Stella Chess (March 1, 1914 – March 14, 2007) was an American child psychiatrist who 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, th ...

(NYU). With her husband, Alexander Thomas, she undertook research into whether the temperaments of children are innate or are dependent on their nurturing. She also conducted studies on the potential links between rubella during pregnancy and autism in the child.

Early life and education

The middle of three children, Chess was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to Russian immigrant parents. Her father was a lawyer and her mother was a schoolteacher. Chess graduated from the

Ethical Culture School Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS), also referred to as Fieldston, is a private independent school in New York City. The school is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League. The school serves approximately 1,700 students with 480 facul ...

and Smith College. She then enrolled at

(NYU)

School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

in 1935, receiving her M.D. from there in 1939. While a student there, she took an elective with

Lauretta Bender Lauretta Bender (August 9, 1897 – January 4, 1987) was an American child neuropsychiatrist known for developing the Bender-Gestalt Test, a psychological test designed to evaluate visual-motor maturation in children. First published by Bender in ...

, which solidified her interest in child psychiatry and development.

Career

Chess taught at

New York Medical College New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro College and University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the Scho ...

after she received her M.D., and in 1954, she became the first professor of child psychology there. She first joined NYU in 1964, at the university's Bellevue Hospital Medical Center. In 1966, she became an associate professor of child psychiatry at NYU, and in 1970, she became a full professor there. She continued to teach at NYU into her 90s.

Research

Chess was known for conducting the New York Longitudinal Study, which concluded that children's

temperament In psychology, temperament broadly refers to consistent individual differences in behavior that are biologically based and are relatively independent of learning, system of values and attitudes. Some researchers point to association of temperam ...

s are determined before they are born, and not by the parenting they receive. This study, which she conducted with her husband, Alexander Thomas, also led to her developing a theory, which postulates that the interaction between a child's temperament and the personality of his or her parents can affect the child's mental health. Also on the basis of this study's results, Chess and Thomas categorized children into three categories based on their innate temperaments: "easy", "difficult", and "slow to warm up". She also conducted studies on the potential link between rubella and autism. In these studies, which were published in the 1970s, she found that children with

congenital rubella syndrome Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) can occur in a developing fetus of a pregnant woman who has contracted rubella, usually in the first trimester. If infection occurs 0–28 days before conception, the infant has a 43% risk of being affected. If t ...

developed autism at rates 200 times higher than the general population at the time.

Death

Chess died in Manhattan on March 14, 2007. She was 93 years old. Her cause of death was

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chess, Stella 1914 births 2007 deaths American child psychiatrists Physicians from New York City Ethical Culture Fieldston School alumni Smith College alumni New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni New York Medical College faculty New York University faculty Deaths from pneumonia in New York City American women psychiatrists