Charles R. Snyder

Charles Richard "Rick" Snyder (1944–2006) was an American psychologist who specialized inpositive psychology. He was a Wright Distinguished Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Kansas and editor of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

Snyder was internationally known for his work at the interface of clinical, social, personality and health psychology. His theories pertained to how people react to personal feedback, the human need for uniqueness, the ubiquitous drive to excuse transgressions and, most recently, the hope motive.

Snyderobtained his Ph.D from Southern Methodist University, then had doctoral training in clinical psychology at Vanderbilt University, and thenpostdoctoral training at the Langley Porter Institute.

His entire professional career wasat the University of Kansas. He was a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, and wrotethe first textbook in that field, Positive Psychology.

He was best known forhis work on hope and forgiveness, and also developed theories explaining how people react to personal feedback, to the human need for uniqueness, and to the drive to excuse and forgive transgressions. His theory of hope emphasizes goal-directed thinking, where a person uses both pathways thinking (the perceived capacity to find routes totheir desired goals) and agency thinking (the necessary motivation to use those routes). His analysis of the motivational forces – excuse-making and forgiveness –allowed individuals to disconnect themselves from past negative experiences and connect themselves to hope, the possibilities of the future. In 2000, hedemonstrated his hope theoryon Good Morning America by conducting a live experiment with the show's correspondents.

Books

• Uniqueness: The Human Pursuit of Difference1980, C.R. Snyder and Howard L. Fromkin
• Excuses: Masquerades in Search of Grace1983, C.R. Snyder, Raymond L. Higgins and Rita J. Stuckey
• Coping with Negative Life Events1987, Edited by C.R. Snyder and Carol E. Ford
• Self-Handicapping: The Paradox That Isn't1990, Raymond L. Higgins, C.R. Snyder and Steve Berglas
• The Psychology of Hope: You Can Get There From Here1994, C.R. Snyder
• Social Cognitive Psychology, History and Current Domains1997, David F. Barone, James E. Maddux, and C.R. Snyder
• Making Hope Happen: A Workbook for Turning Possibilities Into Reality1999, Diane McDermott and C.R. Snyder
• Coping, The Psychology of What Works1999, Edited by C.R. Snyder
• Handbook of Hope: Theory, Measures and Applications2000, Edited by C.R. Snyder
• Handbook of Psychological Change: Psychotherapy Processes and Practices for the 21st Century2000, Edited by C.R. Snyder and Rick E. Ingram
• The Great Big Book of Hope: Help Your Children Achieve Their Dreams2000, Diane McDermott and C.R. Snyder
• Coping with Stress2001, Edited by C.R. Snyder
• Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures2003 Edited by C.R. Snyder and Shane J. Lopez
• Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strength2008, C.R. Snyder, Shane J. Lopez and Jennifer T. Pedrotti
• Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology2009, 2011 Edited by C.R. Snyder and Shane J. Lopez

Snyder received 27 teaching awards at the university, state, and national level, and 31 research awards, including the 2002 Balfour Jeffrey Award for Research Achievement in Humanities and Social Science and the 2001 Guilford Press Award for Pioneering Scholarly Contributions in Clinical/Social/Personality Psychology.

Snyder was two times awarded KU's Outstanding Progressive Educator award (known as the HOPE award) by the undergraduate seniors. he became a fellow of the American Psychological Association's Division of TeachingIn 1995 Snyder directed the phd dissertation for 41 students, and received APA's Raymond Fowler Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award in 2000. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from Indiana Wesleyan University. His research on uniqueness was the subject of a Sunday Doonesbury cartoon sequence,.