Yale Bulletin and Calendar

May 18, 2001Volume 29, Number 30



James Dittes



James Dittes named Roger J. Squire Professor

James E. Dittes, newly appointed as the Roger J. Squire Professor of Pastoral Counseling, is a scholar of the psychology of religion, pastoral theology and the theology of masculinity, among other topics.

Dittes holds appointments in the Departments of Psychology and Religious Studies and at the Divinity School. He has taken an interdisciplinary approach to his explorations of such issues as the vocation of ministry and psychological characteristics of religious professionals, the Western male experience and psychological theories of religion. His numerous books include "The Church In the Way," "Minister on the Spot," "Bias and the Pious: The Relation of Religion and Prejudice," "When the People Say No," "Pastoral Counseling: The Basics," "The Male Predicament," "Driven By Hope: Mean and Meaning," "Men at Work: Life Beyond the Office," "Afflicted with Hope: Manhood as a Spiritual Enterprise" and "Men's Work/Faith." He has also authored or coauthored numerous articles.

In some of his work, Dittes has explored the contemporary male experience in the West and has argued that some characteristics of Western men are expressions of latent religious commitments or longings. He has also offered new insights into the thinking of the major psychological theorists of religion, including Augustine, William James and Sigmund Freud, and has examined the issue of prejudice within the church and the role of clergy as counselors. Earlier in his career, Dittes challenged psychological testing as a means for screening and assessing clergy, on the basis that such tests had inadequate criteria. As a result of his work in this area, Dittes was invited to write a manual for a new test then being developed by the Educational Testing Service that would be used for vocational counseling, rather than screening.

A graduate of Oberlin College, Dittes holds three Yale degrees: a B.D. from the Divinity School (1954), and an M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology (1955 and 1958, respectively). He joined the Yale faculty in 1955 as in instructor in the psychology of religion. He was promoted to a full professor in 1967 and has served as professor of pastoral theology and psychology since 1982. He has served as director of graduate studies in religious studies for much of his tenure at Yale since he first was appointed to the post in 1969. He also has chaired the Department of Religious Studies.

At Yale, Dittes has also served on numerous committees, and has chaired the Divinity School's Curriculum, Professional Studies, Community Life, Admissions, Self-study and Disciplinary committees.

Dittes' awards include a Senior Faculty Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Guggenheim and Fulbright fellowships, and a Faculty Fellowship from the American Association of Theological Schools. He is a former president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and former editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. He also has served as chair of the Council on Graduate Studies in Religion in the United States.


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ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS

Devoted Yale alumnus and benefactor John J. Lee dies

Noted legal scholar and humanist Charles L. Black Jr. dies

Commencement Information


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Graduate School to honor outstanding faculty mentors

Architecture students rise to the task of making a home

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Men's golf team to compete in regional championship

Yale recognized as 'good neighbor'

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Grant to fund F&ES scholarships

YUWO scholarships to further studies and enhance careers awarded to Yale affiliates

Commencement Concert to mark closing of Morse Recital Hall for renovations

Yale senior's essay on life in New Haven wins first Hegel Prize



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