He was born in Berlin, Germany, where he
attended the university, studying philosophy and psychology. He then taught at
the University of Breslau (now Wroclaw, in Poland) (associate professor in 1907)
until 1916. His career was delayed by his Jewishness, conversion to Christianity
being a condition for a full professorship. In 1916, he moved to Hamburg
University where he taught and wrote prolifically for two decades and was
elected president of the German Psychological Society. With the rise of Nazism
Stern was expelled and moved to Holland where he worked on his book,
General Psychology and then moved to the
USA where he was professor at Duke University (1933-1938). He contributed to
many fields of psychology, especially personalistic psychology. He is best known
as the inventor of the I.Q. (Intelligence Quotient).
Bibliography:
STERN, William. Psychologie der Veroenderungsauffassung. Pp. 264.
Breslau: Preuss und Juenger, 1898
STERN, William.
Allgemeine psychologie auf personalistischer grundlage. Pp. 3 l., [ix]-xxviii, 831 p. ill., plates. Haag: M. Nijhoff, 1935
STERN, William.
Die psychologie und der personalismus. Pp. iii, 54. Leipzig: J. A. Barth,
1917.
STERN, William.
Die intelligenz der kinder und jugendlichen und die methoden ihrer untersuchung
an stelle einer dritten auflage des buches: Die intelligenzpruefung an kindern
und jugendlichen. Pp. xi, 335, diagrs. Leipzig: J. A. Barth, 1920
STERN, William.
Psychologie der fruehen Kindheit bis zum sechsten Lebensjahre. Mit Benutzung
ungedruckter Tagebuecher von Clara Stern und mit einem Geleitwort
von Guenther Stern-Anders.
8., unveroend. Aufl. Pp. xx, 523. Heidelberg: Quelle u. Meyer,
1965
STERN, William.
Psychology of early childhood up to the sixth year of age. Supplemented by
extracts from the unpublished diaries of Clara
Stern;
translated by Anna Barwell. Pp. 612, illus. London: Allen & Unwin; New York: H.
Holt [1930]
Links:
William
Stern - Indiana University
