Gershen Kaufman was educated at Columbia University and received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Rochester. Professor Emeritus in psychology at Michigan State University, he is a pioneer in the study of shame.

He is the author of Shame: The Power of Caring and The Psychology of Shame: Theory and Treatment of Shame-Based Syndromes. He is the coauthor with Lev Raphael of Dynamics of Power: Fighting Shame and Building Self-Esteem and Coming Out of Shame. With Lev Raphael, he co-developed the program, “Affect and Self-Esteem,” on which Dynamics of Power and Stick Up for Yourself! are based.

He lives in Michigan.