|
Paul
Watzlawick, a pioneer in family therapy,
system theory, and constructivist
philosophy, died Saturday, March 31, 2007 at
his home in Palo Alto, California. He was 85
years of age.
Dr.
Watzlawick’s widely read and influential
contributions to system theory were many. He
is internationally known for his
contributions to Communication Theory, the
practice of Brief Therapy, and in the fields
of cybernetics applied to human interaction
and constructivist theory. He authored 22
books which have been translated into more
than 80 languages, including The
Pragmatics of Human Communication
(1967); Change: Principals of Problem
Formation and Problem Resolution (1974);
The Language of Change (1977); The
Invented Reality (1990); and How Real
is Real? (1976).
Dr.
Watzlawick received his Doctorate in 1949
from the University of Venice (Cà Foscari)
in Philosophy and Modern Languages and
trained at the C. G. Jung Institute in
Zurich. Since November of 1960, he served as
a member of the staff at the Mental Research
Institute (MRI). At the time of his death,
he was a Senior Research Fellow at MRI, a
founding member of the MRI Brief Therapy
Center team, and Professor Emeritus at the
Stanford University School of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences. After 46 years, he gave up his
office at MRI and entered into full-time
retirement.
Dr.
Watzlawick was the recipient of numerous
awards and honors, including:
-
Prix
Psych, Paris, 1971
-
Distinguished Achievement Award,
American Family Therapy Association,
1981
-
Outstanding Teacher Award, Psychiatric
Residency Class 1981, Stanford
University Medical Center
-
Paracelsus Ring, City of Villach
(Austria), 1987
-
Lifetime Achievement Award, Milton H.
Erickson Foundation, 1988
-
Distinguished Professor for
Contributions to Family Therapy Award,
American Association of Marriage &
Family Therapy, 1982
-
Medal
for Meritorious Service, City of Vienna,
1990
-
Doctor
honoris causa, University of Liege
(Belgium), 1992
-
Doctor
honoris causa, University of
Bordeaux‑III, 1992
-
Honorary Medal, Province of Carinthia
(Austria), 1993
-
Author's Award (Nonfiction), Donauland
Book Association, Vienna, 1993
He is
survived by his wife, Vera; stepdaughters
Yvonne and Joanne; sister, Maria Wúnsch; and
his nephew Harald Wúnsch of Villach,
Austria.
Dr.
Watzlawick donated his body to science.
There will be no services held.
Click here to view the article by the San
Francisco Chronicle newspaper |
