Profile: Dr. Jim Maddock
Say the words “ecology” and “dialectics” together, and Family Social Science students immediately know that Dr. Jim Maddock’s ideas are under discussion. Dr. Maddock has developed ecological models of human systems, conducted research on families and sexuality, and educated students and practicing professionals for the past 30 years.
After graduating from the University of Chicago with an interdisciplinary degree in Religion and Personality Psychology, Dr. Maddock began teaching at the University of Minnesota Family Studies program, the predecessor of the Family Social Science Department.
Like his education, his approach to teaching, research and theory development has bridged numerous fields of study, but always with a focus on the family. He has taught over 40 different courses in six different departments at the University, 28 of which he created himself. Dr. Maddock was co-founder of the Program in Human Sexuality at the UMN Medical School, where he developed the Sexual Health Services Clinic while working as the Program’s Education & Training Director. In 1980, Dr. Maddock and his wife founded Meta Resources, a private therapy and training institute in St. Paul, where he spent five years in full-time private practice before returning to a full-time faculty position. He has supervised medical residents, psychology interns, marriage and family therapy interns and clinical supervisors, as well as a wide variety of practicing mental health professionals.
In addition to marriage and family therapy, Dr. Maddock is a certified sex therapist who has developed special expertise working with sexual abuse and sexual violence. However, his primary interest is in developing the concept of “healthy family sexuality.” He says, “When I began my academic-professional career, it was to bridge the fields of family science and sexual science. The words ‘family’ and sexuality’ were not used in the same sentence except to refer to incest, reinforcing the prevailing attitude that sex is a family problem rather than an inherent part of family process.” In his research, Dr. Maddock has developed the Sexual Meaning Survey (SMS) and the Power/Control Scales (P/C-S) and collected data in the U.S. and abroad. The SMS has been translated into several languages for comparative analysis and further use, and the P/C-S is being used in several studies of couples, including those involved in domestic violence.
Dr. Maddock has presented his research and clinical insights at conferences and training workshops throughout the U.S. as well as in Canada, Western Europe, and Russia. In addition to writing numerous professional articles and a number of book chapters, he has edited or written seven books and produced five training videotapes. Among other honors, Dr. Maddock has received both the Distinguished Service Award and the Rosemary Dummer Award for significant Contributions to Marriage and Family Therapy in Minnesota; along with the Professional Standard of Excellence Career Award from the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors & Therapists, the latter an organization of which he was national president for several years.
(This article appearing in the spring 2001 issue of the FSOS newsletter, Interactions).