MCM Research

Peter Marsh MA, D.Phil., C.Psychol.

Peter Marsh, a Chartered Psychologist, is a Director of MCM Research Ltd and The Social Issues Research Centre.

He is still known for his early work on football hooliganism, conducted in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His first book, Rules of Disorder, published in 1978, is still a set text on the subject. This was followed by work on problems in pubs and the connections between drinking and disorder, begun in 1977 when he was Co-Director of the Contemporary Violence Research Centre in Oxford University. Further work on aspects of aggression and violence has included research with youth gangs in New York and Chicago and with youth groups in France and Italy.

His other main research interests have been in the field of non-verbal behaviour, leading to a number of books. Gestures, written with Desmond Morris and others, won a Choice 'academic book of the year' award in the United States. Books such as Eye to Eye (Book of the Month Club in the USA) and Tribes were the subject of extensive promotional tours in the UK and USA. His most recent ‘popular’ book, Lifestyle, is concerned with people's relationship to their homes and their environments. Other works include Aggro: the Illusion of Violence.

A further, continuing research interest is in the role of the motorcar and driving behaviour. With Peter Collett he is the author of Driving Passion: The Psychology of the Car.

Between 1979 and 1990 Peter was a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Oxford Brookes University and was made an Honorary Senior Research Fellow on his departure from full-time teaching. Since 1987 he has been a Director of MCM Research - a research and consultancy company which specialises in applications of social psychology to the workplace and public contexts.

In 1997 he co-founded the Social Issues Research Centre with Kate Fox. This not-for-profit organisation is primarily concerned with positive aspects of lifestyles and social behaviour.

Peter is a frequent contributor to radio and TV programmes. He has presented a number of videos and is regularly invited to speak at conferences and meetings on a range of subjects.

MCM Research Ltd., 27/28 St. Clements, Oxford UK OX4 1AB.

Tel: +44 (0)1865 204211 Fax: +44 (0) 1865 793137