March 5, 2004

Psychologist Aronson to discuss Columbine tragedy

On April 20, 1999 the nation’s collective consciousness was changed forever with the bloodshed at Columbine High School. The stunning student-on-student violence in Littleton, Colo. that day focused the attention of mental health experts on the social dynamics of schools. Among the most prominent is psychologist and author Elliot Aronson.

At 3 p.m., Wednesday, March 24 in Amador Hall 150, California State University, Sacramento will host a free lecture by Aronson. His talk, “The Elephant in the Living Room: How the Columbine Massacre Could Have Been Prevented,” will give insight to the tools available to prevent future tragedies. Recent threats of student violence at Elk Grove’s Laguna Creek High School and the subsequent arrests of two students make the topic as timely as the headlines.

Aronson is the only person in the 110-year history of the American Psychological Association to have received all three of its major awards: for distinguished writing (1973), teaching (1980) and research (1999). A professor emeritus of psychology at UC Santa Cruz and visiting professor at Stanford University, Aronson has authored nearly 20 books including The Social Animal, The Jigsaw Classroom and Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching Compassion After Columbine.

He is widely regarded as one of the most influential social psychologists and in 2002 was named one of the 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century by the American Psychological Association.

For more information, contact the CSUS psychology department at (916) 278-6254. For media assistance, contact CSUS public affairs at (916) 278-6156.

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