Harold Lasswell
American political scientist and communications theorist.
Harold Dwight Lasswell was born on February 13, 1902, in Donnellson, Illinois, to a clergyman and a schoolteacher; an older brother had died in childhood. During high school, he edited the school newspaper and delivered a valedictory speech. His uncle, a physician, introduced him to Sigmund Freud, and an English teacher introduced him to Karl Marx and Havelock Ellis. Excelling in history and English, Lasswell earned a scholarship to the University of Chicago, where he began his studies in 1918 at age sixteen. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and economics, then a doctorate from the same institution, writing his dissertation on *Propaganda Technique in the World War* (1927). He also studied at universities in London, Geneva, Paris, and Berlin during the 1920s.
From 1922 to 1938, Lasswell was an assistant and then associate professor of political science at the University of Chicago. A postdoctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences Research Council followed. He taught at the Washington School of Psychiatry from 1938 to 1939, then directed war communications research at the U.S. Library of Congress from 1939 to 1945. During this period, he also taught at the New School of Social Research and Yale Law School, where he led a graduate seminar on “Property in a Crisis Society.” After World War II, he joined Yale full-time, teaching law and political science from 1946 to 1970. He later taught at the City University of New York’s John Jay College (1970–1972) and Temple University School of Law (1972–1976), where he retired. Columbia University also named him the Albert Schweitzer Professor of International Affairs. After retiring, he worked with the Policy Sciences Center.
Lasswell’s research focused on how personality, social structure, and culture explain political phenomena. He worked across communication, political science, psychology, and sociology, actively erasing the boundaries between these fields. He is considered a founding father of political psychology and policy sciences, and an early advocate for mass communication as a scholarly field. He believed universities should become centers for communication studies. His five-questions model of communication is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential. Many credit him with founding content analysis, and he conducted one of the most comprehensive content analysis studies of his era.
- born
- February 13, 1902, Donnellson, Illinois
- died
- December 18, 1978
- field
- Political science, communications, psychology, sociology
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Five-questions model of communication, content analysis, political psychology, policy sciences
Lore & Background
Lasswell was born to a clergyman and a school teacher in Donnellson, Illinois. An older brother died in childhood. During high school, he served as editor of the school newspaper and gave a valedictory speech. Influenced by his uncle, a physician who introduced him to Sigmund Freud, and an English teacher who introduced him to Karl Marx and Havelock Ellis, Lasswell excelled in history and English. He earned a scholarship to the University of Chicago, where he began studies in 1918 at age 16, earning a bachelor's degree in philosophy and economics and later a doctorate. His dissertation, 'Propaganda Technique in the World War' (1927), defined propaganda as 'the control of opinion by significant symbols.' He also studied at the Universities of London, Geneva, Paris, and Berlin in the 1920s.
Lasswell taught at the University of Chicago from 1922 to 1938, then at the Washington School of Psychiatry, and served as director of war communications research at the U.S. Library of Congress from 1939 to 1945. He taught at the New School of Social Research and Yale Law School as a visiting lecturer, becoming a full-time faculty member at Yale from 1946 to 1970. Later he taught at the City University of New York's John Jay College and Temple University School of Law. He also held the Albert Schweitzer professorship at Columbia University. After retiring, he worked with the Policy Sciences Center.
Reader's Guide
Lasswell's significance lies in his foundational contributions to multiple disciplines, particularly political psychology, policy sciences, and mass communication. He is considered a founding father of political psychology and policy sciences, and an early proponent of mass communication as a field of scholarly research. His five-questions model of communication is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential models. He is also credited with inventing systematic content analysis, having conducted one of the most comprehensive content analysis studies of his time. Lasswell's work on propaganda, including his definition and analysis, produced breakthroughs that broadened understanding of propaganda's goals and methods. He believed universities should become focal centers for the study of communications and that social scientists should express ideas through sentences to provide full context. His interdisciplinary approach erased boundaries between political science, psychology, sociology, and communication. He published between 4 million to 6 million words during his career and was described as a 'one-man university.'
Did You Know?
- Lasswell began his studies at the University of Chicago at age 16.
- He served as president of the American Political Science Association in 1956.
- His doctoral dissertation defined propaganda as 'the control of opinion by significant symbols.'
- He was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 1974.
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