John Donelson Ross Forsyth (born 1953) is an American social psychologist. Forsyth studied sociology and psychology at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

and pursued further study in psychology at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

where he earned a master of arts degree and doctorate. Forsyth began his teaching career as an assistant professor at

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...

in 1978. He was promoted to associate professor in 1983, and became a full professor in 1989. In 2005, Forsyth joined the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

faculty as the Colonel Leo K. and Gaylee Thorsness Chair in Ethical Leadership within the Jepson School of Leadership Studies. Forsyth was elected a fellow of the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

in 2008, and that same year, served as president of the Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy.

Research areas

Forsyth's primary areas of study are leadership, social cognition, and moral judgment. One of his focuses is the study of success and failure in groups and in individuals. He created the Ethics Position Questionnaire to examine individual differences in moral philosophies.

References

1953 births Living people American social psychologists Fellows of the American Psychological Association Florida State University alumni University of Florida alumni Virginia Commonwealth University faculty University of Richmond faculty 20th-century American psychologists 21st-century American psychologists 20th-century American scientists 21st-century American scientists {{US-psychologist-stub