Elliot Aronson

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Lore & Background

Aronson grew up in extreme poverty in Revere, Massachusetts, during the Great Depression, the only Jewish family in his neighborhood, and was bullied by anti-Semitic gangs. He believes life's progress is based on luck, opportunity, talent, and intuition. Despite mediocre high school grades, his SAT scores earned him a work-study scholarship at Brandeis University. He initially majored in economics but changed to psychology after accidentally attending a lecture by Abraham Maslow, who became his primary mentor. He earned his bachelor's degree from Brandeis in 1954, a master's from Wesleyan University in 1956, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1959 under Leon Festinger. Aronson has taught at Harvard University, the University of Minnesota, the University of Texas, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, and served as distinguished visiting professor at Stanford. In 1971, after newly desegregated schools in Austin, Texas faced violence between ethnic groups, Aronson was called in as a consultant. He noticed the competitive atmosphere exacerbated ethnic rivalry and, with his graduate students, developed the Jigsaw Classroom approach. This technique divides students into small, mixed-race and mixed-ability groups to work cooperatively, with each student responsible for a section of material, fostering mutual support and reducing prejudice. Aronson's research on cognitive dissonance refined the theory, showing that people rationalize rather than think rationally. His classic experiment demonstrated that those undergoing an embarrassing initiation to join a group later evaluate the group more favorably. He also proposed the gain–loss theory of attraction in 1965 and published the pratfall effect in 1966. He officially retired in 1994 but continues to teach and write. In 2000, he was diagnosed with macular degeneration and lost all central vision by 2003; in 2011, he trained with a guide dog named Desilu.

Reader's Guide

Elliot Aronson's significance lies in his fundamental contributions to social psychology, particularly through his refinement of cognitive dissonance theory and the invention of the Jigsaw Classroom. His work shifted focus from individual pathology to situational factors, encapsulated in Aronson's First Law. The Jigsaw Classroom, developed during a crisis of interethnic violence in desegregated schools, demonstrated that cooperative learning structures can reduce prejudice and improve academic performance, self-esteem, and intergroup attitudes. This technique has been applied in hundreds of schools across North America and expanded to other educational levels, influencing policy on energy conservation and treatment of the elderly. Aronson's research on the pratfall effect and gain–loss theory of attraction further advanced understanding of interpersonal dynamics. His recognition as the only psychologist to win all three major APA awards, along with the William James Award for Lifetime Achievement, underscores his lasting impact. A 2002 survey ranked him the 78th most cited psychologist of the 20th century, and he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His legacy endures through his books, including The Social Animal, and the continued use of his techniques in education and conflict resolution.

Did You Know?

• Aronson is the only person in the 120-year history of the American Psychological Association to have won all three of its major awards: for writing, teaching, and research.
• He invented the Jigsaw Classroom in 1971 after being called in as a consultant to desegregated schools in Austin, Texas that faced a crisis of violence between ethnic groups.
• Aronson's classic experiment showed that people who undergo an embarrassing initiation to gain admission to a group develop more favorable evaluations of the group than those admitted after a mild initiation.
• In 2000, Aronson was diagnosed with macular degeneration and by 2003 had lost all central vision; in 2011 he trained with a guide dog named Desilu.
• A Review of General Psychology survey published in 2002 ranked Aronson as the 78th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.