Irwin Altman (born July 16, 1930, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
New York), is a
social psychologist
Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field of ...
who earned his B.A. degree from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
in 1951, his M.A. degree from the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
in 1954 and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1957. He is active in many groups and associations including the
International Association of Applied Psychology
The International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP) was created in 1919 by Édouard Claparède under the name of International Association of Psychotechnics (Association Internationale de Psychotechnique) and the secretary general was Jean ...
,
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychologists in the United States, and the largest psychological association in the world. It has over 170,000 members, including scientists, educators, clin ...
,
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
,
American Association of University Professors
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States that was founded in 1915 in New York City and is currently headquartered in Washington, D.C. AAUP membership inc ...
,
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Founded in 1936, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) is a group of 3,000 scientists from psychology and related fields who share a common interest in research on the psychological aspects of important social and policy i ...
,
Society of Experimental Social Psychology,
Society of Personality and Social Psychology,
Association for the Study of Man-Environment Relations,
Environmental Design Research Association, and the
Western Psychological Association. He is currently an emeritus faculty member at the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...
,
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
.
Social penetration theory
Altman is famous for his work with Taylor resulting in the
social penetration theory
The social penetration theory (SPT) proposes that interpersonal communication moves from relatively shallow, non-intimate levels to deeper, more Intimate relationship, intimate ones as relationships. The theory was formulated by psychologists Irw ...
, which generally states that as relationships develop, communication moves from relatively shallow, non-intimate levels to deeper, more personal levels. If conversation is pleasant and rewarding, people will offer more information about themselves to each other that covers more areas of their life and is more sensitive to them.
Environmental psychology
Altman also did work in the field of
environmental psychology. He believes there is a strong relationship between environmental psychology and social psychology and that the two disciplines have much to offer each other. Altman's Human Behavior and the Environment series added volumes on intellectual traditions (Altman & Christensen 1990), place attachment (Altman & Low 1992), and women and the environment (Altman & Churchman 1994). Much of his work following his Social Penetration Theory looked at human behavior and interactions with the environment.
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Altman, Irwin
New York University alumni
University of Maryland, College Park alumni
21st-century American psychologists
American social psychologists
Environmental psychologists
University of Utah faculty
1930 births
Living people
Social scientists from New York City
20th-century American psychologists