Schwartz is the Dorwin Cartwright Emeritus Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College and since 2016 has been visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

He frequently publishes editorials in The New York Times, applying his research in psychology to current events.

Schwartz's research addresses morality, decision-making and the inter-relationships between behavioral science and society.

His books criticize certain philosophical roots of Western societies and expose underlying myths common in both lay and academic psychological theories.

Schwartz studied under David Richmond Williams for his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania where he was a predoctoral fellow with the National Science Foundation.