Paul Henry Mussen

Paul Henry Mussen (March 21, 1922–July 7, 2000) was an American developmental psychologist who described stages of child psychological development. He was co-editor of the Annual Review of Psychology from 1969–1974.

Early life and education Paul Henry Mussen was born on March 21, 1922, in Paterson, New Jersey, though grew up in Willimantic, Connecticut. but was also a published poet. Paul Mussen initially attended Connecticut State College (what is now the University of Connecticut) at the age of sixteen

Career After completing his doctoral studies, he accepted a teaching position at the University of Wisconsin, where he worked from 1949 to 1951. This was followed by a job teaching at the Ohio State University until 1955. He received a fellowship from the Ford Foundation to work as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, which was followed by an offer to stay at Berkeley as an instructor. He remained at Berkeley for the rest of his career.

Mussen was one of the first psychologists to integrate the biological, social, and psychological development of children. In addition to defining stages of development, he also provided detail and continuity for how one stage transitioned into the next.