Dr. Nevitt Sanford: Part One: Introduction (01:06)

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Dr. Nevitt Sanford, a trained philosopher and psychoanalysis, had an extensive career in academics and is currently a professor at Stanford University and director of the Institute for the Study of Human Problems. He is responsible for numerous psychological studies, and a unique application of psychoanalytic theory and cross-disciplinary approaches to the study of human problems.

Establishing Psychological Principles (07:51)

Sanford discusses his career and his experiences as one of the only American psychologists who helped pioneer psychoanalysis. He shares his opinion on the direction of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytical thinking in the American psychological community.

Redefining Freudian Terms (04:49)

Sanford comments on an influential discussion about identification he wrote in which he determined the word "identification" was being misused and did not align with Freudian psychology. He goes on to discuss the factors that dictate human behavior, mainly how to copy the personalities of their parents.

Studying Authority and Discrimination (09:07)

The interviewer interjects to ask Sanford how he came to study the phenomenon of authoritarianism; Sanford explains this study can explain neurotic behavior and normal behavior, contrary to popular belief. Sanford tells the story of how the research group that studied the authoritarian personality.

Understanding Levels of Authoritarianism (07:34)

In terms of his research, Sanford shares that some of the characteristics of people with high authoritarian personalities include stereotyping, prejudice against Jews, strict obedience, but can manifest itself in many different ways. The conversation concludes with a discussion about individuals who are low on authoritarianism, a subject equally as important to Sanford's critical study covered in "The Authoritarian Personality."

Credits: Dr. Nevitt Sanford (01:48)

Credits: Dr. Nevitt Sanford