Joseph Sheehan (1918-1983)

Joseph Sheehan was a Professor of Psychology and had a stammer himself. He saw stammering as a result of conflicting drives to speak and to refrain from speaking ('approach-avoidance conflict'). When the two drives were about equal, the person stammered. The drive to hold back was based on fear, most immediately fear of stammering. He advocated openness and acceptance of one's stammer to help dissolve the fear and shame etc hidden below the surface in the stammering iceberg.

By Joseph Sheehan

Excerpts From the Writings of Joseph G. Sheehan From his Memorial Service, November 26, 1983.

'Short Course in Diagnosis and Treatment of Stuttering: Conflict Theory and Avoidance-Reduction Therapy' Summarises Sheehan's views on stammering and therapy.

Message to a stutterer (link to Stuttering Homepage) "In summary, see how much of that iceberg you can bring up above the surface." There is some further material on the Stuttering Homepage, including audio files.

Articles and DVD

Approach-Avoidance Conflict Revisited By Christine Hyde. "Stammering is a resultant of approach-avoidance conflict - of opposed urges to speak and to hold back from speaking." (1997)

Tough Talking! Tim Shanks takes a look at the work of Joseph Sheehan. (1990)

'Message to a stutterer' and 'No words to say', DVD These 2 documentaries on the work of Joseph Sheehan are available from the BSA members library. Also reviews: Message to a stutterer and No words to say.

Vivian Sheehan

eBook: 'Easy Stuttering' (external link) By Joseph's wife Vivian, who was a speech and language pathologist. There is a charge for download. "This book expresses the ideas and concepts of its 'originator,' Joseph (Joe) Sheehan, and most of the assignments were originally written by Joe."

Obituary: Vivian Sheehan 1917 - 2008 Tributes by Frances Cook and Rachel Everard.