Franz Samelson (September 23, 1923 – March 16, 2015) was a German-American social psychologist and historian of psychology.[1]
Franz Samelson | |
---|---|
Born | Breslau, Germany | September 23, 1923
Died | March 16, 2015 Manhattan, Kansas, U.S. | (aged 91)
Citizenship | United States |
Alma mater | University of Munich University of Michigan |
Known for | Work on the history of psychology |
Spouse |
Phoebe Samelson
(m. 1955–2015) |
Children | Karen Samelson |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Social psychology |
Institutions | Kansas State University |
Thesis | Group pressure and incongruity in the cognitive field as determinants of conformity (1956) |
Samelson was born on September 23, 1923, in present-day Wroclaw, Poland (then known as Breslau, Germany).[1] Prohibited by the laws of Nazi Germany from attending any German universities, he instead attended a photography school in Munich, where he later worked in a factory with prisoners of war. After World War II ended, he began working for the United States Army. He also enrolled at the University of Munich, where he received a diploma in psychology in 1952.[2]
In 1952, he emigrated to the United States, following his older brother Hans. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Michigan in 1956.[2] He joined the faculty of Kansas State University in 1957, where he remained until retiring as Professor in 1990.[1]
References
editFurther reading
edit- Morawski, Jill (2015-12-11). "Franz Samelson and a Conundrum". Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences. 52 (1): 67–70. doi:10.1002/jhbs.21770. ISSN 0022-5061. PMID 26660474.