Psychologists

Muzafer Sherif

Citation Formats

General Reference

Psychology Atlas. "Muzafer Sherif." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://psychology.interactiveatlas.org/psychologists/muzafer-sherif.

APA Style

Psychology Atlas. (n.d.). Muzafer Sherif. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://psychology.interactiveatlas.org/psychologists/muzafer-sherif

BibTeX

@misc{psychologyatlas-muzafer-sherif,
  author = {Psychology Atlas},
  title = {Muzafer Sherif},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://psychology.interactiveatlas.org/psychologists/muzafer-sherif},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Muzafer Sherif was a Turkish-American social psychologist who conducted pioneering experimental research on how social norms form and how intergroup conflict arises from competition over resources, most famously in the 1954 Robbers Cave experiment.

Facts

Birth Date

1906-07-29 1

Birth Year

1906 1

Death Date

1988-10-16 1

Death Year

1988 1

Birthplace

Odemis, Ottoman Empire 1

Death Place

Fairbanks, Alaska, United States 1

Nationality / Culture

Turkish-American 1

Defining Contribution

Developed realistic conflict theory and conducted the Robbers Cave experiment, demonstrating that superordinate goals reduce intergroup hostility more effectively than contact alone. 1

Notable Work

Intergroup Conflict and Cooperation: The Robbers Cave Experiment (1961) 1

Cross-Tradition Connections