Jordan Peterson

Jordan Peterson has been married to Tammy Roberts since 1989. They have two children, Mikhaila Peterson and Julian Peterson. His sister is married to computer architect Jim Keller.

Peterson experienced serious health problems after developing benzodiazepine dependence while taking clonazepam for anxiety. In 2020, he travelled to Russia for treatment that included a medically induced coma, followed by intensive care. He later contracted COVID-19 during a hospital stay in Serbia.

In 2025, Peterson was hospitalised for chronic inflammatory response syndrome and was diagnosed with polyneuropathy and myopathy. In 2026, his daughter said that he had also experienced akathisia, a condition associated with severe restlessness and described as a possible medication side effect.

Peterson studied political science at the University of Alberta, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1982. He returned to the university to study psychology and received a second bachelor's degree in 1984. After travelling in Europe and studying the psychological origins of the Cold War, European totalitarianism, and the work of writers and psychologists including George Orwell, Carl Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, he moved to Montreal to attend McGill University.

At McGill, Peterson earned a PhD in clinical psychology under Robert O. Pihl and remained as a post-doctoral fellow at the Douglas Hospital until 1993. His research included familial alcoholism, childhood and adolescent aggression, and hyperactive behaviour.

From 1993 to 1998, Peterson taught and conducted research at Harvard University, where he was an assistant professor of psychology. He returned to Canada in 1998 to join the University of Toronto, later becoming a full professor and then professor emeritus. His academic interests have included psychopharmacology, personality psychology, the psychology of religion, and political and ideological psychology.

Peterson's first book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief, was published in 1999. Drawing on psychology, mythology, religion, literature, philosophy, and neuroscience, it examines how people construct meaning, form beliefs, and create narratives.

His second book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller. It was promoted through a worldwide lecture tour and was translated into 45 languages. His follow-up, Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life, was published in 2021.

Peterson's later books include An ABC of Childhood Tragedy and We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine, an examination of biblical stories and religious ideas published in 2024. Beginning in 2017, he also presented a series of live lectures called The Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories, focusing first on Genesis and later on Exodus.

Peterson gained widespread attention in 2016 after releasing videos opposing Canada's proposed Bill C-16. He argued that the legislation could create compelled speech through requirements involving gender identity and expression, while legal scholars including Brenda Cossman said that this interpretation of the bill was mistaken and that it did not criminalise misuse of pronouns. The bill became law in 2017.

The controversy made Peterson a prominent critic of political correctness, identity politics, postmodernism, and what he called cultural Marxism. He has described himself as a classical liberal and traditionalist, although journalists and commentators have often characterised him as conservative or conservative-leaning.

His public statements also led to proceedings before the College of Psychologists of Ontario. In 2022, the college ordered him to complete a professionalism programme concerning his public comments. Ontario courts upheld the order, and the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear a further appeal in 2024. Peterson denied wrongdoing. His lawsuit against Wilfrid Laurier University, connected to the Bill C-16 controversy, was dismissed in 2024.

Peterson began uploading lectures and interviews to YouTube in 2013. His channel later became a major outlet for lectures on psychology, religion, personal growth, culture, and politics. He launched The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast in 2016, and his daughter Mikhaila co-hosted some episodes after it joined the Westwood One network in 2019.

He has appeared in documentaries including The Rise of Jordan Peterson, No Safe Spaces, and What Is a Woman? He also debated Sam Harris on religion and God and debated Slavoj Žižek in Toronto on happiness under capitalism and Marxism. His 2018 interview with Cathy Newman became widely discussed after a debate about the gender pay gap, postmodernism, and campus protests.

In 2022, Peterson became chancellor of Ralston College. In 2023, he co-founded the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship with Baroness Stroud and John Anderson. He launched the Peterson Academy, an online education platform offering pre-recorded lectures, in 2024.

Peterson has given Christianity a central place in his lectures and writing. When asked in 2017 whether he was a Christian, he answered that the straightforward answer was yes, but he has also described God as the "ultimate fictional character" and has expressed uncertainty about God's existence. He has drawn on Jungian interpretations of religion, Christian existentialism, Taoism, and some teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

His public profile grew through his criticism of identity politics, his discussions of masculinity, and his emphasis on individual responsibility. He has been associated with the term "intellectual dark web", alongside other public figures who use podcasts, online video, and long-form conversations to challenge mainstream political and cultural views.

Peterson has also attracted sustained criticism. Climate scientists have criticised his rejection of the scientific consensus on climate change and his appearances with climate-change contrarians. His views on gender, universities, feminism, and political correctness have likewise been disputed by academics, journalists, and advocacy groups.