Isaac Prilleltensky (1959-2026)

Isaac Prilleltensky, a scholar, educator, and champion of well-being, passed away in Miami, Florida, on May 7, 2026. Isaac was a staunch advocate of social justice and prevention and an influential critic of mainstream psychology. He was a prolific researcher and theorist who authored 15 books, 105 peer-reviewed journal articles, and 42 book chapters. In collaboration with coeditors, he promoted critical psychology in North America. Isaac insisted on the importance of the morals and politics of psychology and identified a set of values (e.g., self-determination, human diversity, social justice) for psychology. Isaac's work also emphasized considerations of power, primary prevention, and wellness promotion. During the latter part of his career, Isaac focused on the role of humor in promoting well-being and on mattering, including both the sense of being of value to others and the feeling of being able to make a difference in the world. A creative and charismatic community psychologist, Isaac will be remembered not just for his accomplishments but for his character as a mentsh with exceptional integrity who treated everyone he met as someone who mattered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).