Daniel Levinson

Daniel J. Levinson
Born	May 28, 1920(1920-05-28) New York City
Died	April 12, 1994(1994-04-12) (aged 73) New Haven, Connecticut
Occupation	Psychologist
Known for	Positive Adult Development

Daniel J. Levinson (born New York City, May 28, 1920), a psychologist, was one of the founders of the field of Positive Adult Development.

Early life and education

He was born in New York City on May 28, 1920. He completed his dissertation at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1947, on the measurement of ethnocentrism. In 1950, he moved to Harvard University. He was involved the Harvard Psychological Clinic, led by Henry Murray, and the Department of Social Relations, where he worked with colleagues such as Erik Erikson, Robert White, Talcott Parsons, Gordon Allport, and Alex Inkeles. From 1966 to 1990, he was a professor of psychology at Yale University School of Medicine. His work on positive adult development built upon that of Erik Erikson, Elliott Jaques, and Bernice Neugarten.

Literary contributions

Levinson's two most important books were Seasons of a Man's Life (with Maria H. Levinson, Charlotte N. Darrow, Edward B. Klein and Braxton McKee) and Seasons of a Woman's Life, which both continue to be highly influential works. His multidisciplinary approach is reflected in his work on the Life Structure theory of adult development. Many of the central ideas in Seasons of a Man's Life were published by Gail Sheehy who interviewed Levinson for her book Passages. Sheehy had access to Levinson's research in progress, and published her book before Seasons of a Man's Life' using some of Levinson's findings.

Daniel Levinson died on April 12, 1994 in New Haven, Connecticut. His wife Judy Levinson carried on his work.

Bibliography

• Levinson, D. J., with Darrow, C. N, Klein, E. B. & Levinson, M. (1978). Seasons of a Man's Life. New York: Random House. ISBN 039440694X
• Levinson, D. J., with Levinson, J. D. (1996). Seasons of a Woman's Life. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 039453235X

References

Persondata
Name	Levinsion, Daniel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	May 28, 1920
Place of birth	New York City
Date of death	April 12, 1994
Place of death	New Haven, Connecticut