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Norbert Bischof was born on March 6, 1930, in Breslau. His scientific career began with Erich von Holst and Konrad Lorenz in Seewiesen and took him via Caltech in Los Angeles to the University of Zurich, where he was a full professor from 1975 to 1997. From 1997 onwards, he was an honorary professor of psychology at the University of Munich. The father of three adult daughters, he lived with his wife Doris Bischof-Köhler in Bernried am Starnberger See until his death on February 19, 2026.
He continued working on his final book, Theoretische Psychologie – Worauf es ankommt und wie es zusammenhängt, until shortly before his death. A first version was completed in autumn 2025. During his final two weeks, he reviewed the manuscript with his wife and daughters. The book was published posthumously in 2026.
University of Zurich (in German): in memoriam
Felix Schönbrodt (in German): Nachruf auf Norbert Bischof (Psychologische Rundschau)
Gerhard Medicus (in German): Pionier des interdisziplinären Dialogs – In Memoriam Norbert Bischof
Professor of Cognitive Psychology, University of Bern
With great sadness, I learned of the passing of Norbert Bischof—an extraordinary scientific mind who profoundly and lastingly shaped me as my doctoral advisor at the University of Zürich.
He possessed that rare quality in science: the ability to see connections across disciplines and seemingly distant topics, yet always with remarkable clarity and—importantly—embed them within a coherent structure using a system-theoretic approach. His outstanding handbook articles on spatial perception left a lasting impression on me, and he developed the “Zurich Model of Social Motivation,” which still influences generations of students and scholars.
At Attenhoferstrasse 9 on the Zürichberg, in a building packed with research laboratories and an animal observation station, he created the hub of what he called “Biomathematical Psychology.” It was an intellectually vibrant place—from dusk to dawn, and often later—where internationally renowned researchers came and went, among them Francisco Varela, Karl Pribram, Jane Goodall, Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, and Gerhard Vollmer, to name just a few I still vividly remember.
Norbert Bischof was a brilliant lecturer—deep and broad in his thinking, yet able to express complex scientific insights with striking simplicity. I remember once walking back with him to the institute when we heard a woodpecker. He remarked: “You know, using one’s head as a hammer is idiotic from a design perspective.”
I remain deeply grateful for his mentorship and inspiration.
Professor Emeritus of Neuropsychology, University of Zurich
I greatly admire Norbert Bischof. To me, he is one of the most outstanding psychologists, at least in the German-speaking world. And I say this with full awareness of many other renowned psychologists and behavioral scientists from this region. Hardly anyone else has managed as successfully as he did to integrate different disciplines—biology, psychology, ethology, and cybernetics—into a coherent perspective. Moreover, he was extraordinarily well read and understood psychology and behavioral science in a way that few colleagues could match. Without intending to diminish the contributions of others, he was and remains an exceptional representative of our field. I learned a great deal from him. The few occasions on which we had the opportunity to discuss scientific ideas together rank among the most important moments of my academic career. Dear Norbert Bischof — thank you for your inspiration and for your contributions.
Norbert Bischof presents eight lectures on Attachment Theory. The presentation also introduces the Zurich Model of Social Motivation.
Schneider M. (2001). Systems theory of social motivation. In N.J. Smelser & P.B. Baltes (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (10120-10125). Elsevier Science.
The "Founder Award For Advancing Attachment Study Through The Use of Control Systems Theory and Computational Modeling" was presented to Norbert Bischof on April 1st, 2011.
The Bowlby-Ainsworth Award recognizes founders and singular contributors to the Bowlby-Ainsworth tradition of attachment theory and research.
Forms of Fellow Feeling: Empathy, Sympathy, Concern and Moral Agency
Edited by Neil Roughley and Thomas Schramme
Chapter 3: Self-Recognition, Empathy, and Concern for Others in Toddlers, by Doris Bischof-Köhler and Norbert Bischof
Cambridge University Press, 2018
Bischof-Köhler D. & Bischof N. (2007). Is mental time travel a frame-of-reference issue? Open peer comment to: Suddendorf T. & Corballis M.C.: The evolution of foresight: What is mental time travel and is it unique to humans? Behavioral and Brain Sciences 30(3), 316-17.
Bucher U., Mast F. & Bischof N. (1992). An analysis of ocular counterrolling in response to body positions in three-dimensional space. Journal of Vestibular Research 2, 213-220.
Bischof, N. (1990). Phase transitions in psychoemotional development. In H. Haken & M. Stadler (eds.), Synergetics of Cognition (361-378) Springer Series in Synergetics 45.
Bucher U., Heitger F., Mast F. & Bischof N. (1990). A novel automatic procedure for measuring ocular counterrolling: a computer analytical method to determine the eye's roll angle while subjects work on perceptual tasks. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments & Computers 22(5), 433-439.
Bischof, N. & Gubler, H. (1990). A systems' perspective on infant development. In M.E. Lamb & H. Keller (eds.), Infant Development: Perspectives from German-speaking Countries (1-37). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Bischof, N. (1980). Remarks on Lorenz and Piaget: How can «working hypotheses» be «necessary»? In M. Piattelli-Palmarini (ed.), Language & Learning. The Debate between Jean Piaget and Noam Chomsky (233-241). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Bischof, N. (1980). Detachment: the breaking of bonds as a biocultural phenomenon. Kongressbericht des 22. Internationalen Kongresses für Psychologie, Leipzig, 39-47.
Bischof, N. (1978). On the phylogeny of human morality. In G.S. Stent (ed.), Morality as a Biological Phenomenon. Report of the Dahlem Workshop on Biology and Morals, Berlin 1977 (53-73). Berlin: Abakon. (Revised Edition (48-66), Berkeley: University of California Press).
Bischof, N. (1978). On the necessity of «appropriate behavior» on the part of the caregiver. Open peer comment to Rajecki, D.W., Lamb, M.E. & Obmascher, P., Toward a general theory of infantile attachment: a comparative review of aspects of the social bond. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 1(3), 417-464.
Bischof, N. (1977). Compensation in the perception of verticality: some remarks on exploring causal relationships in the central nervous system. Neuroscience Research Program Bulletin 15(3), 385-393.
Bischof, N. (1975). A systems approach towards the functional connections of attachment and fear. Child Development 46, 801-817.
Bischof, N. (1975). Comparative ethology of incest avoidance. In R. Fox (ed.), Biosocial Anthropology (ASA Studies) (37-67). London: Malaby Press.
Bischof, N. (1974). Optic-vestibular orientation to the vertical. In H.H. Kornhuber (ed.), Handbook of Sensory Physiology vol. VI/2: Vestibular System (155-190). Berlin: Springer.
Bischof, N. (1972). The biological foundations of the incest taboo. Social Science Information 11(6), 7-36.