Leo Srole (October 8, 1908 in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
– May 1, 1993 in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
) was an American sociologist who taught at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and the
New York State Psychiatric Institute
The New York State Psychiatric Institute, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was established in 1895 as one of the first institutions in the United States t ...
(NYSPI).
Early life and education
Srole was born and raised in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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, coordinates =
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, the son of
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
n Jewish immigrants. He received his S.B. from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1933, after which he began studying with
W. Lloyd Warner
William Lloyd Warner (October 26, 1898 – May 23, 1970) was a pioneering anthropologist and sociologist noted for applying the techniques of British functionalism to understanding American culture.
Background
William Lloyd Warner was born in ...
at the
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest and largest museums focusing on anthropological material, with ...
. He then began working with
Eliot Chapple
Eliot Dismore Chapple (April 29, 1909 – August 9, 2000, Sarasota) was an American anthropologist. In 1941, he was one of the founders of the Society for Applied Anthropology, and its first president. His 1942 work with Carleton Coon applied the n ...
in
Newburyport
Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...
before transferring to the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
to complete his Ph.D. under Warner's supervision.
[
]
Career
After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1940, Srole taught at New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
and Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges are Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts colleges in Geneva, New York. They trace their origins to Geneva Academy established in 1797. Students can choose from 45 maj ...
from 1941 to 1942. He then worked for the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
as a military psychologist from 1943 to 1945. Before joining the faculty of Columbia University and the NYSPI, he taught at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (Downstate) is a public medical school and hospital in Brooklyn, New York. It is the southernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and the only academic medical center for health e ...
from 1951 to 1965. He retired from teaching at Columbia and the NYSPI in 1988.[
]
Research
After graduating from the University of Chicago, Srole continued research in the vein of Warner's.[ He later conducted the Midtown Manhattan Study, known also as "The Midtown Study," landmark research on the ]mental health
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
of 1,660 residents of New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Published in 1962, the study found that less than 20% of those surveyed were in good mental health, a finding that initially prompted doubts, but which was later accepted by other researchers. The ''American Journal of Psychiatry
''The American Journal of Psychiatry'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of psychiatry, and is the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association.
The first volume was issued in 1844, at which time it was k ...
'', for example, described the study as "a beacon to all future researchers", and its results were later used by a presidential commission to project national estimates.[
]
References
1908 births
1993 deaths
Jewish American academics
Jewish American social scientists
Scientists from Chicago
Harvard University alumni
University of Chicago alumni
Columbia University faculty
Hobart and William Smith Colleges faculty
New York University faculty
American people of Lithuanian descent
{{US-sociologist-stub