Obituary
On the afternoon of February 25, 2025. John M. Levine, loving husband, father, grandfather and brother, died peacefully, at age 82, after a brief illness. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa on November 28, 1942, where he spent his childhood.
John graduated from Northwestern University in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and from the University of Wisconsin in 1969 with an M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology. At Northwestern, he was a member of Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity and met the love of his life of 56 years on a blind date.
As a psychology professor at the University of Pittsburgh for 50 years, John was a cherished colleague, mentor and friend to his many students and collaborators, all of whom will miss his kindness and generosity. An expert on small group behavior, John was an influential and highly respected leader in his field, as evidenced by his enormous contributions to the field and the many tributes he received throughout his career. Even in retirement, he remained active and engaged in a range of research initiatives.
He was intellectually curious, skeptical but fair and he had a wonderful sense of humor. He was a World War II buff and he loved hiking, British mystery shows, Winston Churchill and every moment he spent with his family. It is difficult to imagine that anyone has spent more time reading than John. But above all, his life will be remembered most for the love he shared with his beloved wife, Jan. He was also an amazing father, who led by his example, imparting wisdom while letting his sons make their own decisions. In his later years, he enjoyed his time with his grandchildren immensely, never missing an opportunity to share how proud he was of them.
He is survived by his sons, Jeff (Carmina) and Andy (Liz); his sister, Carolyn Levine; and his grandchildren, Bennett and Isabel. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Jan Levine; and his parents, Ben and Bessie Levine.
- PhD, University of Wisconsin
Education & Training
- Chair, Society of Experimental Social Psychology (2000)
- Editor, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (1994-1998)
- Honorary Professor, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
- Joseph McGrath Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Study of Groups (2011)
- Honorary Doctorate, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland (2016)
Levine, J. M., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2022). The extreme group. In A. W. Kruglanski, C. Kopetz, & E. Szumowska (Eds.), The psychology of extremism: A motivational perspective (pp. 96-139). New York: Taylor & Francis.
Argote, L., & Levine, J. M. (Eds.). (2020). The Oxford handbook of group and organizational learning. New York: Oxford University Press.
Levine, J. M., Choi, H. S., & Moreland, R. L. (2019). Newcomer influence and creativity in work groups. In P. Paulus & B. Nijstad (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of group creativity and innovation (pp. 51-72). New York: Oxford University Press.
Levine, J. M. (2018). Socially-shared cognition and consensus in small groups. Current Opinion in Psychology, 23, 52-56.
Levine, J. M. (2017). Factional conflict in groups: How majorities and minorities relate to one another. Group Processes & Intergroup Relation, 20, 644-657.
Pinto, I. R., Marques, J. M., Levine, J. M., & Abrams, D. (2016). Membership role and subjective group dynamics: Impact on evaluative intragroup differentiation and commitment to prescriptive norms. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 19, 570-590.
Levine, J. M., Alexander, K. M., Wright, A. G. C., & Higgins, E. T. (2016). Group brainstorming: When regulatory nonfit enhances performance. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 19, 257-271.
Levine, J. M., & Tindale, R. S. (2015). Social influence in groups. In M. Mikulincer & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), APA Handbook of personality and social psychology (Vol. 2: Group processes; J. F. Dovidio & J. A. Simpson, Assoc. Eds.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Levine, J. M., & Smith, E. (2013). Group cognition: Collective information search and distribution. In D. Carlston (Ed.), Oxford handbook of social cognition (pp. 616-633). New York: Oxford University Press.
Levine, J. M., & Prislin, R. (2013). Majority and minority influence. In J. M. Levine (Ed.), Group processes (pp. 135-163). New York: Psychology Press.
Levine, J. M., & Moreland, R. L. A history of small group research. (2012). In A. W. Kruglanski & W. Stroebe (Eds.), Handbook of the history of social psychology (pp. 383-406) New York: Psychology Press.
- Small group processes -- team performance, newcomer innovation, reaction to deviance
- Learning in social contexts
- Social support in online groups
