16 Facts About Joseph Wolpe

Joseph Wolpe was a South African psychiatrist and one of the most influential figures in behavior therapy.

In 1956, Joseph Wolpe was awarded a Ford Fellowship and spent a year at Stanford University in the Center for Behavioral Sciences, subsequently returning to South Africa but permanently moving to the United States in 1960 when he accepted a position at the University of Virginia.

One of the most influential experiences in Joseph Wolpe's life was when he enlisted in the South African army as a medical officer.

Joseph Wolpe was entrusted to treat soldiers who were diagnosed with what was then called "war neurosis" but today is known as post traumatic stress disorder.

Joseph Wolpe is most well known for his reciprocal inhibition techniques, particularly systematic desensitization, which revolutionized behavioral therapy.

Joseph Wolpe first started using eating as a response to inhibited anxiety in the laboratory cats.

Joseph Wolpe would offer them food while presenting a conditioned fear stimulus.

Importantly, Joseph Wolpe believed that these techniques would lessen the anxiety producing association.

Joseph Wolpe believed that facing your fears did not always result in overcoming them but rather lead to frustration.

Joseph Wolpe received the idea of relaxation from Edmund Jacobson, modifying his muscle relaxation techniques to take less time.

Joseph Wolpe's rationale was that one cannot be both relaxed and anxious at the same time.

Joseph Wolpe received many awards for his work in behavioral science.

Joseph Wolpe's awards included the American Psychological Associations Distinguished Scientific Award, the Psi Chi Distinguished Member Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, where he was the second president.

Furthermore, Joseph Wolpe was a prolific writer, some of his most famous books include, The Practice of Behavior Therapy and Psychotherapy by Reciprocal Inhibition.

Joseph Wolpe developed the Subjective Units of Disturbance Scale for assessing the level of subjective discomfort or psychological pain.

Joseph Wolpe created the Subjective Anxiety Scale and the Fear Survey Plan that are used in behavior research and therapy.