Julian Rotter (October 22, 1916, Brooklyn, New York – January 6, 2014, Mansfield, Connecticut) was an American clinical psychologist and the founder of social learning theory. He was one of the first psychologists to evaluate individuals' behaviors not only through internal drives but also in terms of social environment and cognitive expectations.

Rotter examined individuals' thought structures related to success, motivation, and psychological health through his concept of “locus of control.” With his social learning theory, he initiated a significant paradigm shift in psychology literature by explaining behavior not only through external stimuli but also through cognitive evaluations.

Early Life and Education

Julian Rotter was born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family. The economic hardships of the Great Depression laid the foundation for his interest in human behavior. During his adolescence, he encountered the works of Freud and Alfred Adler, which led him to pursue psychology.

After initially studying chemistry at Brooklyn College, Rotter shifted his focus to psychology and took classes from Solomon Machover, a student of Alfred Adler. Later, he was introduced to the social psychology approach influenced by Kurt Lewin at Indiana University. He completed his doctorate at Ohio State University under the supervision of George Kelly.

Career and Achievements

During World War II, Rotter worked in clinical psychology affiliated with the U.S. Army. After the war, he took on academic roles and was appointed chair of the psychology department at the University of Connecticut in 1963.

Major Contributions

• Social Learning Theory: He proposed that behaviors are shaped not only by reward and punishment but also by an individual's expectations and value system.
• Locus of Control Scale: This scale, which measures people's perceptions of whether control over events resides internally or externally, became an important tool in personality and health psychology.

Contributions and Works

Theoretical Contributions

• Expectancy-Value Theory: Defines behavior as based on the expectation of an outcome and the value placed on that outcome.
• Individual Differences: Rotter argued that individuals can respond differently in various social contexts based on learned experiences.

Key Publications

• Social Learning and Clinical Psychology (1954): Established the theoretical foundation of social learning theory.
• Applications of a Social Learning Theory of Personality (1972): Discusses the application of the theory in personality psychology.
• Internal versus External Control of Reinforcement (1966): The article introducing the locus of control scale.

Personal Life

Throughout his life, Rotter was interested in social justice, psychological health, and the advancement of education. His wife, Dorothy Rotter, was also an academic in psychology. They collaborated on many projects. Rotter retired in 1979 but continued his scientific work. In his later years, he developed a particular interest in positive psychology and health psychology. Julian Rotter passed away on January 6, 2014, in Connecticut at the age of 97. After his death, the American Psychological Association (APA) honored him as one of psychology's important figures.

Legacy and Influence

Rotter's social learning approach laid the groundwork for Albert Bandura’s observational learning theory. Findings that individuals with an internal locus of control tend to be more resilient, motivated, and successful have led to broad applications in education, leadership, and psychotherapy. Psychologists such as Albert Bandura, Walter Mischel, and Martin Seligman were influenced by Rotter’s theories. He left a lasting mark on clinical psychology, personality research, and health psychology.