Mountain View, CA - The Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), the worldís largest organization of social and personality psychologists, has awarded Dr. Harrison G. Gough The Jack Block Award, given annually for distinguished contributions in personality psychology. Co-founder of CPP, Inc. (formerly Consulting Psychologists Press), Dr. Gough was honored for a lifetime of commitment and achievement in the field. The award was presented during the Societyís annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, January 20-22, 2005. He responded, I am profoundly grateful for this honor, and I am humbled by the knowledge that so many members of the Society--colleagues and former students--contributed to the work that is honored.
Dr. Gough is the author of a number of personality assessment instruments, including the California Psychological Inventory(TM) (CPI(TM)), the Adjective Check List, and the Personnel Reaction Blank. Best known of these is the CPI, first published in 1956. The CPI is a measure of positive, life-enhancing attributes of personality, such as social responsibility, tolerance, and leadership. It is used for a wide variety of assessments, including managerial performance, honesty, and self-realization. Since its publication in 1956, two major revisions have been published, in 1986 and 1994, and a new, modified version for use in organizations for workforce development was published in 2002. A comprehensive CPI bibliography containing more than 2,000 entries was compiled by Dr. Gough in 2002.
Dr. Mark Snyder, Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota and Chair of the SPSP Awards Committee, said, This award was intended to look back and celebrate a lifetime of achievement and contributions to personality research. Thatís what we intended, but Harrison had something more in mind. In addition to looking back, in his award address he treated us to a fascinating glimpse at the work that still lies ahead of him.
In accepting the award, Dr. Gough described four major studies in which current information for length of life, good health, happiness, and occupational attainment was related to CPI data gathered 40 or more years earlier. Research materials for these analyses were drawn from several prominent projects, including the Intergenerational Study at the Institute of Human Development, University of California, Berkeley, and the Mills College Life-Span project.
Dr. Goughís talk was met with resounding enthusiasm from the large audience. Present were former students who, he observed, are nearing their own retirement.
The Association for Research in Personality, which was holding meetings in New Orleans in conjunction with SPSP, presented a special symposium in honor of Dr. Goughís lifetime of work. Five speakers from American and British universities participated in this symposium.
Society for Personality and Social Psychology has awarded Dr. H.G. Gough The Jack Block Award
Given annually for distinguished contributions in personality psychology
