On 50 Years of Giving Psychology Away: An Interview with Philip Zimbardo

Abstract

Philip G. Zimbardo, emeritus professor of psychology at Stanford University, is internationally recognized as the voice and face of contemporary American psychology. He earned his PhD in social psychology from Yale University in 1959 and has since received seven honorary doctorates for his contributions to psychology and society. The author of more than 300 publications and 50 books, Zimbardo's research spans 20 topics, including shyness, evil, teaching, persuasion, hypnosis, dissonance, time perspective, and heroism. He is best known for his landmark study, the Stanford Prison Experiment; his widely seen TV series, Discovering Psychology; and his best-selling textbook, Psychology and Life. He is past president of the Western Psychological Association (WPA) and the American Psychological Association (APA), and has received distinguished teaching awards from WPA, APA, Stanford University, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. His aim to “give psychology away” is evident in all he does. George M. Slavich is a Beck Institute Scholar, Society in Science: Branco Weiss Fellow, and National Institute of Mental Health Postdoctoral Fellow in Psychology and Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He completed undergraduate and graduate coursework at Stanford University, received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Oregon, and completed clinical training at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. His research investigates the characteristics, causes, and consequences of life stress in major depression. He is also deeply devoted to teaching and mentoring. He founded the Stanford Undergraduate Psychology Conference and WPA Student Council; he also cofounded the Society of Clinical Psychology's Section on Graduate Student and Early Career Psychologists. For these contributions and others, he received the 2004 Albert Bandura Graduate Research Award, the 2005 Edwin B. Newman Graduate Research Award, and the 2005 Wilbert J. McKeachie Teaching Excellence Award.