Harold Lasswell

Harold Lasswell
BornFebruary 13, 1902
Donnellson, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 18, 1978 (aged 76)
New York City, U.S.
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Chicago (Ph.D.)
ThesisPropaganda Technique in the World War
InfluencesHavelock Ellis, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, Theodore Reik
Academic work
DisciplinePolitical science, communications theory
InstitutionsUniversity of Chicago, Yale University, City University of New York, Temple University School of Law
Notable ideasLasswell's model of communication, content analysis, garrison state, political psychology, policy sciences

Harold Dwight Lasswell (February 13, 1902 – December 18, 1978) was an American political scientist and communications theorist. He earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy and economics and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.[1] He was a professor of law at Yale University. He served as president of the American Political Science Association, American Society of International Law, and World Academy of Art and Science.[2]

According to a biographical memorial written by Gabriel Almond at the time of Lasswell's death, and published by the National Academies of Sciences in 1987, Lasswell "ranked among the half dozen creative innovators in the social sciences in the twentieth century." At the time, Almond asserted that "few would question that he was the most original and productive political scientist of his time."[2]

Areas of research in which Lasswell worked included the importance of personality, social structure, and culture in the explanation of political phenomena. Lasswell was associated with the disciplines of communication, political science, psychology, and sociology – however he did not adhere to the distinction between these boundaries, but instead worked to erase the lines drawn to divide these disciplines.[3]

  1. ^ "Harold Lasswell". Encyclopedia Britannica. 2023.
  2. ^ a b Almond, Gabriel A. (1987). Harold Dwight Lasswell (1902 – 1978): A Biographical Memoir (PDF). Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences.
  3. ^ Everett, Rogers (1994). A History of Communication Study: A Biographical Approach. NY: The Free Press. p. 3.

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