The Renowned Psychologist Who Fathered a Theory of Child Development, a Rhesus Monkey, and Me

Remembering Kurt Fischer and His Complex, Varied, and Dynamic View of Humanity

A few hours after I learned my dad had died, my stepmom called me on speaker to ask if we wanted a post-mortem COVID-19 test. I was pacing my living room in Los Angeles, wishing more than anything that I could get on a plane, but knowing that this would do nothing but risk more death. My stepmom was in a room full of nurses and administrators at my dad’s memory care facility in Boston, and they were pushing her hard not to ask for a test, even though he …