Susan Krauss Whitbourne
Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., is currently a professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where for 20 years she directed the undergraduate Honors Program in Psychology. She now directs the Commonwealth Honors College's Office of National Scholarship Advisement. She grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. and graduated from the University at Buffalo. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Columbia University and completed a postdoctoral respecialization program in clinical psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The author of over 150 refereed articles and book chapters and 16 books (many in multiple editions and translations), her most recent work is The Search for Fulfillment (January 2010, Ballantine Books). Her research covers a wide range of topics related to adult development and aging, including personality development through midlife, contributors to successful aging, predictors of memory performance, and the relationship between physical health and sense of personal identity. She teaches large undergraduate lecture classes and maintains an active lab of graduate students whose research focuses on life-span development, dementia, and functional abilities in older adults.
Recepient of a 2011 Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association, she is the winner of national and campus teaching and advising awards. She has served in executive board and advisory roles in regional and national professional organizations including the American Psychological Association (Council of Representatives and Membership Board), the Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs (Chair-Elect), the Eastern Psychological Association (Executive Board), the Society for the Study of Human Development (past President), the Gerontological Society of America (Executive Board member), the National Association of Fellowship Advisors (Executive Board member), and Psi Chi (past Eastern Regional Vice President), as well as a member of numerous task forces and advisory panels at the national, regional, state, and campus levels.
Whitbourne lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with her husband and has the distinct pleasure of having raised two daughters who chose to follow their mother's profession. Her older daughter, Stacey, a developmental/health psychologist, is now a co-author on her adult development text, and her younger daughter, Jennifer is pursuing her doctorate in clinical psychology. Her hobbies include knitting and playing the piano, and through her frequent participation in aerobics classes, she practices what she preaches about the value of aging and exercise.
“What is it about a future time perspective that is so beneficial? Researchers believe that people who can project themselves into the future are more optimistic, have a stronger sense of purpose, and are able to press past petty disappointments. They see the big picture and avoid being weighed down by the strains of their present circumstances. As in the study of college students, they feel more engaged in what they're doing because they see where it's leading them.”
“You don't have to be in your later quarter of life to benefit from a future time perspective. Unplugging yourself from the present and projecting your dreams into the future can help you reach fulfillment at any age.”