Douglas LaBier

Douglas LaBier is a business psychologist, psychotherapist, and writer. He is the Director of the Center for Adult Development, in Washington, D.C. His work focuses on the links between positive human development, careers, organizational culture and leadership. LaBier conducts programs for senior executives and leadership teams regarding these issues, in addition to practicing psychotherapy for men, women and couples.

LaBier was raised in upstate New York. His father, Horace J. LaBier, founded Local 227 of the International Chemical Workers Union in 1937 at a German-owned chemical factory nationalized by the U.S. government during World War I, and served as it’s president for 10 terms. LaBier’s father was frequently accused of being a Communist by the company, and won a well-publicized case before the National Labor Relations Board when the company forbid him to distribute pamphlets to workers containing readings of Spinoza, Aristotle, and Freud.

LaBier received his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1969 and did post-doctoral training at the National Institute of Mental Health, where he served on staff until 1973. He then trained in psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the Washington School of Psychiatry, and in the clinical and research methods of the psychoanalyst Erich Fromm.

LaBier is the author of Modern Madness: The Hidden Link Between Work and Emotional Conflict (ISBN 0-595-08900-3). Based on extensive research with 220 men and women, it described how careers within large organizations affect the potential for emotional and values conflict. It was cited by Daniel Goleman in The New York Times as “In the vanguard...offering sobering insights into the costs of modern success.” The book argued that personal and career-related conflicts are often caused by successful adaptation to the roles, pressures, and culture within organizations and careers.

LaBier has been a faculty member at the Washington School of Psychiatry since 1980 and has conducted workshops and management consultations to Federal Agencies, including the Department of State, Department of Commerce, and others; as well as for a variety of corporations, trade associations and nonprofit organizations.

LaBier has written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Fortune, Business Ethics, and other publications, regarding career and personal life conflicts within contemporary culture. His current research and management consulting deals with the implications of survey and research trends showing a growing desire to integrate career success, personal life goals, and service to the human community; and leadership development programs for corporate executives who are creating environmentally sustainable, socially responsible business practices.