into hiding. In 1943 his home was raided with the intention of sending him to the Stutthof concentration camp, but he was not found, and consequently avoided deportion. In 1946, Vabalas-Gudaitis's son died at the age of 18. After the Soviet re-occupation of Lithuania, Vabalas-Gudaitis was once again made head of the pedagogy department at Vilnius University, and received the title of professor.

Last years In 1947, Vabalas-Gudaitis gave a lecture in Leningrad on the classification of psychological functions. In 1948 he joined the Communist Party of Lithuania. For some time he was the dean of the faculty of history and philology of Vilnius University. In 1951 he published an article on Ivan Pavlov. In 1953, Vabalas-Gudaitis retired. Jonas Vabalas-Gudaitis died on 14 November 1955 in Vilnius at the age of 74. He is buried in the Rasos Cemetery.