Son, father, student and professor, experimental psychologist, clinician and historian, immigrant, mountaineer . . .

Abstract

Reviews the book, Facets of an Academic's Life: A Memoir by Michael Wertheimer (2020). Michael Wertheimer's memoir contains 234 pages of richly illustrated text, reconstructing a life of more than 9 decades, and complemented by a 311-page appendix that contains an elaborated curriculum vitae, a complete publication list, an account of the author's scientific work, and a documentation of his artistic efforts (music, poetry, some painting). Both text and appendix frequently refer to the Wertheimer family (six generations, counting from the author's grandparents to his great-grandchildren). Michael Wertheimer was the son of the renowned Gestalt psychologist Max Wertheimer. While continuing his commitment to Gestalt psychology and interests in both experimental and clinical psychology, Michael Wertheimer turned toward the history of psychology. Readers may approach this memoir from various perspectives: as source material for the history of psychology, as an historical look at American academia, as an immigrant story, or as evidence of the lifestyle of intellectuals in the 20th century (with an occasional touch of chronique scandaleuse). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).