Key research areas

The Faculty has defined two specific key research areas within (and sometimes across) our thematic areas:

These combine the perspectives within our thematic areas and focus on the essential role psychological processes play in actively shaping and coping with societal and technological changes as well as reacting to them.

Flipchart mit Mindmap

Psychological effects of societal and technological change

In this area, the effects of social and technological change on human thinking and feeling, as well as the examination of the psychological processes involved are studied.

In recent decades, society has been confronted with major changes and crises. These changes have led to fundamental challenges for human health and well-being, and further changes are likely to occur, which will affect areas such as health, education, the environment and the digital transfer.

Psychology can provide relevant academic insights into the way in which individuals, groups and societies are affected by such changes, and into their effects on human experience and behaviour.

Shaping of and coping with societal and technological changes

Research in this area will deal with prevention programmes, interventions and general measures that can support people in their responses to challenges and change.

It is important to understand how a changing and challenging environment influences human experience, while human beings can, in turn, also respond to changes and challenges in a proactive and functional way. Psychology can make an essential contribution towards understanding this adaptive behaviour.

One particularly important aspect will be to understand the way in which psychological
interventions need to be put in place to encourage adaptive and sustainable change.