Berkeley
- Paul H. Mussen, a pioneer in child psychology and a professor
at the University of California, Berkeley, for 30 years, died
Friday, July 7, at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley after a
long struggle with prostate cancer. He was 78.
An early
developmental psychologist, Mussen wrote the classic text,
"Child Development and Personality"(1956), used as a standard
in the field for 30 years, making Mussen the top-selling author
for Harper Textbooks for years.
He was
among an avant-garde who moved the field from stimulus-response
theory to a focus on social interactions between parents and
children. His books, including the "Handbook of Child Psychology"
(1971), "The Psychological Development of the Child"(1963)
and "Roots of Caring, Sharing and Helping" (1977) went through
multiple editions and translations.
During
a distinguished career at UC Berkeley, from 1956-86, Mussen
received a Fulbright Award in 1960 for research in Florence,
Italy, and in 1968 was selected as a Fellow of the Center
for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford.
At UC Berkeley,
he served as director of the Institute of Human Development
from 1971-80 and returned from retirement to serve as acting
director in 1987.
Mussen
lectured and consulted at universities throughout Europe,
Egypt, Nigeria, Israel and the Middle East, India, Pakistan,
New Zealand and Australia.. Twice invited to Japan, he was
one of the first American professors to teach in China following
the Cultural Revolution. He later played an active role in
revitalizing the formerly suppressed social and developmental
programs in Chinese universities.
Born March
21, 1922, in Paterson, New Jersey, Mussen grew up in Willimantic,
Conn., and attended the University of Connecticut at Storrs
until he received a scholarship to Stanford University in
1939. Joining the U.S. Navy in 1944, Mussen served as an ensign
in Naval Intelligence in Washington, D.C, Hawaii, and San
Francisco.
He completed
his PhD in psychology at Yale University in 1949, forming
lifelong friendships with fellow students and faculty, including
his future collaborator, John Conger. He first taught at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison, from 1949-51 and then at
Ohio State University in Columbus until 1955, where he met
and married Ethel Foladare, a graduate student who earned
her PhD at Ohio State.
A source
of strength, leadership and support to many in his profession,
Mussen served as a member of the children's advertising review
unit of the Better Business Bureau for several years, upholding
standards of writing and advertising on children's television.
He was president of the Western Psychological Association
from 1973-74 and the American Psychological Association's
division of developmental psychology from 1977-78.
Mussen
is survived by his wife, Ethel; daughter, Michele, and her
partner, Jim Hart, all of Berkeley; a son, Jim, daughter-in-law,
Claudia, and grandson, Jacob, of New York; and a brother,
Irwin, and his family, of Berkeley.
At his
request, no formal services were held. Amid his beloved collection
of books, art and artifacts, facing a view of San Francisco
and the Golden Gate, an informal gathering of friends, neighbors,
family and colleagues recently voiced affection and esteem
for the witty humanist who found time for all.
Contributions
in his memory may be made to the UCB-UCSF Joint Medical Program, or to a charity of the donor's choice.
Attention: Nina Green, 570 University Hall, Berkeley, 94720-1190,
or to the Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center, 2450 Ashby
Ave, Berkeley, 94705-9989.