Reinhard Tausch

Reinhard Tausch was one of the most important German psychologists in the second half of the 20th century. As a professor of psychology at the University of Hamburg, he and his wife Anne-Marie Tausch researched and disseminated conversation psychotherapy in German-speaking countries. Against considerable resistance and legal concerns, he installed a psychological counseling center for the general population in his institute, where psychotherapy was carried out by psychologists. Psychology students were able to begin training in psychotherapy - at that time (1967) it was unique in Germany. He became known to a wider public through several television programs at the end of the 1970s that showed excerpts from group psychotherapy sessions. Another main area of ​​work was educational psychology, also together with his spouse. They were able to show that school teaching in the 1960s and 1970s was heavily influenced by autocratic teacher behavior. Based on empirical studies, he advocated promoting the development of children and young people in partnership with appreciation and empathy. Her book “Educational Psychology,” which was widely used at the time, had a great influence on school pedagogy and teacher training. It became known far beyond academic circles because it was used as a working basis in many specialist discussions. For his services, Tausch was honored with the Hugo Münsterberg Medal and the Federal Cross of Merit, First Class.