Thinking through cultures and psychologies: Robert Levine’s life and work, and a discipline’s ongoing project

Abstract

The article provides an assessment and overview of the life's work and career of Robert Levine, the leading psychologist anthropologist. His personal biography, awards, career, and accomplishments are described, along with his professional contributions. Special attention is devoted to his contributions to the cross-cultural examination of human development, including his advocacy and thinking regarding the utilization of mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) and multidisciplinary (e.g., psychology, anthropology, demography, sociology, psychiatry, psychoanalytic) approaches. Attention is also given to description of his contributions to the history of psychological anthropology, to the intersection of culture and psyche, to person-centered studies of the Gusii in Kenya, and to comparative studies of human development, in India, Asia, Africa, and beyond. A critical assessment of the relevance of his fifty year career for culture and psychology today is offered.