New Study Lists Robert Hogan As One of the Greatest Living Psychologists



RT Headshot 2017*This press release originally appeared on Business Wire.

In a new study published in Psychology, Dr. Robert Hogan, Chairman & President of Hogan Assessments, was nominated by his peers as a top psychologist in multiple categories.

The study, conducted by Adrian Furnham, Professor of Psychology at University College London and the Norwegian Business School, asked 101 qualified participants, all psychologists, to nominate the person they consider the “Greatest Living Psychologist.” Dr. Hogan was one of 10 psychologists to receive multiple nominations for this distinction.

The study aimed to determine how psychologists thought about their peers, asking each participant via an online survey to respond to open-ended questions such as “who is the greatest psychologist of all time?” and “who is the greatest living psychologist?” Participants were asked to rank psychologists across six different categories.

Dr. Hogan, who is widely known for his groundbreaking research on personality and how it translates to organizational and leadership effectiveness, was also ranked among the top five greatest personality psychologists. This group consisted of famous psychologists, such as Sigmund Freud, Hans Eysenck, Gordon Allport and Carl Jung.

Although the study does not go so far as to provide insight into what criteria was used to make these nominations, the psychologists listed are highly-recognized for having made significant contributions to the field.

“It is hard to imagine a modern psychologist who has influenced more peers in science—or more leaders in the world of business—than Robert Hogan,” says Rob Kaiser, President of Kaiser Leadership Solutions. “When he started in the 1960s, conventional wisdom held that personality doesn’t matter. Thanks to Hogan’s tireless efforts, we all know better—and have the tools for assessing, selecting, and developing the right people into the right roles for the right reasons.”

According to Furnham, the participating psychologists found this pilot study “both challenging and engaging,” and it could result in a more serious and systematic study in this area in the future.