Finding aid for the Muzafer and Carolyn Wood Sherif papers

Biography of Muzafer and Carolyn Sherif

Muzafer Sherif (1906-1988)

Muzafer Sherif (1906-1988): Muzafer Serif Basoglu, who would later anglicize his name to Muzafer Sherif, was born on July 29, 1906 in Odemis, Izmir, Turkey. He received his B.A. in 1927 at the Izmir International College. Afterwards, he obtained two Master's degrees. His first came from the University of Istanbul in 1929. He then traveled to the United States and obtained his second M.A. from Harvard University in 1932.

In 1937, following his Ph.D., Sherif returned to Turkey, first returning to the Gazi Institute as an assistant professor. Later, he taught at Ankara University in 1939. In 1945, he started work at Princeton as a Fellow of the U.S. State Department. During this time he met research assistant Carolyn Wood; they married that same year. From 1947-1949, Sherif was a Rockefeller Research Fellow at Yale University.

Starting in 1949, Sherif was a professor at the University of Oklahoma. At this university, he founded the Institute of Group Relations in 1952 and was the director of this institute. While at the University of Oklahoma, Sherif was involved in several camp studies starting in 1949, and continued in 1953 and 1954 (Intergroup Conflict and Cooperation: The Robbers Cave Experiment). Sherif also conducted studies on natural groups among adolescents (Reference Groups: An Exploration into Conformity and Deviation of Adolescents). Sherif became a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Pennsylvania State University from 1965-1966, and accepted a position as professor in the sociology department there. At Pennsylvania State University, Sherif initiated and became director of the Psychosocial Studies Program. In 1972, Sherif retired to Professor Emeritus status. Sherif died on October 16, 1988.

Carolyn Wood Sherif (1922-1982)

Carolyn Wood Sherif (1922-1982): Carolyn Wood was born on June 26, 1922 in Loogootee, Indiana. She received a B.S. with Highest Distinction in Science in 1943 from Purdue University. She graduated from Iowa with an M.A. in Psychology after finishing her Master's thesis, "Changes in Successive Reproduction of Verbal Material." Upon graduation, she began conducting survey research at Audience Research, Inc. Wood Sherif was offered a research position with Muzafer Sherif at Princeton, and in 1945, they married.

Wood Sherif pursued her Ph.D. at Columbia, leaving in 1947 before finishing her graduate work. Wood From 1959-1965, Sherif was a research associate for the Institute of Group Relations, founded by Muzafer Sherif at the University of Oklahoma. During this time, she returned to graduate school at the University of Texas, graduating in 1961 with a Ph.D. in psychology, with a minor in sociology. From 1945, Wood Sherif was involved in numerous research projects with Muzafer Sherif; among these projects were several textbooks as well as numerous studies, including "Intergroup Conflict and Cooperation: The Robbers Cave Experiment" and studies on natural groups. Wood Sherif died on July 23, 1982.

Scope and Content

The papers of Carolyn and Muzafer Sherif document their careers as both professors and researchers. A small amount of personal and biographical information is including in the collection. The collection contains the correspondence and manuscripts of both researchers. Included are drafts of research papers, speeches, and book chapters as well as notes and data obtained from their projects.

Among the research files are items from the Institute of Group Relations and the Psychosocial Studies Program, Muzafer's autokinetic studies (his dissertation project, which was later turned into the book The Psychology of Social Norms), camp studies (1949, 1953, 1954 - Robbers Cave), and numerous materials from their work on natural groups and women's issues.

Collection highlights include signed reprints and materials dealing with symposiums the Sherifs put together and organizations they belonged to, particularly materials from APA Division 35. Also included are materials pertaining to their careers as professors such as lecture notes, test materials. Some materials are written in other languages, primarily Turkish and French.

The collection also contains numerous non-print materials including objects and artifacts used during the camp studies which focused on inter-group conflict. Awards, photographs, and audio in various formats are also present in the collection.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

Some restrictions apply; consult CHP staff for details.

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Access

Some restrictions apply; consult CHP staff for details.

56 audio tapes of lectures, interviews, and Robbers Cave study have been transferred to the CCHP Sound Recordings Collection.

Photographs have been transferred to the CCHP Still Images Collection.

Films and video have been transferred to the CCHP Moving Images Collection.

Three-dimensional materials and textiles are located in the CCHP Artifacts Collection.

Oversized materials have been transferred to boxes M190, M191, M192, M194, and M1742 in the oversized shelving. Oversize materials are also located in Map-case 1, Drawer 9.

Subject Headings

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Persons:

Places:

Material Types:

Preferred Citation

Cite as: [identification of item], [folder number, box number], Archives of the History of American Psychology, The Drs. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology - The University of Akron

Acquisition Information

The Muzafer and Carolyn Sherif papers were donated to the Center for the History in April 2000 by Ann Sherif.

Processing Information

The Muzafer and Carolyn Sherif papers were processed by the Center for the History of Psychology staff and assistants in several installments. Updated by Samantha Hurst, October 2021.

Detailed Description of The Collection