Robert Kahn (social scientist)

Robert L. Kahn (born 1918, in Detroit, Michigan) is an American psychologist and social scientist, specializing in organizational theory and survey research, having been considered a "founding father" of the modern approach to these disciplines.^[1] He has also been involved in developing studies on aging.^[2]

Biography

Robert L. Kahn, born in 1918, earned his PhD at the University of Michigan and was one of the founding members of the Institute for Social Research.^[3] He taught at the University of Michigan from 1948 to 1976, and directed the Survey Research Center.^[3] He was president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues in 1970.^[1]

Thought

Kahn's work on organizational theory, including the book "The Social Psychology of Organizations" (1966) that he co-authored with Daniel Katz, has been described as "a major influence on the field of organizational research, applying a framework of open system theory—the assumption that an organization continuously interacts with its environment—to research on leadership, role behavior, and organizational effectiveness".^[2] Kahn has also been appraised as a leading scholar in the study of aging,^[2] especially after the publication of "Successful Aging" (1998) that he co-authored with John Wallis Rowe. The book and other pertaining research on the topic by Kahn and collaborators have contributed to the understanding of mechanisms of successful aging.^[4]

Publications

• 1966. The Social Psychology of Organizations, co-authored with Daniel Katz.
• 1998. Successful Aging, co-authored with John Wallis Rowe.

References