John Arsenian, psychologist, group therapy pioneer; at 89

In 1979, when he was head psychologist at Boston State Hospital, John Arsenian wrote an impassioned letter to the New York Review of Books in response to one of the journal's articles. In the letter he argued for an option of self-directed suicide to end the suffering of criminals afflicted with mental disorders.

Pleading his case, Dr. Arsenian cited both the contemporary example of convicted killer Gary Gilmore, who petitioned for his own execution in 1977, and the ancient case of philosopher Socrates, who was put to death in Greece 2,400 years ago.

The letter showed what friends remembered as Dr. Arsenian's two strongest traits: his tremendous love of literature and his endless empathy for the mentally ill.

Dr. Arsenian, one of the pioneers of group psychological therapy, died Jan. 31 of Parkinson's disease at his home in Rockport. He was 89.

"I would like to make a case for formalizing the option of suicide for those who, following homicide, feel they no longer wish to live," Dr. Arsenian wrote in the letter to the New York Review of Books. "For those who are apprehensive or appalled at the state's involvement in executions, it would be a partial mitigation and displacement of responsibility."

Born in Boston, Dr. Arsenian graduated from Boston University in 1939 and earned his doctorate in psychology from Harvard University in 1945, as the psychological breakthroughs of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were entering common practice.

After briefly teaching at Smith College, Dr. Arsenian joined Boston State Hospital, where he later became chief psychologist and director of clinical psychiatry and research for almost 30 years.

"He was a soft-spoken, kind man, who worked very hard," said his son, Michael of Rockport. "He was humble. He never said much about himself."

At the time, individual Freudian psychoanalysis was widely popular in treating the hospital's inpatients, but Dr. Arsenian encouraged and developed group therapy. The sessions reflected his concern for patients' well-being over advancement of the science, according to Richard Wolff, who worked with him at the hospital for more than 10 years.

"He was very concerned with recognizing the human side of very psychologically ill patients," Wolff said. "He had a very humanist approach to treatment."

Wolff said that he and his wife, June Johnson-Wolff, who also worked with Dr. Arsenian, remained friends with him long after their professional relationship ended. Dr. Arsenian's wife, Jean (MacDonald), also worked at the hospital, treating drug addiction. They were married for 65 years.

The two couples worked side by side in the hospital, which at the time demanded long hours with little recognition, Wolff said. Dr. Johnson-Wolff said that Dr. Arsenian was just as warm and considerate with his patients as he was with friends and family.

Despite the job's demands, Dr. Johnson-Wolff recalled, Dr. Arsenian always found time to read. Literature was a constant topic of conversation at his home on the Rockport coast. Though he was never quite up to date on the latest bestsellers, Dr. Arsenian read the novels of Marcel Proust, Thomas Hardy, and Charles Dickens and immersed himself in nonfiction , as well .

His daughter-in-law, Kelly Arsenian, said his book collection spilled out into a cottage near his house.

He often indulged his love of the outdoors, she said, swimming in the cove on his property and taking walks with his wife near their home, where the walls were decorated with art created by his patients.

After retirement, he volunteered at the Veterans Administration medical centers in Boston and kept a small private practice.

In addition to his wife and son Michael, Dr. Arsenian leaves another son, Toby of Rockport; a brother, Edward Abbot of Rockport; and three granddaughters.

Services and burial are private.