Leon Festinger

Leon Festinger
Leon Festinger
Born	May 8, 1919; New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	February 11, 1989 (aged 69); New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	City College of New York (BS); University of Iowa (MA, PhD);
Known for	Cognitive dissonance; Effort justification; Social comparison theory;
	Scientific career
Fields	Psychology
Institutions	Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Michigan; University of Minnesota; Stanford University; The New School;
Thesis	Experimental test of a theory of decision (1942)
Doctoral advisor	Kurt Lewin
Doctoral students	Bertram Raven; Stanley Schachter;

Leon Festinger (8 May 1919 – 11 February 1989) was an American social psychologist who originated the theory of cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. The rejection of the previously dominant behaviorist view of social psychology by demonstrating the inadequacy of stimulus-response conditioning accounts of human behavior is largely attributed to his theories and research.^[1] Festinger is also credited with advancing the use of laboratory experimentation in social psychology,^[2] although he simultaneously stressed the importance of studying real-life situations,^[3] a principle he practiced when personally infiltrating a doomsday cult. He is also known in social network theory for the proximity effect (or propinquity).^[4]

Festinger studied psychology under Kurt Lewin, an important figure in modern social psychology, at the University of Iowa, graduating in 1941;^[5] however, he did not develop an interest in social psychology until after joining the faculty at Lewin's Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1945.^[6] Despite his preeminence in social psychology, Festinger turned to visual perception research in 1964 and then archaeology, history, and the human evolutionary sciences in 1979 until his death in 1989.^[7] Following B. F. Skinner, Jean Piaget, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Bandura, Festinger was the fifth most cited psychologist of the 20th century.^[8]

^ Zukier, 1989, p. xv
^ Zukier, 1991, p. xiv
^ Festinger, 1953, pp. 169–170.
^ Festinger, Schachter, & Back, 1950
^ American, 1959, p. 784
^ Festinger, 1980, p. 237
^ Aronson, 1991, p. 216
^ Haggbloom, Steven J.; Warnick, Renee; Warnick, Jason E.; Jones, Vinessa K.; Yarbrough, Gary L.; Russell, Tenea M.; Borecky, Chris M.; McGahhey, Reagan; Powell, John L. III; Beavers, Jamie; Monte, Emmanuelle (2002). "The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century". Review of General Psychology. 6 (2): 139–152. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.586.1913. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139. S2CID 145668721.

[1] Zukier, 1989, p. xv

[2] Zukier, 1991, p. xiv

[3] Festinger, 1953, pp. 169–170.

[4] Festinger, Schachter, & Back, 1950

[5] American, 1959, p. 784

[6] Festinger, 1980, p. 237

[7] Aronson, 1991, p. 216

[8] Haggbloom, Steven J.; Warnick, Renee; Warnick, Jason E.; Jones, Vinessa K.; Yarbrough, Gary L.; Russell, Tenea M.; Borecky, Chris M.; McGahhey, Reagan; Powell, John L. III; Beavers, Jamie; Monte, Emmanuelle (2002). "The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century". Review of General Psychology. 6 (2): 139–152. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.586.1913. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139. S2CID 145668721.

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Leon Festinger

Born	(1919-05-08)May 8, 1919 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	February 11, 1989(1989-02-11) (aged 69) New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	City College of New York (BS) University of Iowa (MA, PhD)
Known for	Cognitive dissonance Effort justification Social comparison theory
Scientific career
Fields	Psychology
Institutions	Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Michigan University of Minnesota Stanford University The New School
Thesis	Experimental test of a theory of decision (1942)
Doctoral advisor	Kurt Lewin
Doctoral students	Bertram Raven Stanley Schachter