Mayman, Martin

Director of psychological training at the Menninger Foundation (1951-1966); professor of psychology at the University of Michigan (1967-1999); associate director (1967-1973), later co-director (1974-1981) of the Psychological Clinic at the University of Michigan.

Martin Mayman was born April 2, 1924 in New York. He received his B.S. in mathematics and psychology from City College of New York in 1943, his M.S. in psychology from New York University in 1947 and his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Kansas in 1953.

From 1951 to 1966, Mayman was director of psychological training at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansa, where he founded and directed the post-doctoral training program in clinical psychology and pioneered several well-known psychodiagnostic procedures, such as the Early Memories Test.

Mayman completed psychoanalytic training at the Topeka Institute for Psychoanalysis. He came to the University of Michigan as a visiting professor in 1966 and became professor of psychology in 1967. Mayman retired in 1997 from active faculty status. On March 20, 1998, the Regents of the University of Michigan granted Mayman emeritus status.

In addition to being a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, Mayman was a clinical psychologist at the Psychological Clinic, Institute of Human Adjustment. Additionally, Mayman served as the associate director of the Psychological Clinic from 1967 to 1973 and as its co-director from 1974 to 1981. The Psychological Clinic was founded in the 1950s under a special Rackham Endowment.

Mayman's early research focused on personality assessment, psychological testing and projective techniques. He later became interested in the subject of shame and its role in development and psychopathology.

Mayman was a prolific author, writing on topics such as Early Memories, the Rorschach, Psychopathology, and Clinical Psychology. He authored or co-authored 28 articles on psychological testing, many of which have become classics in the field. Mayman was also the recipient of many awards from professional organizations, receiving, among others, the Distinguished Contributions Award from the Society for Personality Assessment, the Distinguished Service to the Profession of Psychoanalysis Award from the American Psychological Association, Division 39, and the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology Award from City College of New York.

He died March 18, 1999.