George William Domhoff Biography

World of Sociology on George William Domhoff

G. William Domhoff was born in Youngstown, Ohio, on August 6, 1936, the son of George William and Helen S. (Cornet) Domhoff. He married Judy Boman, a nursery school teacher, on August 28, 1961. They had four children: Lynne, Lori, William P., and James Joel. Domhoff received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University in 1958 and a Master of Arts degree from Kent State University in 1959. He finished his post-graduate studies at the University of Miami at Coral Gables, Florida, earning his doctorate in 1962.

From 1962 to 1965, Domhoff was an assistant professor of psychology at Los Angeles State College. In 1965, he accepted a position as an assistant professor at the University of California, Cowell College, Santa Cruz, where he remains currently. He became an associate professor of psychology in 1969 and a professor of psychology and sociology in 1975.

Domhoff presented his understanding of politics and power in the United States in 1967 with the publication of his first book Who Rules America" that stirred controversy and attracted significant academic attention. Domhoff theorized that the United States has a structure of upper classes, the "power elite," that exercises its influence to control, or rule, the country. Outlining areas in which power positions are filled by members of this socially identifiable elite, especially in the corporate world, Domhoff concluded that "the income, wealth, and institutional leadership of... 'the American business aristocracy' are more than sufficient to earn it the designation 'governing class.'"

The elite wields power, suggested Domhoff, by influencing government policy-making through their support of foundations, think tanks, commissions, and institutes at prestigious universities. In a press release issued by the University of California/Santa Cruz, Domhoff noted that the connection between elite status and political power may not be obvious, but neither can it be hidden. "Americans as a group are reluctant to acknowledge the existence of the power elite, but the rich are in fact a very cohesive group that attends the same schools, goes to the same clubs, vacations at the same summer resorts, and shares a view of the world."

In the 1970s Domhoff continued his work on political sociology, publishing The Higher Circles (1970), Fat Cats and Democrats (1972), and The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats (1974). Who Really Rules" (1978) is a reexamination of Richard Dahl's classic 1961 study on New Haven society Who Governs". Also in 1978 Domhoff responded to critics of Who Rules America" by publishing The Powers That Be.

According to Domhoff, the United States' history of wealth and income inequality has been consistently overlooked by the public and academics. Using Marxian language, he argues that the issues of class consciousness and class conflict are routinely overshadowed by a naive pluralist understanding of political decision-making. Although he acknowledges that the pluralists correctly assert that the democratic system allows everyone access to the political process, he points out that the access is disproportionately weighted to favor the upper class. In order to gain a clear understanding of the impact of wealth and income in the United States, he maintains that the criteria must change from "process" to "outcome." He wrote that the "predominant emphasis in American ideology is on the 'process' by which things are done--democracy in government, equality of opportunity in education, fairness before the law--and not on 'outcomes'.... Who benefits, the very essence of the power struggle, is hardly considered." Nonetheless, Domhoff conceded to the predominant sociological paradigm and offered four general processes as proof of the existence of the power elite in areas of special interest, policy formation, candidate selection, and ideology.

More recent writings in political sociology, such as Who Rules America Now? A View for the '80s (1983) and Diversity in the Power Elite: Have Women and Minorities Reached the Top" (1998), have been intermingled with Domhoff's study of dreams. In 1985 he published The Mystique of Dreams, in which he refuted the widely held belief that the Senoi people of Malaysia control dreams and have extraordinary mental health. In Finding Meaning in Dreams: A Quantitative Approach (1996), Domhoff uses an objective, quantitative methodology to score dreams based on a variety of factors including the frequency of recurring themes and elements of victimization and aggression. The results are compared to set standards to make predictions. "My work on power has had a greater impact and is much better known," Domhoff asserted in a press release for the University of California at Santa Cruz, "but in the long run, I'll bet my dream research stands just as tall."