The Berger Institute at Claremont McKenna College provides the intellectual and experiential home for research and programming focused on contemporary social issues. The Berger Institute produces and disseminates high quality research with implications for policy, practical applications, and theory.
The central theme for our research and programming is How We Thrive. Our research focuses on understanding risk and resilience factors, while our programming emphasizes the development and cultivation of skills that are necessary for successful adaptation in a rapidly changing society. We focus on individual and social factors that impact how children develop, how families thrive, and how people navigate major transitions and milestones. Examples of our work include understanding how to nurture the well-being of individuals from a wide range of social-economic and demographic backgrounds (including gender, culture, race, age), the changing nature of gender and family roles, and understanding the demographic, technological, financial, and political changes impacting our society today.
News
Finally, the Poets: Art(ists) as the Pulse of Collective Healing and Justice
“The poets (by which I mean all artists) are finally the only people who know the truth about us. Soldiers don’t. Statesmen don’t. Priests don’t. Union leaders don’t. Only poets” (James Baldwin). Terisa Siagatonu (poet, activist, therapist) offered this quote as part...
Meet the Berger Institute at the CMC Club & Institute Fair
The Berger Institute will be hosting a booth at the CMC Club and Institute Fair on Friday, September 6 on Parents Field at CMC. Come learn about our exciting research initiatives and programs, and speak with current staff and students about their experiences. We are...
Students and Staff from Berger Institute Engage Audiences at WPA Convention
Berger Institute researchers and students were excited to present their research April 25-27 at the 99th Annual Western Psychological Association (WPA) Convention in Pasadena. Presenting both through posters and talks, the Berger Institute researchers engaged...
APIDA Panel Addresses Mental Health on Campus
On Thursday, April 11th, a panel of CMC faculty and staff came together to discuss Asian mental health and identity with the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community on campus. Any other interested students, faculty, and staff were welcomed as well....