Peggy Papp

Peggy Papp (February 20, 1923 – November 13, 2021) was an American family therapist and clinical social worker who pioneered research on the role gender plays in depression. Papp was a senior faculty member of the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City for over 50 years. Her work on gender and depression has been widely lauded. Papp received the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991 and the University of Utah Distinguished Alumni Award in 2003. Her parents were Mormon homesteaders. Papp spent most of her childhood in Manila, UT on her family's ranch.

Papp graduated from the University of Utah in 1950. She earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in Journalism and the other in Drama. In the 1960s, she earned a Master of Arts in Social Work from Hunter College in New York, NY. She also wrote three other books: The Process of Change (1983); The Invisible Web: Gender Patterns in Family Relationships (1988); and Couples on the Fault Line: New Directions for Therapists (2002).

Papp presented her work in all 50 states and in 30 countries, including countries in Europe and Japan, Argentina, Israel, Hong Kong, and Turkey.

Personal life Papp met and married Joseph Papp, an American producer and director, while performing in Death of a Salesman in New York in 1951. Together, they had a son, Anthony Papp, and a daughter, Miranda Papp Adani.