David McClelland (psychologist)

American psychologist and researcher

• Born: May 20, 1917
• Died: March 27, 1998

Significance: David McClelland was an American psychologist whose work influenced many aspects of psychology, particularly research about motivation. One of McClelland's most important works was The Achieving Society, which was published in 1961. In it, McClelland identified the three main factors that he believed motivated human behavior. McClelland's work and teaching influenced the field of psychology, and many of his students went on to make their own important advancements in the field.

Background

David Clarence McClelland was born on May 20, 1917, in Mt. Vernon, New York. His father was a college professor and a Methodist minister. McClelland received his undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University in 1938. He then attended the University of Missouri and earned a master's degree. McClelland earned a doctoral degree from Yale University in 1941. He enjoyed studying languages and assumed he would teach language for a living. He even translated poetry and other works for enjoyment. However, his work in psychology and other fields eventually influenced him to focus more on human motivation and human nature.

He worked as an instructor at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania from 1943 to 1945, and he taught a course in human motivation. At the same time, he worked at the American Friends Service Committee, where he often worked with conscientious objectors and refugees. He also worked at the Ford Foundation from 1952 to 1953. McClelland became a full-time faculty member at Harvard University in 1956. He was the chair of the Department of Social Relations from 1962 to 1967. McClelland taught and conducted research at the university for roughly thirty years. In 1987, he became professor emeritus. He also worked as a research professor of psychology at Boston University starting in 1986. McClelland continued to research and write until his death, and his theories, models, and research have been used by professionals in various fields.

Life's Work

McClelland conducted research throughout his academic career. His work led to important discoveries about human motivation and other subjects. In 1951, he published a work called Personality. In 1961, he published The Achieving Society, which helped explain McClelland's idea about human motivation. The book states that humans are motivated by three main factors: the need for achievement, the need for power, and the need for affiliation. McClelland claimed that although these three factors are all responsible for human behavior, different people and different cultures place differing values on each factor. McClelland's theory became known as the acquired needs theory.

McClelland investigated these different motivations to better understand how they affect people. He believed the need for achievement is a need for people to improve on standards and norms. He believed people who are motivated mostly by the need for achievement assess themselves to determine how to improve. They enjoy activities, such as golf, where they receive scores that they can improve. McClelland believed that the need for power is a need to influence other people. People who are motivated mostly by the need for power judge themselves against a set of goals they have. They feel accomplished when they reach those goals. These people often enjoy competitive activities, such as team sports. They also tend to enjoy jobs where they can influence others, such as teaching and management. McClelland believed those who are mostly motivated by the need for affiliation are people who want to develop and cultivate close relationships. These people often judge themselves on the health of these relationships. People who are motivated by affiliation want to be a part of a group. They feel best when they blend in with a group. People who are motivated by affiliation favor collaboration over competition. They tend to dislike risk and uncertainty.

Later in his career, McClelland focused on links between achievement motivations and physical health. He noted that people who seek power often have negative health effects, such as high blood pressure and high stress. McClelland believed that some people are addicted to stress in the same way some people are addicted to drugs. Stress causes physical changes in the brain and body. Over time, the physical changes caused by stress can be destructive to the body. Yet, the motivation for power and the addiction to stress keep people in the same patterns of behavior.

McClelland was also well known for his method of researching. He and his students developed scales to test subjects and used the scales and the data they supplied to make inferences about motivation, human behavior, and other subjects. McClelland's method of research was different from many others in his field at the time. He became well known for improving research methods in addition to his actual research. The scales he and his students created became common tools for measuring psychological characteristics. He prompted more scholars to develop ways of measuring psychology that were much different from the usual methods of research that relied mostly on analysis of personal observations.

McClelland was honored with many awards for his work. In 1987, he received the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association. He was also awarded the Wilbur Cross Medal from Yale University and the Baldwin Medal from Wesleyan University. McClelland died on March 27, 1998, in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Impact

McClelland was one of the most important psychologists of the twentieth century. He helped people see the field of psychology in more technical and scientific terms. His work was noted because of its attempts to tie findings to real-life situations. His work was also important because it helped spur psychology researchers to use quantifiable data rather than only speculation based on observations. McClelland's work was also important because of his travels abroad. He was influenced by the philosophies of other countries and cultures. For example, he believed that Eastern thought and meditation practices could be successfully incorporated into Western medicine. Many of McClelland's students went on to be important researchers and academics who influenced the field of psychology. The courses he taught were often popular, as many students wanted to benefit from his teaching and insight.

Personal Life

McClelland married Mary Sharpless, an artist, in 1938. The couple had five children—Catherine, Duncan, Nicholas, Sarah, and Jabez. Sharpless died in 1980. McClelland married Marian Adams in 1984. They had two children, Mira and Usha.

Principal Works

• Personality, 1951
• The Achieving Society, 1961
• Power: The Inner Experience, 1975
• Human Motivation, 1987

Bibliography

Chen, David W. "D. C. McClelland, 80, Pioneer in Work on Human Motivation." New York Times, 5 Apr. 1998, www.nytimes.com/1998/04/05/us/d-c-mcclelland-80-pioneer-in-work-on-human-motivation.html. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.

"David McClelland." British Library, www.bl.uk/people/david-mcclelland. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.

"David McClelland (1917–1998)." Department of Psychology, Harvard University, psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/david-mcclelland. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.

Kagan, Jerome, et al. "David Clarence McClelland." Harvard Gazette, 8 Nov. 2007, news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2007/11/david-clarence-mcclelland/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.

Lyons, Richard D. "Stress Addiction: 'Life in the Fast Lane' May Have Its Benefits." New York Times, 26 July 1983, www.nytimes.com/1983/07/26/science/stress-addiction-life-in-the-fast-lane-may-have-its-benefits.html. Accessed 21 Feb. 2017.