Paul Goodman was an American sociologist, poet, writer, anarchist, and public intellectual. Goodman is now mainly remembered as the author of Growing Up Absurd

Growing Up Absurd

Growing Up Absurd: Problems of Youth in the Organized Society is a non-fiction book written by Paul Goodman and published in 1960. This book analyses the causes and effects of: "the disgrace of the Organised System, of semimonopolies, government, advertisers, etc., and the disaffection of the...

(1960) and an activist on the pacifist Left in the 1960s and an inspiration to that era's student movement. He is less remembered as a co-founder of Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy

Gestalt therapy is an existential/experiential form of psychotherapy that emphasizes personal responsibility, and that focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist-client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating...

 in the 1940s and '50s.
Goodman was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to Barnett and Augusta Goodman, both immigrants.