Sidney Marshall Jourard (1926–1974) was a Canadian
psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...
, professor, and writer. He was best known as the author of the books ''The Transparent Self'' and ''Healthy Personality: An Approach From the Viewpoint of Humanistic Psychology'', which was a synthesis of the concepts and techniques that humanistic psychologists utilized and built upon in the 1960s and 1970s. Jourard is also known for his "Self-Disclosure Theory" of humanistic therapy. He has written many other works, including essays, books, and lectures on growth as a human being.
Life and career
Sidney Marshall Jourard was born in 1926 in
Mount Dennis
Mount Dennis is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was initially an urban area within the former township of York. Primarily located along Eglinton Avenue between the Humber River and the Kitchener commuter rail line, the neighbou ...
, a neighbourhood of
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Canada. He was the son of Albert Louis Jourard and Anna Rubinoff Jourard, both Russian immigrants. He graduated from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
in 1947 and received a master's degree in 1949. He began teaching at the
University of Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...
where he received his PhD in psychology. Jourard moved to
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia and taught at
Emory University
Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...
, then moved to
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...
, where he taught at the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...
.
In 1958, he was invited to work with the
J. Hillis Miller Health Science Center at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
in
Gainesville, working with the School of Nursing. He joined the Psychology Department in 1959, where he lectured and taught large sections of Introductory Psychology. He also had a private practice up until his death on December 2, 1974. Jourard was working on his small sports car in his garage at his home when the jack slipped and brought about his accidental death.
Self-Disclosure Theory
Jourard's "Self-Disclosure Theory" is a therapeutic model of humanistic treatment where total disclosure is encouraged between the client and the therapist.
The therapist would also disclose himself to the client in reciprocation, however, the therapist, being a psychologist, would rely on training and the concepts of psychological theories to relate to the client. According to Jourard, disclosure is important in any relationship, as it fosters openness, healthy relationships, and an enthusiasm to grow within the personal and social sphere.
See also
*
Self-concealment
Self-concealment is a psychological construct defined as "a predisposition to actively conceal from others personal information that one perceives as distressing or negative".. Its opposite is self-disclosure..
The concealed personal informat ...
References
External links
Sidney M. Jourard, PhD.* Sidney M. Jourard papers
Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Ingram Library, University of West Georgia
1926 births
1974 deaths
Accidental deaths in Florida
Canadian non-fiction writers
20th-century Canadian psychologists
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