Home > Encyclopedia of Psychology > Julian B. Rotter

1916-
American psychologist best known for his social learning theory of personality.

Julian B. Rotter was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Jewish immigrants, and he was their third son. His father operated a profitable business until it ran into trouble during the Great Depression. The economic downturn greatly affected Rotter and his family, and made him realize how strongly people are affected by their environments. In high school, Rotter's interest in psychology began when he read books by eminent psychotherapists Alfred Adler and Sigmund Freud. He attended Brooklyn College, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry in 1937. While in college he...