The Society for Descriptive Psychology is a Community exploring the Person Concept: The interdependent conceptual framework of Person, Behavior, Language, and World to create common ground for the Human Sciences.

As documented by Mary Shideler in her paper The Founding of the Society for Descriptive Psychology, the Society was founded on December 27, 1978 with the participation and/or assistance of the following 22 people:

Paul Zeiger, Carolyn Zeiger, Walter Torres, Mary McDermott Shideler, Cory Sapin, Mary Kathleen Roberts, Lisa Putman, Anthony Putman, Dan Popov, Peter Ossorio, Tom Mitchell, Kate Marshall, Jane Littmann, Lane Lasater, Sonja Holt, Lawrence Aylesworth, George Kelling, John Forward, Jerry Felknor, Catherine Felknor, Keith Davis, Earlene Busch.

At the time of founding, Peter G. Ossorio was elected as Honorary President for life, with new Presidents and a Board of Directors elected by the Society membership each year. A list of Society Past Presidents can be found here and a list of current officers can be found here.

Since its inception, the Society has held regular annual meetings. Extant copies of Annual Meeting Programs can be found here.

The core Descriptive Psychology conceptual framework can be explored in nearly 400 books and articles published by Dr. Ossorio and his students. Many of Dr. Ossorio’s books and publications can be found at The Peter G. Ossorio Collection at CU Scholar.

Many of his publications can also be accessed on this website, here, including his comprehensive book The Behavior of Persons.

Several hundred additional publications and dissertations by his students and
colleagues can also be accessed on this website, here, here, and here.

We welcome you to explore Descriptive Psychology and join us at one of our annual meetings.