Mary M. Gergen, Ph.D.
Wallingford, PA
Web: http://mary.gergen.socialpsychology.org/
Mary M. Gergen, Ph.D., died peacefully on Sept. 22, 2020 (read her obituary here). We all knew Mary as a lively, courageous, and innovative trail blazer. With Ken, Mary created a global community — a family of caring, committed scholars and practitioners whose central desire is to make the world a better place for all. And, the world is a better place for her presence in it and her connection to us all. You may read or post a comment on this page: Remembering Mary.
Mary was a co-founder, board member and treasurer/secretary of the Taos Institute for 27 years. She was a professor emerita of psychology affiliated with the Women’s Studies Program at Penn State University, Brandywine, Media, PA. She positioned herself at the intellectual convergence of feminist theory and postmodernist thought, as a social constructionist. She was involved in a great variety of the Taos projects, including conferences, organizational consulting and educational spheres.
Her publications include:
- Feminist Thought and the Structure of Knowledge (NYU Press, 1988),
- Toward a New Psychology of Gender, edited with Sara N. Davis (Routledge, 1997),
- Feminist Reconstructions in Psychology, Narrative, Gender & Performance (Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2001),
- Social Constructionism: A Reader, edited with K. J. Gergen (London: Sage, 2003),
- Social Construction: Entering the Dialogue, with K. J. Gergen (Taos Institute Publications, 2004),
- Constructing Worlds Together: Interpersonal Communication as Relational Process, with S. M. Schrader and K. J. Gergen (Pearson, 2008)
- Playing with Purpose: Adventures in Performative Social Science, with K. J. Gergen (Routledge, 2012),
- Retiring but not Shy, Feminist Psychologists Create Their Post-Careers, with E. Cole, editor (Taos Institute Publications, 2012).
- Paths to Positive Aging: Dog Days with a Bone, with K. J. Gergen (Taos Publications, 2016)
During her “retirement” she was involved in advising students in the Taos Ph.D. and International Diploma in Social Construction and Professional Practice Programs. Most recently she co-edited The Sage Handbook of Social Constructionist Practice (Sage, 2020).
Mary was also co-creator of The Positive Aging Newsletter, which is dedicated to promoting a positive image of aging, as opposed to the usual negative stereotype.
