Douglas LaBier is a business psychologist, psychotherapist, and writer. He is known for research demonstrating that success in business and careers can create emotional and values conflicts for men and women.

Education and Academic Research

LaBier was raised in upstate New York. His father, Horace J. LaBier, founded Local 227 of the International Chemical Workers Union in 1937 at a German-owned chemical factory seized by the U.S. government during World War I, and served as its president for 10 terms. "LaBier’s father was frequently accused of being a Communist by the company, and won a well-publicized case before the National Labor Relations Board when the company forbid him to distribute pamphlets to workers containing readings of

Spinoza Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, ...

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

, and Freud." LaBier received his bachelor's degree from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in 1965, and his Ph.D. from the

State University of New York at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

and did post-doctoral training at the National Institute of Mental Health, where he served on staff until 1973. He then trained in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the Washington School of Psychiatry, where he later served on the faculty. LaBier's research topics have included the relationship between psychopathology and bureaucratic work within the U.S. government, emotional disturbances in bureaucracies, and applications of the emergent cyclical levels of existence theory of

Clare W. Graves Clare W. Graves (December 21, 1914 – January 3, 1986) was a professor of psychology and originator of the ''emergent cyclical theory'' of adult human development, aspects of which were later popularised as '' Spiral Dynamics''. He was born in N ...

Career

LaBier has written for various publications, particularly ''The Washington Post'', and has been quoted as an expert on topics such as the link between work and mental health; midlife developmental conflicts; building psychologically healthy management and leadership; and positive human development in publications including

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

, CBS News and

O, The Oprah Magazine ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', also known simply as ''O'', is an American monthly magazine founded by talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Communications. Overview It was first published on April 19, 2000. , its average paid circulation was ...

His most widely cited work, the book ''Modern Madness: The Emotional Fallout of Success'', describes his seven-year study demonstrating how successful careers within large organizations affect the potential for emotional and values conflict among people who are not otherwise emotionally disturbed. LaBier founded the Center for Progressive Development as a nonprofit in 1995., and has been a faculty member at the Washington School of Psychiatry since 1980. He also conducts programs for senior executives and leadership teams based on his findings and empirical data to create positive management cultures, and workshops for audiences such as trade associations.

Works

* ''Modern Madness: The Emotional Fallout Of Success'' (1986) * "Madness Stalks the Ladder Climbers", ''Fortune'' (September 1986) * ''Modern Madness: The Hidden Link Between Work and Emotional Conflict'' (1989) * "You've Gotta Think Like Google", ''The Washington Post'' (November 11, 2008)

References

External links

Center for Progressive Development

Washington School of Psychiatry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Labier, Douglas Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American psychologists American psychology writers American male non-fiction writers American psychotherapists Union College (New York) alumni