John William Atkinson (December 31, 1923 – October 27, 2003), also known as Jack Atkinson, was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

psychologist who pioneered the scientific study of

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...

motivation, achievement and behavior. He was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

veteran, teacher, scholar, and long term member of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

community. Atkinson was a leader in establishing motivation as a distinct field of study in psychology research. His belief that scientific progress came from conceptual breakthroughs fueled his formulation and reformulation of a theory of motivation. He was one of the first in psychology to incorporate rigorous mathematical models in his theories and to use computer simulations of these models for experimentation. He also recognized the importance of measurement in science, maintaining a career-long interest in the refinement of measures of motivation by means of

content analysis Content analysis is the study of documents and communication artifacts, which might be texts of various formats, pictures, audio or video. Social scientists use content analysis to examine patterns in communication in a replicable and systematic ...

of imaginative thought using, for example, the

Thematic Apperception Test Thematic apperception test (TAT) is a projective psychological test developed during the 1930s by Henry A. Murray and Christiana D. Morgan at Harvard University. Proponents of the technique assert that subjects' responses, in the narratives they ...

which he developed jointly with his mentor

David C. McClelland David Clarence McClelland (May 20, 1917 – March 27, 1998) was an American psychologist, noted for his work on motivation Need Theory. He published a number of works between the 1950s and the 1990s and developed new scoring systems for th ...

. He is well known for establishing measures for motives of achievement, affiliation, fear, sex, risk-taking behavior, and aggression. His discipline-changing ideas were followed around the world. In recognition, he received in 1979 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 ...

's highest award, the Gold Medal for Distinguished Scientific Contributions. Atkinson was born in Jersey City, NJ, to Frank G. and Wilhelmina "Minnie" Atkinson. He attended public schools in Oradell NJ, graduating from Dwight Morrow High School in Englewood NJ. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, earning his wings in 1944. He served as an advanced instrument flight instructor for the B-25 and other bombers. On earning his wings Jack married his high-school sweetheart Mary Jane Wanta. They were married in 1944 in Macon, GA. After the war Atkinson completed his undergraduate psychology degree with Honors at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

, graduating in the middle of the 1946-47 academic year. As a lecturer at Wesleyan University, he began to pursue his interests in basic research on the arousal of human needs and behavior with the financial support of the Office of Naval Research and collaboration with

David McClelland David Clarence McClelland (May 20, 1917 – March 27, 1998) was an American psychologist, noted for his work on motivation Need Theory. He published a number of works between the 1950s and the 1990s and developed new scoring systems for t ...

. Atkinson was awarded his doctorate in Psychology in 1950 at the

. He was invited to join the faculty of the University of Michigan in the Psychology Department where he remained his entire career (1950 - 1985). Atkinson was devoted to the teaching of undergraduates throughout his career. As one of the original founders of th
University of Michigan's Honors Program in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts
Professor Atkinson fostered unique opportunities and created multi-disciplinary courses to challenge undergraduate students. He authored and edited many books and articles on the scientific study of human motivation, achievement and behavior. Many of his books have been translated into other languages, including Russian, German, and Spanish. His theoretical and experimental work spanned decades and spawned many doctorates. Atkinson was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1979. Other awards and honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship (1960), participation twice as a Fellow at the

Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) is an interdisciplinary research lab at Stanford University that offers a residential postdoctoral fellowship program for scientists and scholars studying "the five core social and ...

at Stanford University, Fellow of the

, an Honorary Doctorate from Ruhr University, Germany, Wesleyan University Distinguished Alumni Award, the Association for Psychological Science: William James Fellow Award, and the American Psychological Association's highest award, the Gold Medal for Distinguished Scientific Contribution. Atkinson was honored on his retirement with a special colloquium at the University which brought together a number of his former students and colleagues who spoke of his inspiration and contributions to the science of human motivation. He was named Professor Emeritus in 1985. Atkinson insisted on ethical behavior and highly valued the fundamental freedoms on which the USA was founded. An expression of his support for a free press was his role as a member of the Board of Control of the Michigan Daily during the turbulent 1960s. In the early 1970s, his beliefs led him to become outraged by the behavior of President Richard M. Nixon, whom he viewed as a threat to liberty and justice. Jack organized and led public meetings and demonstrations denouncing President Nixon and vigorously promoted Nixon's impeachment by Congress.

Publications: Books

*"Studies in Projective Measurement of Achievement Motivation", By John William Atkinson, University of Michigan Microfilms, 1950. *''The Achievement Motive'', By McClelland, D. C., Atkinson, J. W., Clark, R. A., 4 Lowell, E. L., New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1953. *"Nebraska Symposium on Motivation", By Marshall R. Jones and John William Atkinson, University of Nebraska Press, 1954. *''Motives in Fantasy, Action, and Society: a method of assessment and study'', By John W. Atkinson, Van Nostrand (1958) *"Achievement Motive and Text Anxiety Conceived as Motive to Approach Success and Motive to Avoid Failure", By John William Atkinson and George H. Litwin, Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1960. *''Effects of ability grouping in schools: Related to individual differences in achievement-related motivation, final report'', By John W. Atkinson and Patricia O'Connor, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Dept. of Psychology (1963) *''An Introduction to Motivation'', By John William Atkinson, D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc (1965), Oxford, England: Van Nostrand; (1964), *''Human motivation: a symposium'', By Marshall R. Jones and John William Atkinson, University of Nebraska Press; 1st Edition (1965) *''The Dynamics of Action'', By John William Atkinson and David Birch, New. York: Wiley (1970) *''A Theory of Achievement Motivation'', By John William Atkinson and Norman T. Feather, Volume 6, Wiley, (1966), Krieger Pub Co (June 1, 1974), *''Motivation and Achievement'', By John William Atkinson and Joel O. Raynor, Winston; istributed by Halsted Press Division, New York(1974) , *''Personality, Motivation and Achievement'', By John William Atkinson and Joel O. Raynor, Hemisphere Pub. Corp. (1978) , *''Personality, Motivation, and Action: Selected papers'' (Centennial psychology series), By John William Atkinson, Praeger (1983), *''Motivation, Thought, and Action'', By Julius Kuhl, and John W. Atkinson, New York: Praeger Publishers (June 6, 1986) *"Dictionary of Psychology", By John William Atkinson, Eric Berne, and

Robert Sessions Woodworth Robert Sessions Woodworth (October 17, 1869 – July 4, 1962) was an American academic psychologist and the creator of the personality test which bears his name. A graduate of Harvard and Columbia, he studied under William James along with othe ...

, 4th Edition, GOYL SaaB, 1988.

References

External links

BurialObituaryFrontiers of Motivational Psychology: Essays in Honor of John W. AtkinsonJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation A Fellows PageWesleyan University Distinguished Alumni AwardWilliam James Fellow Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, John William 1923 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American psychologists Wesleyan University alumni University of Michigan alumni University of Michigan faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the American Psychological Association American military personnel of World War II