Academics

Oglethorpe senior carries on grandfather’s legacy in psychology

In the field of psychology, Dr. Nathan H. Azrin is a prominent name. Now, graduating senior Jessica Azrin ’18 is taking the first steps in making a name for herself, while continuing her grandfather’s legacy.

A renowned behavioral psychologist, the late Dr. Azrin attended Boston University and was mentored by none other than B.F. Skinner, the man who first began to develop behavior analysis in the 1950s.

Dr. Nathan Azrin (1930-2013)

After earning his doctorate, Azrin became a well-known psychologist, professor, and author in his own right. He was the editor-in-chief of both the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior; he also wrote 14 books during his lifetime and has been dubbed one of the “foundational behavior shapers” of our time.

Jessica, a psychology major at Oglethorpe, admits she struggled to first declare her major, despite her grandfather’s legacy.

Jessica with her grandfather at a family celebration.

“In my house, psychology was almost like a second language,” she explains. “I didn’t plan to study psychology at all, my major was undeclared, but I took a class because I needed to fill my schedule with diverse subjects to get the full liberal arts experience. I signed up for Introduction to Psychology with Dr. John Carton.

“To my dismay, I discovered that I absolutely loved it,” she jokes. “I’m very passionate about everything I do, so I threw myself headfirst into the major and the field. It just felt right.”

Jessica admits that being attached to a recognizable name in her field of study has its challenges.

“Whenever a friend of my family or family member asks me about my major, their response to me studying psychology is always ‘of course!’, accompanied by boisterous laughter,” she says.

But, ultimately, the experience has been “really fun”.

He really did a lot for psychological research and I’m very proud to have known him and to be related to him.

“Sometimes teachers or people at conferences recognize me immediately by my last name. People outside of the psychological field never know anything about him, but it’s always fun to bring up as a sort of fun fact about myself. My favorite thing about it is looking in the glossary and the citations at the end of assigned books and research articles—more often than not I’ll find my own last name. I love to look back and see all of the research and new concepts that my grandfather is associated with. He really did a lot for psychological research and I’m very proud to have known him and to be related to him.”

Jessica remembers her relationship with her grandfather as being different than most relationships kids have with their grandparents.

Jessica Azrin dancing with her grandfather, the late Nathan Azrin.

“He was very loving and fun. Half the time, I’d sit and listen to him talk to my adult relatives about complicated topics like new psychological research and related political issues… The other half of my time with him was spent in celebrating life—my grandfather enthusiastically enjoyed so many of the things that we took for granted.”

“One of his favorite things to do was to dance—and I don’t mean just simple slow dancing or line dancing. We would go to restaurants with live music whenever possible, and he would get up and dance for hours. He danced with my family, he danced with his wife, he danced with total strangers. He kept dancing after everyone else was sweaty and exhausted. Most of the time I spent with him was during many long Jewish holidays, which he seemed to appreciate more than anyone else there. That’s something I have in common with my grandpa: we are both passionate people who put our whole hearts into everything we do.”

A graduating senior, Jessica says that Oglethorpe opened her up to the idea of studying psychology.

Dr. John Carton, Professor of Psychology

“If I hadn’t come to Oglethorpe, I don’t know if I even would have discovered my love for the field. I think a large part of that was Dr. John Carton—he approaches the research with the same type of enthusiasm and fascination that I feel whenever I read an innovative research article or learn a new concept that explains important aspects of life. I have taken about 10 classes with Dr. Carton, which he says must be a record. Coincidentally, he teaches the type of psychology that my grandfather was famous for—behaviorism. I’m going to have a really hard time leaving this place. I’ve loved it and seen it as a home for so long.”

Although she is still deciding between entering a PhD program or taking a gap year, Jessica is sure she wants to aim for the same career outcome as her grandfather: to “leave this world having improved it.”

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