Rainer Diriwächter, Ph.D.

About

Dr. Rainer Diriwächter is a native of Switzerland and has a strong background in the history of German psychology. He has published several articles and book chapters that highlight the contributions of “Ganzheitspsychologie” - the German holistic approach to psychology.

Book publications include the international volume "Striving for the Whole: Creating Theoretical Syntheses” (Transaction Publishers) and “Innovating Genesis: Microgenesis and the Constructive Mind in Action” (Information Age Publishing).

Dr. Diriwächter is also the Editor in-chief of the peer-reviewed Journal of Integrated Social Sciences (JISS.org), the Associate Editor for the journal Culture & Psychology (SAGE Publications), and serves as editorial board member for the journal of Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science (Springer Publications).

At CLU, he is Chair of the Psychology Department and the faculty advisor to Psi Chi (the international honor society in psychology) and the Interdisciplinary Research Council (IRC).

Education

• Ph.D. in Psychology from Clark University - Worcester
• M.A. in Psychology from Clark University - Worcester
• B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) in Psychology from WVU - Morgantown

Expertise

• Ganzheitspsychologie (German Holistic Psychology)
• History of German Psychology
• Emotional Experience
• Cultural Psychology
• Microgenesis

Publications

Books:

Diriwächter, R. & Valsiner, J. (Eds.) (2008). Striving for the Whole: Creating Theoretical Syntheses. Somerset, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

 Abbey, E., & Diriwächter, R. (Eds.) (2008). Innovating Genesis: Microgenesis and the Constructive Mind in Action. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

 Book Chapters & Journal Articles:

Diriwächter, R. (2021). Remembering Wilhelm Wundt and the Second Leipzig School of Psychology. Human Arenas, 4(1), 5-19.

 Diriwächter, R. (2021). Jaan Valsiner: A Ganzheitspsychologist? In B. Wagoner, B.A. Christensen, C. Demuth (Eds.), Culture as Process: A Tribute to Jaan Valsiner (pp. 19 - 28). Springer Publishing

 Diriwächter, R. (2017). Holism. In A. Wenzel (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology (pp. 1681-1682). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

 Randazzo, K. E., & Diriwächter, R. (2016). Attitudes towards puberty blockers for children experiencing gender dysphoria. Journal of Integrated Social Sciences, 6(1), 104-132.

 Diriwächter, R. (2015). Ruptures as a Matter of Perspectives: The Case of Music-Video Analysis. In A.C. Joerchel & G. Benetka (Eds.), Biographical Ruptures and their Repair (pp. 233-244). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing

 Diriwächter, R. (2013). Structure and Hierarchies in Ganzheitspsychologie. In L. Rudolph (Ed.), Qualitative Mathematics for the Social Sciences: Mathematical models for research on cultural dynamics (pp. 189 - 226). New York, NY: Routledge Publishing.

 Diriwächter, R. (2012). Völkerpsychologie. In J. Valsiner (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology (pp. 43 - 57). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

 Diriwächter, R., Marichal, J., Willis, J., & Hansen, A. (2009). The journal of integrated social sciences: editorial introduction. Journal of Integrated Social Sciences, 1(1), 1-9.

 Diriwächter, R. (2009). Idiographic Microgenesis: Re-visiting the experimental tradition of Aktualgenese. In J. Valsiner, P.C.M. Molenaar, M.C.D.P. Lyra, & N. Chaudhary (Eds.), Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences (pp. 319-352). New York, NY: Springer Publications.

 Diriwächter, R. (2009). Heimweh or Homesickness: A nostalgic look at the Umwelt that no longer is. In R.I. Sokol Chang (Ed.), Relating to Environments: A new look at Umwelt (pp. 163-184). Somerset, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

 Peshek, D. J., Kraus, M. L., & Diriwächter, R. (2009). Construction and internalization of prayer practices to cope with transitional life periods. In S. Salvatore, J. Valsiner, S. Strout-Yagodzynski, & J. Clegg (Eds.), YIS: Yearbook of Idiographic Science (pp. 135-162). Rome, Italy: Firera & Liuzzo Group.

 Diriwächter, R. & Valsiner, J. (2008). The Past and Future of the Whole. In. R. Diriwächter & J. Valsiner (Eds.), Striving for the whole: Creating theoretical Syntheses (pp. vii – xiii). Somerset, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

 Diriwächter, R. (2008). Genetic Ganzheitspsychologie. In. R. Diriwächter & J. Valsiner (Eds.), Striving for the whole: Creating theoretical Syntheses (pp. 21 – 45). Somerset, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

 Valsiner, J. & Diriwächter, R. (2008). Returning to the whole – A new theoretical synthesis in the social sciences. In. R. Diriwächter & J. Valsiner (Eds.), Striving for the whole: Creating theoretical Syntheses (pp. 211 – 237). Somerset, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

 Abbey, E. & Diriwächter, R. (2008). Editors’ Introduction. In E. Abbey & R. Diriwächter (Eds.), Innovating Genesis: Microgenesis and the Constructive Mind in Action (pp. xi – xiv). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

 Pereira, S. & Diriwächter, R. (2008). Morpheus Awakened: Microgenesis in Daydreams. In E. Abbey & R. Diriwächter (Eds.), Innovating Genesis: Microgenesis and the Constructive Mind in Action (pp. 159 - 185). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

 Abbey, E. & Diriwächter, R. (2008). General Conclusions. In E. Abbey & R. Diriwächter (Eds.), Innovating Genesis: Microgenesis and the Constructive Mind in Action (pp. 241 – 252). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.

 Peshek, D. J., Kraus, M. L., & Diriwächter, R. (2007, February). Construction and internalization of prayer practices to cope with transitional life periods [57 paragraphs]. International Journal of Idiographic Science, 1 [On-line Journal]. Available at: http://www.valsiner.com/articles/peshek.html [Date of Access: February 20, 2007].

 Diriwächter, R. (2006). The wandering soul in relation to time. Culture & Psychology, 12(2), 161-167.

 Diriwächter, R. & Valsiner, J. (2005, December). Qualitative Developmental Research Methods in their Historical and Epistemological Contexts [53 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research [On-line Journal], 7(1), Art 8. Available at: http://www.qualitative-research.net/fqs-texte/1-06/06-1-8-e.htm [Date of Access: December 30, 2005].

 Valsiner, J., Diriwächter, R., & Sauck, C. (2005). Diversity in Unity: Standard questions and nonstandard interpretations. In R. Bibace, J. Laird, K. Noller, & J. Valsiner (Eds.), Science and medicine in dialogue (pp. 289-307).Westport, CT: Praeger-Greenwood

 Diriwächter, R. (2004). Editor’s Preface. From Past to Future, 5(1), 1-2.

 Diriwächter, R. (2004). Ganzheitspsychologie: The Doctrine. From Past to Future, 5(1), 3-16.

 Diriwächter, R., Valsiner, J., & Sauck, C. (2004, November). Microgenesis in Making Sense of Oneself: Constructive Recycling of Personality Inventory Items [49 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research [On-line Journal], 6(1), Art. 11. Available at: http://www.qualitative-research.net/fqs-texte/1-05/05-1-11-e.htm [Date of Access: November 30, 2004].

 Diriwächter, R. (2004). Völkerpsychologie: The synthesis that never was. Culture & Psychology, 10(1), 85-109.

 Strough, J., & Diriwächter, R. (2000). Dyad gender differences in preadolescents’ creative stories. Sex Roles, 43(1/2), 43-60.