Carolyn Lewis Attneave (July 2, 1920 – June 22, 1992) was born in El Paso, Texas to Scandinavian and Delaware Native American parents. Attneave spent most of her early years in South Texas, but frequently spent summers with her Delaware relatives in Oklahoma. Her culturally aware upbringing would go on to influence her decision to research diversity. Attneave earned a bachelor's in English and Theatre at Chico State College in California in 1940. She would stay at Chico state College to earn another bachelor's in secondary education. After spending six years as a school teacher, she earned both her master's and doctorate in clinical psychology from Stanford University in 1947 and 1952, respectively.