Dr. Mahmoud Mansour

Enduring Figure in Clinical and Developmental Psychology in Iran

Early Life and Education

Dr. Mahmoud Mansour (born 1930, Arak – died 2021) was a distinguished Iranian psychologist, professor of clinical and developmental psychology at the University of Tehran, and one of the most influential figures in the evolution of modern psychology in Iran. He completed his secondary education at Dar al-Fonun High School in Tehran and, as the top-ranked student in the national examination for study abroad, traveled to Switzerland to pursue higher education in psychology.

He studied at the University of Geneva, at the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Institute (Faculty of Psychology), completing the following academic degrees:

  • General Preparatory Diploma
  • General Diploma in Genetic Psychology (Child and Adolescent Psychology)
  • Bachelor’s Degree in General and Developmental Psychology
  • Special Certificate in Experimental Psychology
  • Special Diploma in Clinical Psychology
  • Special Diploma in the Application of Psychology to Vocational Guidance
  • Doctorate in Genetic and Clinical Psychology, University of Geneva

His doctoral dissertation in experimental and clinical psychology was completed under the supervision of Jean Piaget, one of the most influential psychologists of the twentieth century.

Academic and Professional Career

Dr. Mansour held numerous academic and clinical positions throughout his career, including:

  • Psychologist, Psychological Center of the Polytechnic University (Amirkabir University)
  • Lecturer, Higher Art School and Polytechnic
  • Clinical Psychologist, Child Guidance Center
  • Head and Clinical Psychologist, Psychological Observation Center
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Tehran (1965)
  • Associate Professor, University of Tehran (1969)
  • Full Professor, University of Tehran (1975)
  • Professor, Islamic Azad University (Science and Research Branch)
  • Head of the Research Center, Higher Art School (Teacher Training University)

Administrative Leadership

  • Head of the Department of Psychological Foundations (three terms)
  • Head of the Psychological Observation Center
  • President, Higher Education Research Institute
  • Member, University Board of Examiners (two terms)
  • Member, Publications Council of the University of Tehran (two terms)
  • Member, Supreme Council of the Parents and Educators Association

Professional Memberships

  • International Psychological Association
  • International Mental Health Association
  • International Association of Applied Psychology

Teaching and Educational Contributions

Dr. Mansour was a pioneering educator who taught across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. His courses included:

Undergraduate Courses

  • Genetic Psychology
  • Child and Adolescent Delinquency
  • Intelligence
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Pathological Psychology
  • Mental Health
  • Personality
  • Diagnostic Tests for Disorders

Master’s Courses

  • Clinical Psychology (first taught in Iran in 1967)
  • Career Guidance
  • Pathological Psychology
  • Psychological Processes

Doctoral Courses

  • Pathological Psychology
  • Developmental Clinical Psychology
  • Personality

He supervised more than 50 master’s and doctoral theses and advised over 20 additional graduate projects.

 

Participation in International Scientific Forums

Dr. Mansour represented Iran in numerous international congresses, presenting research papers and reports in:

  • Caracas Criminology Congress (Social Defense)
  • IEA Educational Advances Congress
  • IEA Annual Congresses in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Budapest
  • Crime Prevention Congress, Paris
  • World Congress on Psychological Issues, Copenhagen
  • World Congress of Psychiatry and Allied Sciences, Paris (1987)
  • International Congress of Psychology, Montreal (1996)
  • World Congress on Mental Health, Helsinki (1997)
  • International Congress of Psychological Sciences, Tehran
  • World Congress of Psychology, Stockholm (2000)

He also participated in major national congresses, including the Ramsar Mental Health Congress, Tehran Exceptional Children Congress, and Piaget Commemoration Congress at Tarbiat Modares University.

 

Publications

Books

Dr. Mansour authored and co-authored numerous influential works, including:

  • Feeling of Inferiority (Tehran University Press)
  • Genetic Psychology (Tehran University Press)
  • Career Guidance
  • Child and Adolescent Delinquency
  • Ten Articles on Psychological and Educational Issues of Children and Adolescents
  • Preparation of a Questionnaire in Social Psychological Research
  • School Progress in Light of the Evolution of Educational Methods
  • The Problem of Guiding School Students
  • Personality: Structure, Emergence, and Development
  • Open Conversations with Jean Piaget (co-authored)
  • Where Is Education Going? (co-authored)
  • Clinical Psychology (co-authored)
  • Piaget’s Perspective in the Scope of Psychological Development
  • Mental Illnesses (co-authored)
  • Genetic Psychology 2 (co-authored)
  • Children’s Drawing: Family Drawing Test (co-authored)
  • Dictionary of Psychology (with colleagues)
  • Genetic Psychology: Psychological Development from Birth to Old Age (Samt, 2008)

Articles

He published articles in international journals such as:

  • Revue Psyche
  • Revue de Criminologie
  • Souology
  • Binop

He also published extensively in Iranian journals, including Psychology, Psychological Sciences, and journals on exceptional children.

 

Research Activities

Independent Research

  • Prevention of delinquency and addiction (Caracas Social Defense Congress)
  • Driving psychology in Iran (Crime Prevention Congress, Paris)
  • Dyslexia in Iranian children (Congress of Psychiatry, Paris)
  • Comparative study of clinical advances (Alfred Binet Center, Paris)
  • Psychological development in Iran (World Congress of Psychology, Canada)
  • Educational reform as mental health education (World Congress of Mental Health, Finland)

Approved Research Projects

  • Development of Iranian children based on clinical and statistical analysis (University of Tehran)
  • Mental ability and concept comprehension in Iranian elementary students
  • Participation in the IEA international project (Ministry of Education)

 

Editorial and Scholarly Service

  • Director, Educational Research Journal, Higher School of Education (4 years)
  • Director, Education Perspective, UNESCO Publications (4 years)
  • Director, Psychology Bulletin, Educational Research Institute (English)
  • Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Psychology (first six issues)
  • Editor-in-Chief and Owner, Journal of Psychological Sciences (since 2001)

 

Awards and Honors

  • Book of the Year Award (1980) – Personality
  • Book of the Year Award (1990) – Genetic Psychology: Psychological Development from Birth to Aging
  • Best Book of the Year Award – School Progress in Light of the Evolution of Education Methods
  • Recognized as an Enduring Figure in Psychology (2003)