Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt
Encyclopedia
Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt (Born June 15, 1928) is founder of the field of human ethology
. In authoring the book which bears that title, he applied ethology
to humans by studying them in a perspective more common to volumes studying animal behavior.
Born in Vienna
, Austria
, Eibl-Eibesfeldt studied Zoology
at the University of Vienna
1945-1949. From 1946 to 1948 he was research associate at the Biological Station Wilhelminenberg near Vienna and became research associate of the Institute for Comparative Behavior Studies in Altenberg near Vienna with Konrad Lorenz
in 1949. 1951 to 1969 he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology
(first in Westphalia
, from 1957 at Seewiesen, Bavaria
). 1970 he became Professor for Zoology at the University of Munich. Since 1975 he is the head of the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology
, Department of Human Ethology in Andechs
, Germany. He was the co-founder and first president of the International Society for Human Ethology. Since 1992 he is Honorary Director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann
-Institute for Urban Ethology in Vienna.
In the first twenty years of his work as an animal ethologist he investigated experimentally and descriptively the development of behavior of mammals and compared the behavior of communication of vertebrates. His is the author of many books like Love and Hate: The Natural History of Behavior Patterns.
He married Eleonore Eibl-Eibesfeldt in 1950. They have two children, Bernolf and Roswitha.
For many years he dived with Hans Hass
on his diving boat Xarifa.
Human ethology
Ethology is concerned with the evolutionary significance of an animal's behaviors in its natural environment. Broadly speaking, ethology focuses on behavior processes across species rather than focusing on the behaviors of one animal group. Ethology as a discipline is generally thought of as a...
. In authoring the book which bears that title, he applied ethology
Ethology
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
to humans by studying them in a perspective more common to volumes studying animal behavior.
Born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Eibl-Eibesfeldt studied Zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
1945-1949. From 1946 to 1948 he was research associate at the Biological Station Wilhelminenberg near Vienna and became research associate of the Institute for Comparative Behavior Studies in Altenberg near Vienna with Konrad Lorenz
Konrad Lorenz
Konrad Zacharias Lorenz was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch...
in 1949. 1951 to 1969 he worked at the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology
Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology
The former Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology was located in Seewiesen, Bavaria, Germany. It was one of 80 institutes in the Max Planck Society ....
(first in Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, from 1957 at Seewiesen, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
). 1970 he became Professor for Zoology at the University of Munich. Since 1975 he is the head of the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology
Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology
The former Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Physiology was located in Seewiesen, Bavaria, Germany. It was one of 80 institutes in the Max Planck Society ....
, Department of Human Ethology in Andechs
Andechs
The Benedictine abbey of Andechs is a place of pilgrimage on a hill east of the Ammersee in the Landkreis of Starnberg in Germany, in the municipality Andechs. Andechs Abbey is famed for its flamboyant Baroque church and its brewery...
, Germany. He was the co-founder and first president of the International Society for Human Ethology. Since 1992 he is Honorary Director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann
Ludwig Boltzmann
Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann was an Austrian physicist famous for his founding contributions in the fields of statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics...
-Institute for Urban Ethology in Vienna.
In the first twenty years of his work as an animal ethologist he investigated experimentally and descriptively the development of behavior of mammals and compared the behavior of communication of vertebrates. His is the author of many books like Love and Hate: The Natural History of Behavior Patterns.
He married Eleonore Eibl-Eibesfeldt in 1950. They have two children, Bernolf and Roswitha.
For many years he dived with Hans Hass
Hans Hass
Hans Hass is a diving pioneer known mainly for his documentaries about sharks, the energon theory, and his commitment, later in life, to the protection of the environment. He was born in Vienna, Austria.-Early years:...
on his diving boat Xarifa.
External links
- Eibl-Eibesfeldt's homepage
- Biography
- International Society for Human Ethology
- Homepage of lecture for Human Ethology at the University Innsbruck several PDF-documents in English