Harry Kempen

Harry J.G. Kempen (February 9, 1937 - March 26, 2000[1]) was a Dutch cultural psychologist, and Associate Professor at the Nijmegen Cultural Psychology Group (NCPG) of the Radboud University Nijmegen, known for his work with Hubert Hermans on the Dialogical self theory.[2][3]

Life and work

Kempen was born in Nieuwenhagen, in southeastern Limburg, Netherlands. After his graduation he started his academic career as researcher at the Psychological Laboratory of the Radboud University Nijmegen in the 1960s.[4] Kempen's early research had focussed on "The strategy of peace in sociological perspective",[5] and he published another article about "Psychology and the problems of war prevention and peacebuilding".[6]

In 1972 he edited his first publication with Vimala Thakar[7] In the 1972 unpublished article, entitled "From the cabinet of exotic comportment to a general theory of behavior", he gave a sketch of his "cultural psychology, that was critical of psychology itself, but at the same time stimulating all of us to look beyond culture."[1] In the 1970s Kempen also joined the Department of Culture and Religion Psychology, where he lectured in Cultural psychology until the late-1990s. Among his students were Jürgen Straub, German Professor of intercultural communication,;[8] Hub Zwart, Professor of Philosophy at the Radboud University Nijmegen;[9] and Theo Verheggen (PhD 2005).[10]

In the 1980s Kempen conducted more general research in health behaviour in the Netherlands,[11] which resulted in the 1993 book about "Western standards in mental health."[12] He also wrote some biographical articles for the "Biographical Dictionary of Netherlands",[13] and a publication about "The Nijmegen cultural psychology."[14]

In the 1990s Kempen and Hubert Hermans developed a new approach in cultural psychology around the concept of the dialogical self.[15] In 1993 they published the seminal work The dialogical self: Meaning as movement, and published several articles in American Psychologist, Journal of Personality and Theory & Psychology. Despite their success Kempen suffered from depression. In 2000 he died in Nijmegen four days before his retirement from the Radboud University. At the university he is remembered by as the "personification of cultural psychology."[16]

Selected publications

Articles, a selection:

References

  1. 1 2 In memoriam Harry Kempen NCPG - Nijmegen Cultural Psychology Group August 2000
  2. ↑ Rose, Nikolas. Inventing our selves: Psychology, power, and personhood. Cambridge University Press, 1998.
  3. ↑ Pedersen, Paul. A handbook for developing multicultural awareness. American Counseling Association, 2000.
  4. ↑ Register van lopend onderzoek in de sociale wetenschappen, 1967-1968. (1968) p.118
  5. ↑ International Peace Research Newsletter. Vol. 1-4 (1963). p. 16
  6. ↑ H. J. G. Kempen 'Psychologie en de problemen van oorlogspreventie en vredesopbouw' in Annalen van het Thijm- genootschap 1966 (54)
  7. ↑ Vimala Thakar, H.J.G. Kempen, F.G. Middelman, J.M. van Kerkoerle Toespraken in de Nijmeegse Universiteit II: toespraken gehouden op 9 en 10 november 1972 in het Psychologisch Laboratorium van de Universiteit te Nijmegen. Stichting Vimala Thakar, 1975
  8. ↑ Jürgen Straub (2006) Pursuit Of Meaning: : Advances In Cultural And Cross Cultural Psychology. p. 132
  9. ↑ "Prof. Dr. Hub (H.A.E.) Zwart – Curriculum Vitae" at filosofie.science.ru.nl, 2013. Accessed 19.05.2015.
  10. ↑ Verheggen, Theo. Culture Alt Delete: On the Misperception of Culture in Psychology. Open Universiteit Nederland, 2005.
  11. ↑ H.J.G. Kempen, S. van der Linden (1981). Gezondheidsgedrag in een Nederlandse quota-steekproef. Nijmegen : Katholieke Universiteit
  12. ↑ F.A.M. Kortmann, H.J.G. Kempen & H. Procee (1993) Westerse normen in de geestelijke gezondheidszorg. Baarn : Ambo
  13. ↑ Schöffer, Ivo. Biografisch woordenboek van Nederland. Vol. 2. Nijhoff, 1979.
  14. ↑ Kempen, H., Paul Voestermans & V.J. Welten. De Nijmeegse cultuurpsychologie. Psychologisch Laboratorium, Universiteit Nijmegen, 1991.
  15. ↑ Ralph L. Piedmont, Andrew Village (2009) Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion. Vol. 20. p. 117
  16. ↑ Harry Kempen Genootschap van Cultuur- en Godsdienstpsychologen, Krant Maart 2002

External links

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