Pasqua Maria Perrig-Chiello (generally known as Pasqualina Perrig-Chiello) (born 7 October 1952, Bagheria (PA), Italy), now based in Ried-Brig, Switzerland, is a Swiss developmental psychologist and psychotherapist. She is professor emeritus at the University of Bern, specialising in lifespan developmental psychology, in particular for middle and old-aged people.
Perrig-Chiello came to Switzerland from Italy with her family at the age of seven and grew up in Valais. She studied special education and psychology at the University of Fribourg from 1971, where she graduated with a licentiate and earned a PhD in developmental psychology in 1981.
From 1982 to 1984 she was a visiting researcher at the University of Colorado, Boulder (Institute of Cognitive Science) and from 1984 to 1985 at Saarland University, Saarbrücken (Department of Cognitive Psychology, Johannes Engelkamp).
Thereafter she was a lecturer and researcher at the University of Basel. In parallel she completed a training program as a systemic family therapist. From 1998 to 2002, she was scientific director of the Institut Universitaire Kurt Bösch (IUKB) in Sion.
In 1996, she obtained her habilitation (venia legendi) in psychology at the University of Bern, where she was first employed as a lecturer and then from 2003 as honorary professor. Since 2016 she has been professor emeritus.
Her research on lifespan developmental psychology focuses on biographical transitions, vulnerability and personal growth, critical life events and the regulation of well-being, family intergenerational relationships and caregiving relatives.
Perrig-Chiello has been involved in numerous research projects as an applicant or co-applicant funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation that refer to the whole lifespan.
In her work she advocates a resource-orientated approach by emphasizing the individual's ability to shape how they cope with life transitions by considering the potential for positive change in crises. Her research aims to support people in recognizing their strengths and using them to lead a fulfilled life.
According to her own statements, she found this research focus on the second half of life by chance when she became involved in an age study. She had initially focussed on the topic of childhood and youth. The interviews with very old people made an impression on her and she realised: If you want to understand old age, you also have to analyse the middle years
Perrig-Chiello also makes her research findings available to the general public in a generally understandable form, for example in a blog post on midlife crisis as an opportunity, what it takes to be satisfied in later years and how to arm oneself against strokes of fate, or on questions of love in old age.
She has been a member of AcademiaNet since 4 November 2012, a portal for outstanding female academics and scientists, which accepts nominations based on defined criteria. The nomination was made by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Perrig-Chiello served as a member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation (2003 to 2011), àas well as of the Standing Committee for the Social Sciences of the European Science Foundation in Strasbourg (2004 to 2015). She was president of the Steering Committee of the National Research Programme 52 âÂÂChildhood, Youth and Intergenerational Relations in Societal Changeâ (Swiss National Science Foundation, 2002 to 2008).
She is also committed to lifelong learning and education, acting as president of the Association of Swiss Universities for Seniors (2017 to 2022), and president of the Foundation Board of the Seniors University of Berne, where she now serves as vice president.
Perrig-Chiello is married to the psychologist Walter Perrig, lives in Valais and has two grown sons.
Her list of publications includes 79 peer-reviewed scientific articles, 29 books (monographs, editorships), 70 book contributions and numerous other scientific articles without peer review and research reports. As of October 2024, ResearchGate knows of 148 publications that have been cited 2,764 times.