McClelland, David C. (David Clarence), 1917-1998
Variant namesDavid C. McClelland was a Harvard psychologist, noted especially for his work on achievement motivation .
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1917:
Born May 20, 1917 in Mt. Vernon, New York -
1933:
Graduates from Jacksonville, Illinois, High School -
1933 -1934 :Special student in languages at Macmurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois -
1938:
Graduates from Wesleyan University , with an A.B. in Psychology -
1938:
First marriage to Mary Sharpless, June 25, 1938 -
1939:
Obtains an A.M. from the University of Missouri in Psychology -
1941:
Obtains a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Yale University Becomes Instructor of Psychology at Connecticut College -
1942:
Leaves Connecticut College Instructor of Psychology at Wesleyan University -
1943:
Served as Assistant and Acting personnel secretary of the American Friends Service Committee , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -
1944:
Part-time lecturer in Psychology at Bryn Mawr College -
1945:
Becomes an Assistant Professor on Psychology at Wesleyan University Ends Part-time position teaching at Bryn Mawr College -
1946:
Becomes Chairman of the Department of Psychology at Wesleyan University -
Summer 1947:
Assistant Director, Sky Island Hostel for European Refugees (American Friends Service Committee) -
1948:
Becomes and Associate Professor of Psychology at Wesleyan University Fellow of the American Psychological Association -
1949 -1950 :Lectures in Social Psychology at Harvard University , then returns to Wesleyan University -
Fall 1950:
Becomes a staff consultant for the Social Science Research Council . This was in connection with the Ford Foundation Program for basic Social Science Development -
1951:
Salzburg, Austria Lectures in Social Psychology at the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies , Salzburg, Austria Publishes Personality, with J.W. Atkinson, R.A. Clark, E.L. Lowell Becomes member of the psychology panel, National Research Council -
1952 -1953 :Serves as Deputy Director of the Behavioral Sciences division of the Ford Foundation -
1953:
Becomes a Professor of Psychology at Wesleyan University Member of the Fullbright Award Committee -
Summer 1953:
Lecturer in the behavioral sciences, Diplomats' Conferences, sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee, Clarens, Switzerland -
1955:
Publishes Studies in Motivation -
1956:
Leaves Wesleyan University to become a Professor of Psychology in the Harvard University Department of Social Relations Honorary M.A. from Harvard University Member of the training grants committee, National Institutes of Mental Health Chairman of Staff, Center for Research in Personality -
1957:
Honorary Sc.D. from Wesleyan University Fellow, American Academy of Science -
1958:
Germany Honorary D.Phil. from the University of Maintz , Germany Receives Guggenheim Fellowship -
1959:
Travels to Italy with Guggenheim fellowship -
1961:
Publishes The Achieving Society, with D.G. Winter Lectures in Social Psychology at the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies, Salzburg, Austria -
1962:
Chairman of the Department of Social Relations, Harvard University , -
1962 -1963 :Master, South House, Radcliffe College -
1963:
Co-founder of McBer Consulting Co. (now a part of the Hay Institute ). McBer assists managers in evaluating and training their employees. Honorary L.L.D. MacMurray College Submits proposal to the National Education Association to offer seventh graders in good standing college scholarships to encourage motivation. -
1963 -1964 :India Tunisia Sabbatical year from Harvard University. Travels to India and Tunisia organizing research on entrepreneurial motivation. -
1964:
Publishes The Roots of Consciousness Chairman of the Staff, Center for Research in Personality President of the Eastern Psychological Association -
1965:
Becomes a member of the American Psychological Association Committee on Psychology in National and International Affairs -
1967:
Becomes President of the New England Psychological Association Ends service as Chairman of the Department of Social Relations, Harvard University Ends service as Chairman of the Staff, Center for Research in Personality -
Spring, 1968 :
Southeast Asia East Africa Peace Corps consultant, travels to Southeast Asia and East Africa -
1969:
Member of the Faculty of Education at Harvard University Graduate School of Education -
1970:
Honorary D.Litt. from Albion College -
1972:
Tunisia Morocco Spain France Mexico Travels to Tunisia, Morocco, Spain, France, and Mexico as a U.S. Information Agency Consultant -
1972:
Indonesia Sri Lanka Takes a leave from Harvard. Travels to Indonesia to participate in a UNIDO conference, spends three months in Sri Lanka, writes Need for Power -
1973:
Ends teaching as a Faculty of Education at Harvard University -
1973:
Has article published in The American Psychologist stating that IQ and personality tests are poor indicators of a person's competence -
1974:
Sri Lanka India Ethiopia Travels as part of the U.S. Information Service to Sri Lanka, India, and Ethiopia. -
1975:
Publishes Power: The Inner Experience -
1976:
Receives the McKinsey Award -
1980:
First wife, Mary, dies in December -
October 10, 1981:
Second marriage to Marian Adams -
