WERTHEIMER, MAX

A German-American psychologist. Wertheimer attained his doctorate at the University of Wurzburg, studying with Oswald Kiilpe and Karl Marbe. Following many years lecturing at the University of Frankfurt, he proceeding onto the University of Berlin, where he was named professor. He came back to Frankfurt as chair seven years later, but when the Nazi rose to power he fled to the U.S. in 1933 and taught at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Wertheimer is widely considered to be the founder of Gestalt psychology, along with Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka.