Brian K. Barber
Brian K. Barber | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of California, Santa Cruz (BA), California Family Study Center (MA), Brigham Young University (Ph.D.) |
| Occupation | social and cultural psychologist, author, Professor Emeritus |
| Website | bkbarber |
Brian K. Barber is an American social and cultural psychologist, author, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tennessee. He is recognized for his decades-long research on adolescent development, family dynamics, and the psychological impact of political conflict.[1][2]
Early life and education
Barber was born in Los Angeles, California, and is currently based in Washington, D.C. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Planning from the University of California, Santa Cruz, a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from the California Family Study Center, and a Ph.D. in Family Studies from Brigham Young University.[1][2][3][4]
Academic and professional career
Barber served for over 30 years as a Professor of Child and Family Studies, ultimately achieving emeritus status at the University of Tennessee. His peer-reviewed research has been widely published in journals such as The Lancet, Social Science & Medicine, Global Public Health, PLOS ONE, Child Development, International Journal of Behavioral Development, and Journal of Adolescent Research. Overall, his work has been cited in other published work over 22,000 times.
In his academic work, he focused on two major domains: 1) Adolescent Socialization (particularly by parents), and 2) Youth Involvement in Political conflict.
Adolescent Socialization
Professor Barber did extensive work defining the types of parental behaviors that enhance or inhibit healthy adolescent development. Particularly, he was largely responsible for reviving the construct of psychological control, an insidious type of intrusive parenting that impedes development and identity formation. His 1996 landmark article on psychological control has been cited nearly 4,000 times.
- Barber, Brian K. (1996). "Parental Psychological Control: Revisiting a Neglected Construct". Child Development. 67 (6): 3296–3319. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01915.x. ISSN 0009-3920. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
He was also able to document the same negative impact of this type of parenting across several world cultures, while also showing the positive impact of parental support and behavioral control.
- "Parental support, psychological control, and behavioral control: Assessing relevance across time, method, and culture". Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. 70 (4): 1–13. 2005. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5834.2005.00365.x. ISSN 0037-976X. Retrieved 2025-08-27. Much of this work is presented in his book:
- Intrusive parenting: How psychological control affects children and adolescents. Washington: American Psychological Association. 2002. doi:10.1037/10422-000. ISBN 978-1-55798-828-7. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
For a full list of his published works on adolescent socialization, please see: https://bkbarber.com/adolescent-development/
Youth and Political Conflict
At the University of Tennessee, Dr. Barber founded and directed the Center for the Study of Youth and Political Conflict (now closed).
While studying youth in Northern Ireland, South Africa, Bosnia, and Egypt, his prime field of study was Palestine, where he and several research teams have studied 10,000 youth and parents in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip since 1994. His published work has contributed significantly to refining the construct of resilience, political activism, and local forms of suffering.
This work has been published in numerous medical, health, and psychology journals, including The Lancet, Social Science & Medicine, Global Public Health, PLOS ONE, Child Development, International Journal of Behavioral Development, and Journal of Adolescent Research.
See https://bkbarber.com/palestine/ for a full list of those publications. He has also published two books from that work:
- Barber, Brian K (2009-10-22). Adolescents and War. Oxford ; New York: OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-534335-9.
This edited volume brings together global experts to examine how adolescents experience and cope with political violence. It includes studies from various conflict zones, with significant attention to Palestinian youth during the First Intifada, highlighting their resilience and the meanings they ascribe to their experiences.
- Barber, Brian (2025-01-15). No Way But Forward. ISBN 978-969-589-282-4.
The book is the culmination of nearly three decades of immersive research and close relationships with three Palestinian men—Hammam, Hussam, and Khalil—whom Barber first met during his fieldwork in Gaza beginning in 1995.[1][2][4]
No Way but Forward provides an intimate and profound exploration of life in Gaza spanning decades of occupation.[4] The narratives trace the lives of Hammam, Hussam, and Khalil, and their eventual families, over the ensuing three decades.
The book culminates in raw, firsthand accounts through direct messages from them to the author beginning October 7, 2023, on through to October 7, 2024, the first year of the ongoing devastation of Gaza by the Israeli military. Through personal stories, the book portrays how ordinary families navigate extraordinary challenges—pursuing education, raising children, and preserving hope and identity. It also serves as a historical record of a generation of Gazan life and culture that is no more.
Selected publications
Adolescent Development
Articles
- Barber, Brian K.; Schluterman, Julie Mikles (2008). "Connectedness in the Lives of Children and Adolescents: A Call for Greater Conceptual Clarity". Journal of Adolescent Health. 43 (3): 209–216. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2008.01.012. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- Stolz, Heidi E.; Barber, Brian K.; Olsen, Joseph A. (2005). "Toward Disentangling Fathering and Mothering: An Assessment of Relative Importance". Journal of Marriage and Family. 67 (4): 1076–1092. doi:10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00195.x. ISSN 0022-2445. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- Barber, Brian K.; Olsen, Joseph A. (2004). "Assessing the Transitions to Middle and High School". Journal of Adolescent Research. 19 (1): 3–30. doi:10.1177/0743558403258113. ISSN 0743-5584. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- Barber, Brian K.; Olsen, Joseph A. (1997). "Socialization in Context: Connection, Regulation, and Autonomy in the Family, School, and Neighborhood, and with Peers". Journal of Adolescent Research. 12 (2): S87–315. doi:10.1177/0743554897122008. ISSN 0743-5584. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- Barber, Brian K. (1996). "Parental Psychological Control: Revisiting a Neglected Construct". Child Development. 67 (6): 3296–3319. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01915.x. ISSN 0009-3920. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
Palestine[5]
Selected Articles
- McNeely, Clea A.; Barber, Brian K.; Giacaman, Rita; Belli, Robert F.; Daher, Mahmoud (2018). "Long-Term Health Consequences of Movement Restrictions for Palestinians, 1987–2011". American Journal of Public Health. 108 (1): 77–83. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304043. ISSN 0090-0036. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- Barber, Brian K.; McNeely, Clea A.; El Sarraj, Eyad; Daher, Mahmoud; Giacaman, Rita; Arafat, Cairo; Barnes, William; Abu Mallouh, Mohammed (2016-05-27). "Mental Suffering in Protracted Political Conflict: Feeling Broken or Destroyed". PLOS ONE. 11 (5): e0156216. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0156216. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4883798. PMID 27232335.
