author
Clifford R. (Clifford Rose) Adams
1902–1987
A mid-century psychologist and marriage counselor, he wrote practical relationship guides that aimed to bring research into everyday life. He is best remembered for helping popularize advice on courtship and marriage for a wide general audience.
1 Audiobook
How to Pick a Mate: The Guide to a Happy Marriage
by Clifford R. (Clifford Rose) Adams, Vance Packard
About the author
Clifford R. Adams was an American psychologist, marriage counselor, and author born in 1902 and died in 1987. Contemporary editions of his best-known work, How to Pick a Mate, present him as an associate professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State College and director of its Marriage Counseling Service.
His writing focused on courtship, compatibility, and married life, translating psychological ideas into advice for ordinary readers. He reached a broad audience through books and popular media, and his work reflects the strong mid-20th-century interest in using psychology to understand relationships.
A surviving newspaper photo also identifies him as the author of How to Pick a Mate and connects him with marriage-clinic work, reinforcing his public role as a well-known relationship expert of his era.