I wish to acknowledge and express my deep appreciation and enthusiasm for the research and insights of my mentors Richard Gonzalez and Phoebe C. Ellsworth at the University of Michigan. My gratitude to Rich and Phoebe is immeasurable: beyond quantification (but within reason). Rich’s interest, guidance, patience, and encouragement enabled me to start this work (i.e., Towards a General Theory of Social Psychology: Understanding Human Cruelty, Human Misery, &, Perhaps, a Remedy, 2009) while I completed my doctoral study in social psychology at the University of Michigan, and Phoebe’s way of being, literally, enabled me to complete it. In being, Phoebe taught me that love is an attitude, too, thereby illuminating the enlightening implications of an otherwise, unenlightening automatic process. I am also indebted to Phoebe who first made me aware of morality’s relevance to emotion and to Rich who awakened me to the work’s relevance to the reference group and cognitive inconsistency literatures.
PHOEBE C. ELLSWORTH
Academic Mentor for my MA and PhD:
Dr. Phoebe Ellsworth, Frank Murphy Distinguished University Professor, Emerita Social Psychology & Law, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor:
https://banaji.sites.fas.harvard.edu/research/speaking/tributes/ellsworth.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebe_C._Ellsworth
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RICHARD D. GONZALEZ
Academic Mentor for my MA and PhD:
Dr. Richard Gonzalez, Amos N Tversky Collegiate Professor of Psychology & Statistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor:
https://faculty.isr.umich.edu/gonzo/
https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/faculty/gonzo.html
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DACHER KELTNER
Academic Inspiration & Teacher, before Graduate School, at University of California, Berkeley:
Dr. Dacher Keltner
Dacher Keltner is THE reason I became a Ph.D. social psychologist, as I took his “Power, Dominance, and Status” class at U.C. Berkeley many years ago —and if you told me then that I would use social psychology to tackle questions of good vs. evil, emotion, love, and then (without meaning to!) logically prove the truth of the “true self” (or “soul”?!) I wouldn’t have believed it! But I guess somehow Dacher knew … because he endorsed me as a candidate for graduate school, writing my letter of recommendation, and told me to study with Phoebe Ellsworth and Rich Gonzalez at the U. of M, and so I did, and I ended up getting my Ph.D. there. Then, I published a book in 2009 that scientifically linked these concepts together into a general social psychological theory, logically, bridging science and spirit, which I couldn’t believe, either! The work blew my mind—and then I used the work to heal my own life—which also blew my mind! Simply put, Dacher Keltner gave me a mind-blowing, AWE-filled life! If he can do this for me, just imagine what he can do for you! You can read his book, “Awe,” here: https://a.co/d/1xPdWjq. His website is DacherKeltner.com.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/profile/dacher_keltner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacher_Keltner
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Academic Inspiration & Teacher in College for my Double B.S. Mathematics & Economics (with Unofficial Spanish Minor):
Dr. Andrew Vogt, Professor of Mathematics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC:
ANDREW VOGT
Dr. Vogt would always say, “Math is Life!” with a smile and humor! At the time, I had no idea what he meant, but I always laughed and felt in my heart that he was onto something–and indeed, maybe he was, because I ended up using Math (principles I learned in Abstract Algebra) and Psychology to derive outcomes, such as The Social Psychological Social Environment Theory of Depression in my 2009 book. Just as numbers are used to represent quantities of actual things (sticks, dollars) and are manipulated (added, subtracted) as a time-saving device (rather than having to count the actual things themselves), in the pursuit of truth, we as psychologists can use symbols to represent constructs and empirically proven (i.e., replicable) relationships, and manipulate these symbols (of constructs and their relations) using the tool of logic (analogous to using the tools of addition and subtraction on numbers) as a time-saving device (thereby enabling us to rapidly generate hypotheses that are likely to find empirical support). He ran our Math Club and allowed us to create the musical, “Dances with Calculators,” and I am forever grateful.
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/andrew-vogt-obituary?id=6177095
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Speaking Mentor:
Les Brown, Motivational Speaker & Former Ohio State Legislature Representative
LES BROWN
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Brown_(politician)
https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/honorable-les-brown
I send Les “Happy Birthday!” messages every year, because I love him THAT much. He is the best inspirational speaker I have ever heard, because I can literally feel his message in my heart, and he taught me to change my victim story into an empowering story, which changed my life–and emotions–in the very best way! He taught me to always believe in myself. He says, “You are Masterpiece, created in the image of the Master,” and “Never let anyone’s opinion of you become your reality.” He even has a book called, “Live Your Dreams!” available at: https://a.co/d/dwiVJhW. He also has an intuitive sense of the same truths I uncovered scientifically, in my 2009 book. Our lives have many parallels. He says, “You have something special. You have GREATNESS within you,” and “The story you believe about yourself determines your success.” These are similar lessons to those I teach, based on social-psychological science: We must not let negative social influence dictate our emotional reality. We both have had our work featured with Toastmasters, on TV, and in SUCCESS Magazine–and I know it wouldn’t have been at all possible without my mentors! His website is: LesBrown.com
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JACK L. TREYNOR
Meet my Dad: His work, the CAPM, won the Nobel Prize in 1990–although it didn’t go to him, but to someone else, after he had shared a draft of his unpublished work that was circulated. (It went to William Sharpe, who discovered it independently.) Nevertheless, his work, The CAPM, won the Nobel Prize, and he was my mentor, as well. Needless to say, he was well-educated and a brilliant thinker, so he was a great mentor and taught me how to think: He had an MBA from Harvard and undergraduate degree from Haverford. Here’s a video of my memorial speech to him, where you can get a sense of how close we were. Whatever he asked me to do, as his daughter, I did–even to cancel an overseas trip!–and when he died, I had no regrets, because I had done absolutely everything he ever asked me to do, because I loved him. He was the best Dad a girl–or woman–could ever have, because his unconditional love was steadfast! He was such a good Dad that I was holding his hand–and the only one with him in the hospital, by the way–when he died. On his last breath, I saw him shed a single tear, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was crying because he loved his life on Earth so much! He inspired me in my work greatly, because he was dedicated to helping humanity and preventing a World War III with his work, which also became my goal, with my work: to help humanity and prevent a World War III with it, as well, as you can see in my 2009 book! You can start the video at 1:48:50 to see my speech about him here… I LOVE YOU, DAD; THANK YOU FOR BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN ME & TEACHING ME THE VALUE OF SERVICE:
Jack L. Treynor Papers Open for Research