Volume 62, Number 2    August 22, 2014         

Joseph Luft
Professor Emeritus of Psychology Joseph Luft died on April 4 after being hit by a car while crossing a street in Berkeley. He was 98 years old.

Luft was born to immigrant parents April 2, 1916, in Michigan. He earned his Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA. Luft taught at Stanford for three years before joining SF State in 1954. He taught here until his retirement in 1986. He pioneered a model for categorizing conscious and subconscious areas of the mind, and in 1955, with Harry Ingham, he created the Johari Window, a technique that helps people better understand their relationship with others. After retiring from SF State, Luft continued to facilitate group workshops on organizational development through the UCLA Extension program while also teaching as an adjunct lecturer at UCSF.

Luft was an avid walker, walking daily for the last 50 years. He is survived by his four children and his former wife.

A memorial was held July 20 at the Northbrae Community Church in Berkeley.

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Last modified August 21, 2014 by University Communications.