Roy Richard Grinker Sr. (August 2, 1900 – May 9, 1993) was an American
neurologist and
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
, Professor of Psychiatry at
University of Chicago, and pioneer in American
psychiatry and
psychosomatics
''Psychosomatics'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal that focuses on psychosomatic medicine. It was established in 1960, during William S. Kroger's tenure as head of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. It is published by Elsevier
Elsevier ...
.
Biography
Grinker was born in
Chicago, where his father was a
neuropsychiatrist. He received a B.S. from the
University of Chicago in 1919 and a M.D. in 1921 from
Rush Medical College. Directly afterwards he spent a postgraduate year in Europe. In 1933 back in Europe he took psychoanalytic training with
Sigmund Freud.
["Roy R. Grinker Sr." (1981) interview in: ''Psychiatrists on Psychiatry''. Michael Shepherd ed. p.31]
In 1927 Grinker started teaching at the University of Chicago. In World War II he served at the U.S. Army Medical Corps in North Africa, where with
John P. Spiegel he wrote the book ''Men Under Stress''. Back in Chicago in 1946 Grinker started at the
Michael Reese Hospital as director of the Institute for Psychosomatic and Psychiatric Research and Training. and as analyst at the
Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis
The Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute (formerly Institute for Psychoanalysis until it was renamed in May 2018) is a center for psychoanalytic research, training, and education on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. The institute provides professio ...
. From 1951 to 1969 he was clinical professor of psychiatry at the
University of Illinois College of Medicine, and professor at
Northwestern University. In 1969 became professor of psychiatry at the
University of Chicago School of Medicine
The Pritzker School of Medicine is the M.D.-granting unit of the Biological Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. It is located on the university's main campus in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago and matriculated its fi ...
. Grinker was the chief editor of the American Medical Association's
Archives of General Psychiatry
''JAMA Psychiatry'' (until 2013: ''Archives of General Psychiatry'') is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association. It covers research in psychiatry, mental health, behavioral sciences, and related fields. ...
for 17 years.
Grinker was the father of Roy R. Grinker Jr. and grandfather of
Roy Richard Grinker
Roy Richard Grinker (born 1961) is an American author and Professor of Anthropology, International Affairs, and Human Sciences at The George Washington University.
Grinker is an authority on North and South Korean relations. As part of his PhD r ...
(born 1961), Professor of Anthropology, International Affairs, and Human Sciences at The George Washington University. The neuropathological phenomenon
Grinker myelinopathy
Grinker's myelinopathy, also known as anoxic leukoencephalopathy, is a rare disease of the central nervous system. The disease is characterized by a delayed leukoencephalopathy after a hypoxic episode. It is typically, though not necessarily, relat ...
is named after Grinker.
Selected publications
* 1933. ''Grinker's Neurology''
* 1946. ''Men under stress.'' with
John P. Spiegel, Philadelphia: Blakiston. 1945.
* 1945. ''War Neuroses''. with
John P. Spiegel, Philadelphia: Blakiston, 1945.
* 1953. ''Psychosomatic Research''. New York: Norton
* 1955. ''Anxiety and stress''. With H. Basowitz, H. Persky, and S.J. Korchin
* 1961. ''The phenomena of depressions''. With J. Miller, M. Sabshin, R. Nunn, and J.C. Nunnally
* 1967. ''Toward a Unified Theory of Human Behavior: An Introduction to General Systems Theory'', with Helen MacGill Hughes, 390 pp.
* 1968. ''The borderline syndrome: A behavioral study of ego-functions'' With B. Werble & R.C. Drye
References
External links
Memorial for Roy R. Grinker Sr.Roy R. Grinker Sr., M.D. (1900–1993)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grinker, Roy R. Sr.
1900 births
1990 deaths
American neurologists
American psychiatrists
American systems scientists
University of Chicago faculty
Analysands of Sigmund Freud
Analysands of Franz Alexander
20th-century American physicians
Scientists from Chicago
Physicians from Illinois