Psychologists

Julian Rappaport

Citation Formats

General Reference

Psychology Atlas. "Julian Rappaport." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://psychology.interactiveatlas.org/psychologists/julian-rappaport.

APA Style

Psychology Atlas. (n.d.). Julian Rappaport. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://psychology.interactiveatlas.org/psychologists/julian-rappaport

BibTeX

@misc{psychologyatlas-julian-rappaport,
  author = {Psychology Atlas},
  title = {Julian Rappaport},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://psychology.interactiveatlas.org/psychologists/julian-rappaport},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Julian Rappaport is an American psychologist, professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who introduced the concept of empowerment into social work, social psychiatry and community psychology. Working from 1977 in the context of the U.S. welfare crisis, he argued for an ecological, person-environment-fit view of well-being rather than one centered on changing individual personality, and his 1984 book Studies in Empowerment remains the field's seminal statement of the idea.

Facts

Nationality / Culture

American 1

Defining Contribution

Introduced the concept of empowerment into social work, social psychiatry and community psychology, arguing for an ecological person-environment-fit view of well-being. 1

Notable Work

Studies in Empowerment (1984) 1

Cross-Tradition Connections