Jerome L. Singer (1924-2019).
Scott Barry Kaufman, George A Bonanno
The American psychologist January 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1037/amp0000889 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractJerome L. Singer, who died in 2019 at age 95, is remembered as the pioneering researcher who established daydreaming and mind wandering as normal, adaptive mental activities rather than signs of pathology. Over more than 50 years of work, his research showed that daydreaming is a pervasive aspect of human experience serving positive social and creative functions, earning him the nickname "the father of daydreaming." After earning a PhD in clinical psychology in 1951, he trained as a psychoanalyst and held research appointments before directing the clinical psychology program at City University in 1963, where he studied "decoupled attention" with collaborator John Antrobus. He joined Yale University in 1972, becoming emeritus in 2006, and with his wife Dorothy codirected Yale's Family TV Research and Consultation Center for over 30 years.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Daydreaming is a pervasive aspect of human experience that serves positive social and creative functions, contrary to the earlier view that it was pathological. |
Abstract
Memorializes Jerome L. Singer (1924-2019). Singer's seminal research, conducted over 50þ years, laid the foundations for virtually all modern investigations of stream of consciousness and mind wandering. During a time when daydreaming was considered pathological, Singer showed it to be a pervasive aspect of human experience that served positive social and creative functions, earning him the moniker "the father of daydreaming." After receiving his PhD in clinical psychology in 1951, Singer was certified as a psychoanalyst through the William Alanson White Institute, while also holding several part-time research appointments. In 1963, Singer became director of the clinical psychology program at City University, where he and collaborator John Antrobus studied "decoupled attention." Singer joined the faculty of Yale University in 1972 and assumed emeritus status in 2006. At Yale, he worked closely with his wife Dorothy (who was an exemplary developmental psychologist in her own right), where they codirected Yale's Family TV Research and Consultation Center for more than 30 years. He died on December 14, 2019. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).