1986:
Retires, becoming emeritus professor of Harvard University -
1986:
Distinguished research professor of psychology at Boston University -
1987:
Receives the award for Distinguished Scientific contribution from the American Psychological Association -
March 27, 1998:
Receives the Bruno Klopfer Award from the Society for Personality Assessment Dies. -
1999:
Receives the Henry A. Murray Award from the American Psychological Association Division 8
David McClelland was born in Mt. Vernon, New York on May 20, 1917. He obtained his BA from Wesleyan University in 1938, his MA from the University of Missouri in 1939, and his PhD from Yale in 1941. He taught at Wesleyan University for a number of years before joining the faculty at Harvard in 1956. He spent 30 years at Harvard and served as chairman of the Department of Social Relations. In 1987, McClelland moved to the University of Boston and remained there until his death. It was at Boston he received APA's Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions.
McClelland is well-known for his work on need theory, the belief that needs are acquired over time and are based on the individual's life experiences. He was considered an expert on human motivation and entrepreneurship. In 1963, he started McBer, a consulting company that aided managers in assessing and training employees. He also developed new scoring systems for the Thematic Apperception Test, a test aimed at assessing an individual's unconscious needs for achievement, power, and intimacy.
McClelland died on March 27, 1998 in Lexington, Massachusetts.
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| Relation | Name | |
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| associatedWith | Achievement Motivation Development Project | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Ann Colby | person |
| associatedWith | Behavioral Medicine Group at the Beth Israel Hospital | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Budd, Matthew | person |
| associatedWith | Carden, Maren Lockwood. | person |
| associatedWith | Caroline Hellman | person |
| associatedWith | Committee on Women's Studies | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Department of Social Relations | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Ford Foundation | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Gerald Lesser | person |
| associatedWith | Grossner, Isabel S., | person |
| associatedWith | Harvard Community Health Plan | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Harvard Graduate School of Education | corporateBody |
| correspondedWith | Harvard Law School Forum | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Harvard University | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Harvard University. Dept. of Social Relations. | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Harvard University. Dept. of Social Relations. | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Henry A. Murray Research Center | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Henry Murray | person |
| associatedWith | Indus Foundation | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Intermedia, Inc. | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | International Achievement Motivation Development Project | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | International Marketing Institute | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Jack Atkinson's | person |
| associatedWith | Mary McClelland | person |
| associatedWith | McBer Consulting | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | McLeod, Caroline | person |
| associatedWith | Pattulo, E. L. | person |
| associatedWith | Radcliffe | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Radcliffe College. Henry A. Murray Research Center. | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Radcliffe Data Resource and Research Center | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Sears, Robert R. (Robert Richardson). | person |
| associatedWith | Spencer Foundation. | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | The Murray Research Center | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Tiffany, Thomas D. | person |
| associatedWith | United States Agency for International Development | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | United States Office of Education | corporateBody |
| associatedWith | Winter, David G. | person |
| associatedWith | Yarway Corporation | corporateBody |
| Place Name | Admin Code | Country | |
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| United States |
| Subject |
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| Achievement motivation |
| Businessmen |
| Child development |
| Child rearing |
| Children's literature |
| Developmental psychology and motivation |
| Educator |
| Endowment of research |
| Entrepreneurship |
| History of psychology |
| Human capital |
| Industrial psychology and organizational behaviour |
| Motivation (Psychology) |
| Psychologists |
| Psychologists |
| Psychology |
| Thematic Apperception Test |
| Occupation |
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| Activity |
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Person
Birth 1917-05-20
Death 1998-03-27
Male
Americans
English
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