ABOUT NEIL J. KRESSEL

NEIL J. KRESSEL is a social psychologist who holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He also received a master’s degree in comparative history and a B.A. magna cum laude with highest honors in history from Brandeis University. Currently Professor of Psychology at William Paterson University, he chaired the Department of Psychology from 1992-1995. A licensed psychologist, Kressel has taught at Harvard, NYU, Stevens Institute of Technology, and elsewhere. He has consulted in many areas of applied social psychology, drawing on broad expertise in political psychology, opinion research, forensic psychology, and the psychology of genocide and terrorism.

During the past decade, Kressel has written frequently on these and other matters for popular and scholarly periodicals. His academic articles and reviews have appeared in many journals, including: American Journal of Sociology, Contemporary Psychology, Aggressive Behavior, Political Psychology, Journal of Social Psychology, Peace and Conflict, Small Group Behavior, Teaching of Psychology, and Journal of Psychohistory. Kressel’s popular writing credits include: The Boston Globe, The New York Post, The Daily News, The Boston
Herald, The (Bergen) Record, American Legion Magazine, and others. His work has been the subject of Op-ed pieces and editorials in The Washington Post, The (New York) Daily News, The New York Post, and The Forward.

He has been interviewed on MSNBC-TV, Fox News Network TV, ABC-TV, The History Channel, TV3 (Barcelona, Spain), Voice of America, the AP Radio Network (“Newsweek on the Air”), WNYC-AM (“New York and Company”), National Public Radio, Monitor Radio Network, Simon Wiesenthal Center Radio Network, WOR-AM (New York: “The Joan Rivers Show”), CFRB (Toronto), KABC-AM (Los Angeles), KMCO (Kansas City), WLTW-FM (New York), WCBS-AM (New York), WTIC (Connecticut), NEWS12-NJ TV, CN8 TV (New Jersey), and numerous other stations.

In 1996, he wrote Mass Hate: The Global Rise of Genocide and Terror (New York: Plenum Press), selected by Choice magazine as an “Outstanding Academic Book -- 1996.” The book has received many reviews and an updated edition appeared in 2002 (New York: Perseus Books Group/ Westview Press). Writing about the book, The Washington Post stated that: “Kressel has a jeweler’s eye for deflating grandiose conjecture, especially when tainted by ideology. . . This book is a superb review of the literature on mass hate. Kressel is free of bias. . . It is easy to develop confidence in the author’s discernment.” Publishers Weekly called the book “. . . an illuminating psychosocial inquiry into the roots of mass hatred.” Sir Brian Urquhart, former Under Secretary General of the United Nations, wrote that “Neil Kressel’s book is a masterly analysis of . . . [the] problem. . .” Larry McMurtry, the author of Lonesome Dove and other best-sellers, called the book “. . . arresting, frightening, and convincing” while Jeri Laber, the former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch -- Helsinki, wrote: “His prose is moving and accessible, without in any way minimizing the complexity of the issues.”

Most recently, Neil Kressel and Dorit F. Kressel, J.D., authored Stack and Sway: The New Science of Jury Consulting (New York: Perseus Books Group/ Westview Press: 2002). Writing in The Washington Monthly, New York Times editorial board member Dorothy Samuels said: “Readers interested in a carefully researched examination of this influential but largely hidden growth profession will find it in Stack and Sway. . . [T]his surprisingly engaging book provides an even-handed accounting of the methods and madness of this relatively new phenomenon, and possible implications for American justice. Best of all, it manages to do so without being preachy or simplistic. Indeed, the book’s real fun lies in the Kressels’ admirable habit of presenting from opposing angles the various issues raised by the panoply of services which jury consultants so enthusiastically provide.” The book has been reviewed or featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Economist, Judicature, New Jersey Lawyer, and many other publications and broadcasts.

In 1993, Kressel edited a textbook, Political Psychology: Classic and Contemporary Readings, still used in graduate and undergraduate courses