Anselm L. Strauss; Social Scientist, Medical Sociologist, Author

Anselm L. Strauss, 79, a social scientist and medical sociologist who wrote several popular books. Educated at the universities of Virginia and Chicago, Strauss founded, chaired and taught at the UC San Francisco department of social and behavioral science. He was best known for his pioneering research into chronic illness and for co-developing an innovative method of qualitative research known as grounded theory. Strauss also studied dying patients, the psychology of pain and the politics of medical care. Among his books, many of which are still in print, are “Mirrors and Masks: The Search for Identity,” “Negotiations: Varieties, Contexts, Processes and Social Order” and “Awareness of Dying.” On Thursday in San Francisco of a heart attack.