Frederick Kanfer

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Frederick H. Kanfer (* 1925 in Vienna ; † October 18, 2002 in Champaign , Illinois ) was most recently Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Illinois . He developed self-management therapy and, together with G. A. Saslow, the SORKC model of behavioral therapy.

Life

Frederick H. Kanfer grew up in Austria , which he left in 1938. In 1941, at the age of 16, he emigrated to the USA, where he was initially interested in engineering and biology before turning to psychology. After completing his military service, he received his Ph.D. from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1953. He was first assistant professor at Washington University, then professor at Purdue University before moving to Cincinnati. From 1973 to 1995 he was a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign .

power

With the development of self-management therapy, Kanfer made an important contribution to modern cognitive behavioral therapy. Its origins lay in the classical behavioristic learning theories , which he expanded from the beginning to include cognitive and humanistic influences. In 1965 he published together with G. A. Saslow the influential article "behavioral analysis" in which he carried his representation SORKC model modern behavior analysis established that to this day is an important basis of behavioral therapy. In the years that followed, he mainly worked on self-regulation and self-control and developed self-management therapy, through which the previously purely behaviorist-oriented behavioral therapy developed from the application of the classic learning laws to modern behavioral therapy. Kanfer's interest went beyond the development of individual methods and procedures. By developing his model of a behavior analysis, he succeeded in differentiating between 3 levels of human behavior and a differentiated analysis of problem behavior. By describing the therapeutic process in 7 steps, which are run through in a therapy with feedback loops , he ensured that the therapeutic process was taken into account in therapy planning. From his experience in practical therapeutic work, he also emphasized the importance of the therapeutic relationship or the interaction between the therapist and the client for successful behavior therapy and used the term therapeutic alliance for this . His further work on verbal conditioning , motivation, problem solving and individual clinical disorders showed his broad interest, which was based on his pronounced understanding of the mode of action of behavioral therapy.

After an invitation to a guest stay at the Ruhr University Bochum in 1968 , he worked for several weeks each year as a visiting professor in Europe, leading workshops and giving lectures, which made him have a great influence on today's behavioral therapists in German-speaking countries. His book Self Management Therapy , published jointly with H. Reinecker and D. Schmelzer, is still a standard work in the training of German behavioral therapists. For decades he was an influential consultant at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich. In 1976 he began setting up behavior medicine clinics in Germany in Windach. Frederick H. Kanfer has received numerous awards. He was a Fulbright Professor in Bochum, received the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award and the Gold Medal of Honor in his native Vienna for services to the development of clinical psychology in Europe. Shortly before his death in 2002, he received the honor of the German Society for Psychology for his life's work. In addition, he was an honorary member of many behavioral societies in Germany, Italy and Uruguay. Fred Kanfer has served on the editorial board of around 12 scientific journals, is the author or co-author of more than 150 scientific articles and more than 10 influential book publications.

Works (selection)

  • The scientist-practitioner connection. Myth or reality. New Ideas in Psychology, 1990, 7; Pp. 147-154
  • Add. with GH Saslow: Behavioral Analysis. An alternative to diagnostic classification. Arch Gen Psychiatry , 1965.12: pp. 529-538
  • Zus, with H. Reinecker & D.Schmelzer: Self-management therapy. 2nd revised edition. Springer, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-608-89612-0

See also

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Kanfer, Frederick
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kanfer, Frederick H.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American psychologist and psychotherapist
DATE OF BIRTH 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH October 18, 2002
Place of death Champaign (Illinois)