Our New Prez

Reports on the election of Philip Zimbardo into the American Psychological Association. Professional background of Zimbardo; Remarks from Zimbardo.

By PT Staff, published on January 01, 2001

LEADERSHIP

Spurred by a call to action in the 1960s, psychologists have been trying to "give psychology away"--or teach the public about what they do--for decades. That's why PSYCHOLOGY TODAY was founded in 1967. Now we might all be getting a new dose of enthusiasm about the field. Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D., a Stanford University researcher and one of psychology's most flamboyant and popular teachers, has just been elected president of the American Psychological Association (APA), the world's largest psychology organization.

In over 40 years, Zimbardo has written more than 250 articles, chapters and books and has received numerous awards, including the Phi Beta Kappa Distinguished Teaching Award for Northern California in 1998. One of his textbooks, Psychology and Life (Longman, 1998), is frequently used in college psychology courses, and he also wrote and hosted the educational TV series, "Discovering Psychology."

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"Through his writings and highly acclaimed TV series, Phil Zimbardo has made enormous contributions toward keeping the public informed about advances in psychology," says Raymond D. Fowler, Ph.D., executive director of the APA. "I know he'll continue this lifelong quest as our new president."

A PSYCHOLOGY TODAY advisory board member, Zimbardo was featured in a recent issue. "I'm excited about the new challenges that face me as the new president of the APA," he says. "One of the most important ones is discovering how we can give more psychology away and enhance its positive image."