Richard Lazarus

Richard Lazarus (March 3, 1922 – November 24, 2002) was an American psychologist who began rising to prominence in the 1960s, when behaviorists like B.F. Skinner held sway over psychology and explanations for human behavior were often pared down to rudimentary motives like reward and punishment. A review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Lazarus as the 80th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.

Early Life and Education

Richard S. Lazarus was born on March 3, 1922 in New York City. He completed his Bachelor's degree at City College of New York in 1942. He later received his Master's degree in 1947 and a Ph.D. in 1949 from the University of Pittsburgh.

Career

Lazarus spent most of his career at University of California, Berkeley, where he was a faculty member for more than three decades. He began his career at Berkeley in 1957 and became a full professor in 1961. Lazarus served as the director of the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research from 1961 to 1970.

Contributions to Psychology

Lazarus made significant contributions to psychology with his work on cognitive stress theory, which focuses on the role of cognitive processes in stress and coping. He also developed the concept of appraisal, a theory that explains how stressors are perceived and assessed as well as what kinds of stress responses occur as a result of this process.

Death and Legacy

Richard Lazarus died on November 24, 2002. His work continues to influence the field of psychology, particularly in the areas of emotion and stress, and their relationship to cognition.

See Also

• Cognitive psychology
• Stress (psychology)
• Coping (psychology)

External Links

• APA Monitor on Psychology: Remembering Richard Lazarus

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