Scheflen, Albert

Name

Albert Scheflen

Introduction

Dr. Albert Scheflen (1920–1980) was a psychiatrist most known for his research and study of nonverbal communication.

Career

Scheflen received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania and additional training at the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute. He held several positions that included serving as a medical officer in the navy, a Professor of Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Acting Research Director at Bronx State Hospital.

Contribution to Profession

Scheflen, along with Adam Kendon and Raymond Birdwhistell, were pioneers in the area of kinesics, who combined their early efforts to advance the research on nonverbal communication expressed through body motion. Their group developed an analytic strategy known as context analysis, which was later used by researchers to examine movement patterns in social interactions and family therapy sessions (Hecht and Ambady 1999). He posited that these interactions are...