Dr. Philip Zimbardo (1933-2024)

It is with great sadness that I share that Phil Zimbardo peacefully passed away on October 14, 2024 surrounded by his loving wife Christina Maslach – a giant in the field of psychology in her own right – and their children at his home in San Francisco. For nearly twenty years it’s been my honor and privilege to be a colleague, writing partner and most importantly, a friend of Phil’s. 

The last time perspective therapy book we co-authored together, Seeing Through the Grief: A Time Perspective Therapy Approach, was published in April 2024. As we discuss in the book’s introduction, we felt it important to share what we had learned over the years about grief and loss, including some of our personal experiences. 

That said, and with a very heavy heart, this last remaining TPT Mohican is viewing life through a different lens. A sadder lens. Without my husband and colleague Rick, and now my mentor and guide, Phil, it’s time for me to move on. I hope we’ve provided you with the necessary tools in the books and articles we’ve written to feel better equipped to deal with the stress and trials we experience. It has always been our goal to help us all live a more compassionate and meaningful life. 

I’ll continue writing, but it will be fiction. After decades of researching and often reporting about the darker aspects of human nature, writing about other things will be a welcome change. And now, I bid you farewell and to my buddy Phil, the fondest aloha ‘oe; until we meet again, my friend.

Rose Sword

October 17, 2024

Philip Zimbardo, PhD, (1933-2024) was internationally recognized as “the voice and face of contemporary psychology” through his widely viewed PBS-TV series, Discovering Psychology, his media appearances, his bestselling trade books, including The Time Paradox: Reconstructing the Past, Enjoying the Present, Mastering the Future (with John Boyd, Free Press, 2008), and The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, (Random House, 2007, paperback 2008), and his classic research, The Stanford Prison Experiment.

Phil was a Stanford University professor from 1968 and then emeritus until is death in 2024, having taught previously at Yale, NYU, and Columbia University. He taught at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California (courses on the psychology of terrorism), and was a professor at Palo Alto University, in California (teaching social psychology to clinical graduate students). Phil was President of the American Psychological Association (2002), President of the Western Psychological Association (twice), Chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (SCCP) and chair of the Western Psychological Foundation, as well as the Director of the Center of Interdisciplinary Policy, Education, and Research on Terrorism (CIPERT).

He received numerous awards and honors as an educator, researcher, writer, media contributor, and for service to the profession of psychology. He was awarded the Vaclav Havel Foundation Prize for his lifetime of research on the human condition as well as the American Psychological Association’s prestigious 2012 Gold Medal in Science Award. Among his more than 600 professional publications, including 60 trade and textbooks, is the oldest current textbook in psychology, Psychology and Life (currently in its 20th edition), and Core Concepts in Psychology, now in its seventh edition.

Phil’s increasing interest in his time perspective theory led him to consult with Rick and Rose Sword in regards to their development of his theory into an efficacious, therapy/training. Phil coauthored of The Time Cure (Wiley 2012), and along with Rose, coauthored Living & Loving Better (McFarland 2017), Seeing Through the Grief (McFarland 2024), The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump (St. Martin’s Press 2017) as well as nearly one hundred and fifty Psychology Today Time Cure blog column.  Phil founded The Heroic Imagination Project (HIP), a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging and empowering individuals to take heroic action during crucial moments in their lives.  

Richard Sword, PhD, (1947-2014) was a practicing clinical psychologist on the island of Maui for thirty years before his death in 2014. A graduate of the University of Florida and Saybrook Institute, Rick taught at the University of Florida and the University of Hawaii, Manoa Campus. In the early 1980s he became interested in the treatment of post-trauma and became an expert in post-traumatic stress disorder. He was a lead psychologist for the National Disaster Medical System, Region IX and was deployed to over 30 nationally declared disasters. As his clinic was in Hawaii, he was afforded the opportunity to work cross-culturally and was adept at helping people of many cultures. He considered his crowning career achievement to be helping thousands of seasoned veterans from 6 “wars” (WWII, Korean, Vietnam, First Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan) which lead him and his wife Rose to the development of Time Perspective Therapy in 2008/2009. Along with Phil and Rose, Rick was co-author of The Time Cure as well as Time Perspective Therapy journal articles.  

Rosemary Sword is a Time Perspective Therapist. As part of her Hawaiian heritage, she was trained in the Hawaiian psychology based on forgiveness known as ho’oponopono (literally “to make right”.) She has practiced this form of healing for 40 years. Along with her husband, Richard, she developed Time Perspective Therapy/Training. Rose is also coauthor of The Time Cure, published in English, Wiley, 2012, German, 2013, Russian and Chinese 2014, Polish 2015, The Time Cure Therapist’s Guidebook, Wiley, 2012, Time Perspective Theory; Review, Research and Application, Essays in Honor of Philip G. Zimbardo, Springer 2015, Living & Loving Better, McFarland November 2017, Seeing Through the Grief, McFarland April 2024, as well as book chapters and psychological journal articles. Rose and Phil were coauthors of a popular Psychology Today blog column and have published nearly 150 time perspective articles ranging from bullying and shyness to toxic relationships, and happiness versus living a meaningful life to coping with grief and loss.

Rose and Phil teamed up with a Polish media corporation to develop the first of its kind: a time perspective therapy “nanodegree” (on-line certification.) After successful completion of the pilot project, there are now hundreds of time perspective therapists in Poland. Rose also assisted Phil to introduce representatives of China to the benefits of time perspective therapy.

They also created two FREE Time Perspective Therapy-based 4-week tracks for Happify.com. One helps people overcome PTSD and the other assists those experiencing grief and loss learn coping skills (see Links page).