Prof. Dr. Ismet Dizdarević Passes Away in Sarajevo

(Patria) - Prof. Dr. Ismet Dizdarević has passed away in Sarajevo. This was announced by the president of the Platform for Progress, Mirsad Hadžikadić. He had been ill for the past several years and was cared for by his wife Jasmina.

"Prof. Dr. Ismet Dizdarević is no longer with us. Physically, no, but he left an indelible mark on our memory. We knew each other for more than twenty years. First professionally, working on the conference on the Srebrenica genocide, and then as friends. He was adorned with wonderful qualities. As a psychologist, he was the founder of psychology as an academic discipline in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a beloved lecturer to students, a respected scientist, and a valued author of countless books.

As a person, he was intelligent, sincere, honest, loyal, pleasant, positive, disciplined, thorough, responsible, focused, charming, cheerful. In short, a super human. He was happy that his life was complemented by a wonderful life partner, the renowned psychologist Jasmina Dizdarević, who cared for him so devotedly in the last years of his life.

We cannot forget Prof. Dizdarević, but we can and must follow his approach to life: knowledge, honesty, responsibility, and character. It was an honor to know him and call him a friend. May he rest in peace," wrote Hadžikadić.

Ismet Dizdarević was born in 1934 in Mostar. He completed his primary and secondary (teacher training) school in his hometown. Ismet Dizdarević was the first doctor of psychological sciences in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He published over 200 scientific and professional papers. He was the editor of the journals Porodica i dijete, Odjek, Prosvjetni list, and Revija za psihologiju. He served as vice-president and president of the Association of Psychologists of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and president of the Union of Associations for Professional Orientation of Yugoslavia. He received the "Veselin Masleša" award and the April 6th Award of the City of Sarajevo (1991).

He completed his studies in psychology at the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade in 1958. He defended his doctoral dissertation titled: The Influence of Creative Abilities on the Social Behavior of Students, at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo in 1978. He worked at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo from 1961. He was elected assistant in 1961, docent in 1978, associate professor in 1980, and full professor in 1987. He taught courses in General Psychology and Personality Psychology. Ismet Dizdarević was the founder and first president of the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo. He also taught at the Department of Pedagogy and the Department of Philosophy and Sociology. He lectured at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, the Faculty of Criminal Justice Sciences in Sarajevo, the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo, the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo, and the Faculty of Teacher Education of the University "Džemal Bijedić" in Mostar. He retired in 2004, and was elected professor emeritus in 2005.