Patricia Barchas
Encyclopedia
Patricia Barchas was a scholar committed to the study of the interaction of social behavior and physiological processes. She was a pioneer in the study of brain
electrical activity and hormonal function in social processes, such as the development of status hierarchies in small social groups.
.
A native of Chickasha, Oklahoma
, Dr. Barchas grew up in Los Angeles
. She attended Pomona College
, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English
and History
in 1956. She then went on to earn her master's in education from the University of Chicago
. In 1971, she earned her doctorate in sociology
at Stanford. She also spent many years studying neurophysiology
and endocrinology
. While at Pomona, she met her future husband, psychiatrist Jack Barchas
who served for many years on Stanford's psychiatry faculty. Early in her career, Dr. Barchas taught emotionally disturbed children. Later, she joined the faculty of Stanford's Department of Sociology
. She also served as a senior research associate in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, where she headed the Program in Sociophysiology of the Division of Child Psychiatry and Development. Most recently, she was a member of the research staff at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine.
could alter the formation and retention of social hierarchies in humans; showed that humans and non-human primates form new social hierarchies in analogous ways; and provided evidence that groups of human females and groups of human males use different social processes in solving problems, with the females being more consensual.
Barchas was co-author of a report commissioned by Congress, dealing with aggression and violence, and was a co-author of an Institute of Medicine report dealing with mental disorders and substance abuse. Books authored by Barchas include Social Cohesion, Social Hierarchies, and Sociophysiology.
The goal of the Barchas family in providing the endowment is that the recipient of the award be an individual (or more than one individual if they constitute a team) who is making or has made significant contributions to the study of the ways in which social behavior impacts on the physiology of the body in humans or in animals.
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
electrical activity and hormonal function in social processes, such as the development of status hierarchies in small social groups.
Background
Patricia Barchas was a pioneer in the field of sociophysiology - the effects of social behavior on the brain. She can be considered as one of the founder of social neuroscienceSocial neuroscience
Social neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field devoted to understanding how biological systems implement social processes and behavior, and to using biological concepts and methods to inform and refine theories of social processes and behavior. Humans are fundamentally a social species, rather...
.
A native of Chickasha, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, Dr. Barchas grew up in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. She attended Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
in 1956. She then went on to earn her master's in education from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. In 1971, she earned her doctorate in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at Stanford. She also spent many years studying neurophysiology
Neurophysiology
Neurophysiology is a part of physiology. Neurophysiology is the study of nervous system function...
and endocrinology
Endocrinology
Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...
. While at Pomona, she met her future husband, psychiatrist Jack Barchas
Jack Barchas
Jack David Barchas, M.D. is the Barklie McKee Henry Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University and the Psychiatrist-in-Chief of the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Payne Whitney Psychiatric...
who served for many years on Stanford's psychiatry faculty. Early in her career, Dr. Barchas taught emotionally disturbed children. Later, she joined the faculty of Stanford's Department of Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. She also served as a senior research associate in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, where she headed the Program in Sociophysiology of the Division of Child Psychiatry and Development. Most recently, she was a member of the research staff at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine.
Academic achievements
Patricia Barchas discovered that small amounts of alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
could alter the formation and retention of social hierarchies in humans; showed that humans and non-human primates form new social hierarchies in analogous ways; and provided evidence that groups of human females and groups of human males use different social processes in solving problems, with the females being more consensual.
Barchas was co-author of a report commissioned by Congress, dealing with aggression and violence, and was a co-author of an Institute of Medicine report dealing with mental disorders and substance abuse. Books authored by Barchas include Social Cohesion, Social Hierarchies, and Sociophysiology.
Patricia R. Barchas Award
The Patricia R. Barchas award in sociophysiology was established through a gift of a permanent endowment to the American Psychosomatic Society.The goal of the Barchas family in providing the endowment is that the recipient of the award be an individual (or more than one individual if they constitute a team) who is making or has made significant contributions to the study of the ways in which social behavior impacts on the physiology of the body in humans or in animals.
Selected publications
- Barchas, P. R. (1976). Physiological sociology: interface of sociological and biological processes. Annual Review of Sociology, vol 2, 299-333.
- Barchas, P. R. (1976). A sociophysiological orientation to small groups. Advances in Group Processes, vol 3, 209-246.
Books
- Barchas, P. R. 1984. Social hierarchies. London: Greenwood Press.
- Barchas, P. R. 1984. Social Cohesion: Essays Toward A Sociophysiological Perspective. London: Greenwood Press.
See also
- Biological Psychology
- BiologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
- Neuropeptides
- NeuroscienceNeuroscienceNeuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
- EvolutionEvolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
- Social cognitionSocial cognitionSocial cognition is the encoding, storage, retrieval, and processing, in the brain, of information relating to conspecifics, or members of the same species. At one time social cognition referred specifically to an approach to social psychology in which these processes were studied according to the...
- Social NeuroscienceSocial NeuroscienceSocial Neuroscience is the first academic journal dedicated to the topic of social neuroscience and was established in March 2006. It is published by the Psychology Press, a division of Taylor and Francis. The editor is University of Chicago neuroscientist Jean Decety...
- SociologySociologySociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...