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Michael J. Mahoney (1946-2006)

Dr. Mahoney died unexpectedly at home on May 31, 2006. He was an influential psychologist of religion, who also was an active weighlifter and was involved in sport psychology.

The following remembrance comes from Adami A. Gabriel, who studied with Dr. Mahoney:

Dr. Cristiano Nabuco de Abreu, my professor in Brazil, first introduced me to the field of constructivism. At that time Dr. Abreu told me that I should get acquainted with the work of Dr. Michael J. Mahoney. I started reading a few articles and book chapters that I had available in Portuguese and Spanish. We were so impressed with his post-modern view of psychotherapy we stamped our class t-shirt with Mike's thought “the psychologist is the guardian of the idea that life is worthy” and I still have it.

Slowly but steadily, a huge intellect started to rise up before me. At first I was amazed that I was understanding that grandiosity so easily and thought it was my great intellect. Poor me! When I had the opportunity to get together for a lunch with Mike at Applebee in Denton, TX suddenly in his presence I realized he was the one bringing that such wonderful feeling I was great. Then it dawned upon me that I had understood a little bit of his grandiosity, the capacity for make people around him feel valuable. For me, beyond all his intellectual accomplishments this humanistic characteristic was what most affected my life forever.

I want to extend my sympathies and condolences to his family (people that I don't know but to whom I am deeply linked by this loss) and also to affirm all who were close to him and learned to love him and appreciate him as a professional, a person, and a colleague.

Adami A. Gabriel
From Brazil but living in Flower Mound TX
Attending a doctoral program at
Texas School of Professional Psychology at
Argosy University/Dallas

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