Lawrence Albert "Al" Siebert, (January 21, 1934 - June 25, 2009) was an American author and educator. A native of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, he was best known for his research on

psychological resilience Psychological resilience, or mental resilience, is the ability to cope mentally and emotionally with a crisis, or to return to pre-crisis status quickly. The term was popularized in the 1970s and 1980s by psychologist Emmy Werner as she conduc ...

and the inner nature of highly resilient survivors. He taught at

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

for more than 40 years.

Early life

Lawrence Albert Siebert was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, to Donald and Mildred Siebert on January 21, 1934. Raised in Portland, he graduated from Grant High School in Northeast Portland. He became an army paratrooper, joining for a short time at the end of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

Education

Siebert attended

Willamette University Willamette University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with locations in Salem, Oregon, Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United ...

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

, and graduated in 1958 with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in psychology.Al Siebert's biography
alsiebert.com He earned his master's in clinical psychology from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1960. He received his PhD from the same University in 1965.

Teacher

As adjunct professor, he taught management psychology seminars for over forty years at

. He was the author of several books on resiliency and survivor traits. Shortly after receiving his degree in 1965, Siebert was awarded a prestigious post-doctoral fellowship by the Menninger Institute. When he moved to Topeka to start his fellowship, he told his supervisors about some of his recent breakthroughs with understanding schizophrenia; this led to what he later described as having a "peak life" experience on his own part. The Menninger psychiatrists immediately declared him severely mentally ill, canceled his fellowship, and had him locked up in the back ward of a nearby V.A. psychiatric hospital diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Nevertheless, a month later he "eloped" from the V.A. hospital and returned to his home in Oregon (he left “against medical advice”). After this, he began a very successful 35-year career as a teacher, author, and community leader.

Media appearances

Siebert was a guest on radio and television interviews and call-in shows such as NPR, CNN, ''Oprah'', and NBC's ''Today Show,'' and was featured in magazine articles in ''USA Today Weekend, Family Circle, Men's Fitness, Prevention Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Harvard Business Review,'' and ''Dr. Andrew Weil's Self-Healing Newsletter,''. His "How Resilient Are You?" quiz has been reprinted in many publications. He was frequently quoted in newspapers articles and other mass media as an expert on issues of workspace stress and resilience. ''Laid Off? Call Dr. FeelBad ''
by Jenn Shreve,

Wired News ''Wired'' is a bi-monthly American magazine that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. It is published in both print and online editions by Condé Nast. The magazine has been in publication since its l ...

, Wired.com, February 12, 2001

Later life and death

Siebert lived in Portland with his wife Molly and spoke to business, government and military leaders on developing resiliency skills. Siebert died on June 25, 2009, in Portland at the age of 75 from colon cancer.

Bibliography

*Al Siebert, ''Peaking Out: How My Mind Broke Free from the Delusions in Psychiatry'' (Portland, OR: Practical Psychology Press, 1995) *''The Resiliency Advantage: Master Change, Thrive Under Pressure, and Bounce Back From Setbacks'' (), released in June 2005, won the 2006 Independent Publisher Book Award for Best Independent Self-Help book. Also published in Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese language editions. *''The Survivor Personality: Why Some People Are Stronger, Smarter, and More Skillful at Handling Life's Difficulties...and How You Can Be, Too'' () fifteenth printing. Also published in German, Dutch, Russian, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and United Kingdom editions. * Co-author of ''The Adult Student's Guide to Survival and Success, 6th Edition'' () with Mary Karr, MS. A 'survival' guide to college for first-time or returning non-traditional adult students (over age 24).

References

External links

ResiliencyCenter.com
Most recent biographical info from Dr. Siebert's own website
Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siebert, Al 1934 births 2009 deaths American motivational writers Willamette University alumni University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni People with schizophrenia Portland State University faculty Grant High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni