 | George F. Mahl |
Pioneered research on the relationship between
George F. Mahl, professor emeritus of psychiatry and psychology, one of the early researchers of the relationship between fear and gastric secretion, and an expert in transitory anxiety and speech disruptions, died March 11 at age 88.
Mahl's research ranged from physiological psychology to clinical research in the process of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis to Freud's writings.
He discovered that chronic, but not acute, fear increased hydrochloric acid secretion in dogs, monkeys and humans. His major research contribution, however, dealt with the expression of emotions and thought in speech and body movements, primarily in psychotherapeutic and psychoanalytic interviews.
He was credited with being the first to systematically investigate everyday disturbances of speech. Most of that research focused on the relationship of transitory anxiety and such speech disruptions. A selection of his papers about speech and body movements was assembled in his 1987 book, "Explorations in Nonverbal and Vocal Behavior." Late in life he learned that his research on speech brought him international recognition as one of the pioneers in establishing a new area of linguistic research now called dysfluencies.
In addition to two other books, Mahl was the author or co-author of over 50 papers. He continued to write scholarly articles following his retirement. His writings were widely reprinted, and some were translated into German, Italian and Japanese.
Born November 27, 1917, in Akron, Ohio, Mahl graduated from Oberlin College in 1939, where he also earned his master's degree in psychology in 1941. His graduate work in psychology at Yale was interrupted by his enlistment and four years of military service during World War II. He received his Ph.D. in 1948. He later completed training in psychoanalysis at the Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis, from which he graduated in 1962. Mahl was a member of Yale's faculty from 1947 to his retirement in 1988. He held joint appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, with his primary appointment in the former. The Yale Psychiatric Alumni Association presented him with its Distinguished Service Award in 1995.
Mahl also served on the faculty of the Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis for 25 years, and was its president 1972-1974. The Western New England Psychoanalytic Society awarded him its Founder Teaching Prize in 2002. From 1963 to 1964, he was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Palo Alto, California. He was also awarded fellowships and grants by the foundation's Fund for Research in Psychiatry and the National Institute of Mental Health.
A fly-fishing enthusiast, Mahl delivered food parcels to the needy for Fish of New Haven, and he became a dedicated tutor of English as a second language for Literacy Volunteers. He read widely on the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, slavery and the Constitution, and he occasionally wrote essays on these topics. In his mid-80's, he began learning to sing. As a result he compiled several song medleys, which he frequently presented at student recitals at the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven.
His wife of over 50 years, Martha, died in 2001. He is survived by his daughter Barbara Mahl of Roanoke, Virginia, and three grandchildren.
Mahl prepared his own obituary shortly before his death, and later he added the biblical quotation: "Vanities of vanities! All is vanity. A generation goes, another generation comes but the earth remains forever. The people of long ago are not remembered, nor will there be any remembrance of people yet to come by those who come after them. There is a time to be born and a time to die." As he made his final exit, he said, "I have had my turn."
Memorial contributions may be made to any of the following: the Development Fund of the Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis, 255 Bradley St.,
T H I S
In Memoriam: George F. Mahl
transitory anxiety and disruptions in speech
New Haven, CT 06510; the Annual Alumni Fund, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH; or the Alumni Fund, Yale Graduate School. For information or to send a condolence, see the obituary for Mahl at www.beecherandbennett.com.
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