- Barber, Brian K.; McNeely, Clea; Olsen, Joseph A.; Belli, Robert F.; Doty, Samuel Benjamin (2016). "Long-term exposure to political violence: The particular injury of persistent humiliation". Social Science & Medicine. 156: 154–166. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.03.011. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- Barber, Brian K.; McNeely, Clea; Allen, Chenoa; Giacaman, Rita; Arafat, Cairo; Daher, Mahmoud; El Sarraj, Eyad; Mallouh, Mohammed Abu; Belli, Robert F. (2016-02-01). "Whither the "Children of the Stone"? An Entire Life under Occupation". Journal of Palestine Studies. 45 (2): 77–108. doi:10.1525/jps.2016.45.2.77. ISSN 0377-919X. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- Barber, Brian K.; Spellings, Carolyn; McNeely, Clea; Page, Paul D.; Giacaman, Rita; Arafat, Cairo; Daher, Mahmoud; El Sarraj, Eyad; Mallouh, Mohammed Abu (2014). "Politics drives human functioning, dignity, and quality of life". Social Science & Medicine. 122: 90–102. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.09.055. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- McNeely, Clea; Barber, Brian K.; Spellings, Carolyn; Giacaman, Rita; Arafat, Cairo; Daher, Mahmoud; El Sarraj, Eyad; Abu Mallouh, Mohammed (2014-05-28). "Human insecurity, chronic economic constraints and health in the occupied Palestinian territory". Global Public Health. 9 (5): 495–515. doi:10.1080/17441692.2014.903427. ISSN 1744-1692. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
Commentaries[6]
Beyond academic publications, Barber has contributed commentaries to various media outlets, offering insights into the socio-political challenges faced by Palestinians:
- Onward in Gaza.[7]
- Education: A Major Casualty of the Gaza Assault.[8]
- Gaza Interrupted.[9]
- This is Why Gazans Won’t Back Down.[10]
- Palestinians in Gaza Suffer Enough Without Being Defamed as Sexual Deviants and Mentally Ill.[11]
- The Situation in Gaza: An Interview with Brian Barber.[12]
- Jerusalem Tensions: It’s how the Israelis are Ruling Palestinians There.[13]
- After the War: A Week in Gaza, My “Second Home”.[14]
- Hamas, Shmamas: It’s about Israeli National Ambitions.[15]
- Valuing humanity of Palestinians is essential for peace.[16]
- Raise the right to resistance.[17]
- What the Young People of Egypt Learned.[18]
Research affiliations
Barber is a Senior Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Policy Council and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Palestine Studies, both in Washington DC, where he continues to engage with Middle East scholarship and advocacy around youth, resilience, and political trauma.[19][1][2]
Personal life
Since retirement, Barber has cultivated an interest in photography, inspired by a National Geographic expedition to the Arctic, which sparked his passion for wildlife and bird photography. He also enjoys learning the pipe organ and playing tennis.
An intrepid traveler and student of culture and languages, Barber remains single by choice, allowing him the flexibility to engage deeply with the people and places he studies and photographs.[1][2]
Events
- NO WAY BUT FORWARD | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
- Book Launch and Discussion | No Way But Forward: Life Stories of Three Families in the Gaza Strip
- No Way But Forward: Life Stories of Three Families in the Gaza Strip
- Brian Barber lecture on Adolescence and War
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Brian K. Barber | Author & Gaza Researcher". 2024-06-05. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "No Way but Forward: Life Stories of Three Families in the Gaza Strip Kindle Edition". Amazon.
- ↑ "BYU Studies". byustudies.byu.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Brian K. Barber". New America. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ↑ Barber, Brian (2025-01-15). No Way But Forward. ISBN 978-969-589-282-4.
- ↑ "Brian K. Barber". Institute for Palestine Studies. Retrieved 2025-05-17.
- ↑ "Onward in Gaza - Middle East Policy Council". mepc.org. 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ "Education: A Major Casualty of the Gaza Assault - Middle East Policy Council". mepc.org. 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ Barber, Brian K. (2023-10-19). "Gaza Interrupted". CounterPunch.org. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ Barber, Brian K. (2018-05-15). "This is why Gazans won't back down". CNN. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ "Palestinians in Gaza Suffer Enough Without Being Defamed as Sexual Deviants and Mentally Ill".
- ↑ جدلية, Jadaliyya-. "The Situation in Gaza: An Interview with Brian Barber". Jadaliyya - جدلية. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ "Jerusalem Tensions: It's how the Israelis are Ruling Palestinians There". Informed Comment. 2015-11-13. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ Barber, Brian K. (2015-02-24). "After the War". Medium. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ "Hamas, Shmamas: It's about Israeli National Ambitions". Informed Comment. 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ "Brian Barber: Valuing humanity of Palestinians is essential for peace". www.knoxnews.com. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ "Raise the right to resistance". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ Barber, Brian K. (2013-08-16). "What The Young People of Egypt Learned | Essay, Nexus". Zócalo Public Square. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ↑ Dieterman, Lucian (2016-05-31). "The Situation in Gaza: An Interview with Brian Barber". The Jerusalem Fund. Retrieved 2025-05-17.