Jean Mercer

Jean Mercer is an American developmental psychologist and professor emerita of psychology at Stockton University. Founder of the advocacy group Advocates for Children in Therapy, she is known as an advocate for adopted children and those who come from the foster care system, and as an outspoken critic of attachment therapy.

Mercer is the author of several books, including Thinking critically about child development: examining myths and misunderstandings. Mercer's articles on attachment disorder, harmful psychological treatments and other mental health issues have been published in peer reviewed journals. She has presented at conferences internationally, made television appearances, served as editor for an industry newsletter, and authors two blogs, Childmyths and The Study of Nonsense.

Education Mercer attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, from 1959 to 1961. She received a BA in psychology from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, in 1963. In February 1968, she was awarded a Ph.D. in psychology from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Career From September 1967 to June 1969, Mercer held the position of assistant professor at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. From there, she moved to Buffalo, New York, to serve as assistant professor at State University College, a position she held for two years before taking an assistant professorship at Richard Stockton College (now Stockton University) in Pomona, New Jersey, in September 1974. Mercer remained at the college, attaining a full professorship in 1981, until her retirement in 2006. She is currently professor emerita of psychology at Stockton University. and are used without empirical support for their efficacy. These therapies, according to Mercer, involve techniques such as restricting food, restraining children so they cannot move and forcing them to do meaningless, difficult chores as punishment, and are practiced by people who "mistakenly equate obedience with attachment." In 2003, Mercer co-wrote Attachment Therapy on Trial: The Torture and Death of Candace Newmaker, with Larry W. Sarner and Linda A. Rosa. The book is an in-depth exploration into the suffocation of Candace Newmaker, a 10-year-old Colorado girl, during one such session. Mercer also discusses research findings from psychology that were current at the time the book was published, as well as "major gaps in knowledge" that needed further study.

Understanding Attachment: Parenting, Child Care, and Emotional Development In Understanding Attachment: Parenting, Child Care, and Emotional Development, published by Praeger, Mercer provides readers with an historical overview of attachment and makes a distinction between "the notion of attachment in many popular theories of parenting" and the "meaning of attachment in developmental psychology." Based on empirical research, Mercer offers insight into attachment issues for children of varying ages (e.g., secure-base behavior, separation anxiety, negotiation of separation) and makes recommendations for creating "attachment friendly" environments for parents (biological or adoptive) and day care providers.