Biography William Moulton Marston

william marston (right) in 1922, testing lie detector invention

marston had 2 children each both wife elizabeth holloway marston , live-in mistress olive byrne. elizabeth supported family financially while byrne stayed home take care of 4 children. both olive , elizabeth embodied feminism of day.

psychologist , inventor

marston creator of systolic blood pressure test, became 1 component of modern polygraph invented john augustus larson in berkeley, california. marston s wife elizabeth holloway marston suggested connection between emotion , blood pressure william, observing that, [w]hen got mad or excited, blood pressure seemed climb . although elizabeth not listed marston s collaborator in work, lamb, matte (1996), , others refer directly , indirectly elizabeth s own work on husband s research. appears in picture taken in laboratory in 1920s (reproduced marston, 1938). marston set out commercialize larson s invention of polygraph when subsequently embarked on career in entertainment , comic book writing , appeared salesman in ads gillette razors, using polygraph motif.

from psychological work, marston became convinced women more honest men in situations , work faster , more accurately. during lifetime marston championed latent abilities , causes of women of day.

marston writer of essays in popular psychology. in 1928 published emotions of normal people, elaborated disc theory. marston viewed people behaving along 2 axes, attention being either passive or active, depending on individual s perception of or environment either favorable or antagonistic. placing axes @ right angles, 4 quadrants form each describing behavioral pattern:

dominance produces activity in antagonistic environment
inducement produces activity in favorable environment
submission produces passivity in favorable environment
compliance produces passivity in antagonistic environment.

marston posited there masculine notion of freedom inherently anarchic , violent , opposing feminine notion based on love allure leads ideal state of submission loving authority. in 1929, wrote on blossoming men s rights movement newspaper columnist.