Allport, Gordon

Allport, Gordon (Willard) (1897–1967) psychologist; born in Montezuma, Ind. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1922, then spent 1922–24 in Europe on a fellowship. He was instructor of social ethics at Harvard (1924–26) and assistant professor of psychology at Dartmouth (1926–30); he returned to Harvard's psychology faculty in 1930, where he became Cabot Professor of Social Ethics in 1966. His most influential work was Personality: A Psychological Interpretation (1937), revised as Patterns and Growth in Personality (1961). Among his several innovative approaches to the study of human psychology was his use of individuals' personal writings and artistic creations. He was a guest professor at various institutions, served as president of the American Psychological Association from 1939–40, and was awarded the American Psychological Foundation's gold medal in 1963.