Claremont McKenna College

Welcome to The Berger Institute for Individual and Social Development

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.

Research

The Institute offers stellar behavioral science research training for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as funding for faculty and student research collaborations.

Programs

Our programs includes retreats, workshops and a lecture series designed to educate and empower students, with the goal of cultivating practical skills for successful development.

Latest Research Briefs

Berger Alumni Panel Discuss Graduate School

On October 18, 2024 The Berger Institute invited Alumni Dr. Frida Liu ‘04, Joceyln Chang ‘23, and Isabel Mendiola ‘18 to hold a graduate student panel. Each panelist gave personal insight into their experiences obtaining their graduate degrees in psychology, medicine,...

Cara Hagan: Where Ritual and Civic Practice Meet

The Berger Institute teamed up with the Gould Center for Humanistic Rights to invite Cara Hagan to the Athenaeum on January 29th, 2024.  Cara Hagan, Associate Professor and Program Director for the MFA in Contemporary Theatre Performance at The New School, describes...