Leonard Berkowitz (August 11, 1926 – January 3, 2016) was an American social psychologist best known for his research on altruism and human aggression. He originated the cognitive neoassociation model of aggressive behavior, which was created to help explain instances of aggression for which the
frustration-aggression hypothesis could not account.
Berkowitz received his Ph.D. in
Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
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 1951. He served on the faculty at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
from 1955 to 1989. During that period, he also held visiting appointments at Cambridge, Cornell, Oxford, and Stanford Universities. At the time of death, he was a Vilas Research Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
. During his lifetime, including as recently as two months prior to his death, he authored of over 170 articles, books, and textbooks on psychology. A ''
Review of General Psychology
''Review of General Psychology'' is the quarterly scientific journal of the American Psychological Association Division 1: The Society for general psychology. The journal publishes cross-disciplinary psychological articles that are conceptual, theo ...
'' survey, published in 2002, ranked Berkowitz as the 76th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.
On January 3, 2016, Berkowitz died at Oakwood Village in Madison, Wisconsin after a brief undisclosed illness at the age of 89.
Awards and honors
*1988
APA Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology
*1989
SESP Distinguished Scientist Award
*1993 Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
*1993
APS James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award
Books
Berkowitz, L. (2000). Causes and consequences of feelings. New York: Cambridge University Press.Berkowitz, L. (1993). Aggression: Its causes, consequences, and control. New York: McGraw-Hill.
*Berkowitz, L. (1975). A Survey of Social Psychology. Hinsdale: Dryden Press.
*Berkowitz, L. (1962). Aggression: a social psychological analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill.
See also
*Aggression
Aggression is behavior aimed at opposing or attacking something or someone. Though often done with the intent to cause harm, some might channel it into creative and practical outlets. It may occur either reactively or without provocation. In h ...
* Frustration aggression theory
* Weapons effect
References
External links
Professional profile
Homepage at the University of Wisconsin website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkowitz, Leonard
1926 births
2016 deaths
20th-century American psychologists
American social psychologists
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Ig Nobel laureates
James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award recipients
University of Michigan alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty
Writers from Michigan
Writers from Wisconsin