C. Fred Alford

Charles Frederick Alford is an American scholar known for his work in moral psychology, psychoanalysis, and social theory. He is Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Emeritus at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he taught for thirty-eight years. Alford has published extensively on topics such as trauma, evil, and whistleblowing, employing a psychoanalytic approach to explore these subjects. His research focuses on classical political theory, political psychology, psychoanalysis, and politics. His work explores the psychological roots of morality, trauma, and their impact on nations, societies, and groups.

Early life and education

Alford earned his Ph.D. in Government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1979 and his B.A. from Austin College, where he was named a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher. In 2009, he was chosen as the best teacher on the College Park campus by the Chancellor Kirwan Award Committee. He also received multiple teaching excellence awards from the American Political Science Association and Pi Sigma Alpha.

Alford co-edited the "Psychoanalysis and Society" series with Cornell University Press and served as executive director of the Association for Psychoanalysis, Culture, and Society for twelve years. He was also President of the American Political Science Association's Psychology and Politics section. Additionally, he served on the editorial boards of six journals, including ''Political Psychology'' and ''Psychoanalysis, Culture, and Society''.

Contributions to psychoanalysis and social theory

Alford is particularly noted for recognizing the social theory implicit in the work of Melanie Klein, as explored in his book ''Melanie Klein and Critical Social Theory'' (Yale, 1989; reprint 2005). His development of these ideas remains influential.

His research extends to the psychoanalytic dimensions of trauma, evil, and whistleblowing. He conducted a year-long weekly discussion group with imprisoned rapists and murderers to study the concept of evil and examined Eastern perspectives on evil through studies in South Korea. He argues that the primary experience of evil is existential rather than moral.

He has also published over thirty book chapters, numerous encyclopedia articles, and over seventy refereed journal articles. He regularly contributes to ''The Montreal Review'' and curates two blogs, traumatheory.com and godblog.org, the latter of which led to his book ''God Now: Christianity and Heresy''.

Media and public engagement

Since the publication of ''Whistleblowers: Broken Lives and Organizational Power'', Alford has given over 200 interviews to various news outlets, including NBC, ''The New York Times'', ABC, and ''The Washington Post'', discussing the trauma faced by whistleblowers and the power dynamics within organizations.

Awards and honors

Alford has received several awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Work in Psychohistory from the Psychohistory Forum. He has been awarded three Fulbright Fellowships, including two Senior Fulbright Research Fellowships to Germany and South Korea.

References

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Living people
American political scientists
21st-century American psychologists
University of Maryland, College Park faculty
University of Texas at Austin alumni
Austin College alumni
Psychoanalysts
Moral psychologists
Social theorists