Joseph Rychlak

Dr. Joseph F. Rychlak (b. December 17, 1928) is an internationally renowned Psychologist especially well known for his work with theoretical and philosophical psychology. He developed a theoretical stance known as "Rigorous Humanism." This term refers to Rychlak's blending of agentic or volitional psychological theories with rigorous empirical methods and tests traditionally used in the natural sciences. Dr. Rychlak is the Maude C. Clark Professor in Humanistic Psychology at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois.

Once a student of George Kelly, Rychlak continued in the  personal construct tradition through his neo-Kantian analysis of causality. Dr. Rychlak's work can be roughly divided into two main areas: theoretical and empirical. The theoretical area of his work is centered on exploring and understanding the theoretical and philosophical foundations of psychology. The empirical area of his work, on the other hand, focuses on scientific experiments designed to empirically test his logical learning theory (LLT).

Family: Joseph Rychlak is married to Lenora Rychlak, and they have two children, Stephanie and Ronald. They have eight grandchildren: Robert Stilson, Scott Stilson, Joseph Rychlak, Lindsey Rychlak, Susanna Rychlak, Mary Helen Rychlak, Sally Rychlak, and Olivia Rychlak

Notable Works

 * Introduction to Personality and Psychotherapy: A Theory Construction Approach Rychlak outlines the history of theory and philosophy in Psychology, distinguishing all theories into either Lockean, Kantian, or mixed-model approaches.
 * A Philosophy of Science for Personality Theory This text has been a foundational work for the subfield of Psychology, "Theoretical psychology."