Murray A. Straus was an internationally influential American sociologist and pioneering researcher who fundamentally transformed the study of family dynamics and interpersonal violence. As Professor of Sociology at the University of New Hampshire from 1968 until his death in 2016, he founded and directed the Family Research Laboratory, establishing it as a global center for the scientific study of family violence. Trained at the University of Wisconsin where he earned both his bachelor's and doctoral degrees, Straus built upon his early career positions at Cornell University and the University of Minnesota to develop what would become his life's work. His move to UNH marked the beginning of decades of groundbreaking research that established him as the preeminent scholar in family violence studies worldwide. Born in New York City on June 18, 1926, Straus brought a rigorous empirical approach to a field that had previously been overlooked by mainstream sociology.
Straus' most influential contribution was the creation of the Conflict Tactics Scale, which became the 'most widely used instrument in research on family violence' according to scholarly assessments. His comprehensive surveys conducted beginning in the 1970s revealed that people were far more likely to be assaulted and injured by members of their own family than by strangers, fundamentally changing popular and academic conceptions about crime and violence. His research on corporal punishment in American families, culminating in his seminal work 'Beating the Devil Out of Them,' demonstrated the long-term negative consequences of physical discipline on children's development and behavior. Straus also pioneered cross-national comparative research on family violence, assembling two large international consortia involving dozens of scholars across more than thirty countries to study dating violence and parental disciplinary practices. These methodologically rigorous studies provided unprecedented empirical evidence that transformed policy discussions and clinical practices worldwide.
Beyond his empirical research, Straus held leadership positions as president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, the National Council on Family Relations, and the Eastern Sociological Society, significantly shaping the direction of social science research. He co-founded the peer-reviewed academic journals Teaching Sociology and Journal of Family Issues, providing essential platforms for scholarly discourse in these fields. Throughout his career, Straus was recognized with numerous prestigious awards including the Ernest W. Burgess Award in 1977 and the Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Research on Aggression in 2008. His collaborative approach to science was evident in his mentorship of numerous students and colleagues, as well as his international research networks that continue to advance the field. Though he passed away on May 13, 2016, Straus' methodological innovations and empirical findings remain foundational to contemporary research on family violence, ensuring his enduring legacy in the social sciences.
