Child psychologist and writer of the award-winning novel "The Uses of Enchantment", which studied the emotional importance of fairy tales for children. He was known for his work on Freud and emotionally unstable children.
He studied at the University of Vienna but left to support his family after the death of his father.
He was founder of the Orthogenic School at the University of Chicago, which later became controversial for its treatment of children.
He married Gertrude Weinfeld in 1941. They had three children.
He studied Freudian psychology and psychoanalysis, which were championed by Sigmund Freud.