Personality Psychology and Social Psychology

Members of the Department of Personality Psychology and Social Psychology focus on describing, explaining, interpreting and explaining the patterns of people’s thought processes, experiences and behaviours in different developmental stages (childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age). We pursue learning about personality as an integrated whole of psychological characteristics (trait, cognitive or motivational), developing in the context of social relations and time. Besides the general population, we study specific groups of people (e.g. cancer patients, or minorities). Our research also relates to major topics of other fields of psychology – such as life-span psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology, political psychology and cross-cultural psychology.

We carry out research projects in the following areas:

• The optimal development of individuals during adolescence, adulthood and old age
• Quality of life, well-being and resilience of groups and individuals
• Individuals’ adjustment to extremely adverse and challenging environments
• Posttraumatic development and mental growth in child cancer patients and their parents
• Unethical, antisocial behaviour and peer inclusion in adolescents
• Intergroup relations and psychology of democracy

The research themes and relevant projects are formulated with respect to their significance in the global context, the tradition of our institute, our scholars’ personal orientation and contemporary needs of our society. Most of our projects require multidisciplinary approach and therefore involve cooperation with other departments of our institute. We publish results of our research in international and domestic journals, but we also try to implement them in practical programs and policies promoting quality of life, prevention of adolescent risk behaviour or the optimisation of intergroup relationships.

Members

Ongoing projects

• David Lacko: Usage of Reaction Time for an Unbiased Estimate of Prejudice: A Novel Approach to Measurement and Modeling, (2024-2026), RIV
• Veronika Koutná: Cancer in youth: psychosocial challenges in child, adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, (2024-2026), RIV
• Sylvie Graf: The Role of Distinct Types of Social Norms in Improving Conflictual Intergroup Relations, (2023-2025), RIV
• Lenka Kollerová: Consequences of bullying: How classroom characteristics weaken the psychological problems associated with victimization, (2023-2025), RIV
• Iva Poláčková Šolcová: SYRI NPO - program Exceles, The National Institute for Research on the Socioeconomic Impact of Diseases and Systemic Risks, System resilience 1., (2022-2025), RIV
• Martina Klicperová-Baker: SYRI NPO - program Exceles, The National Institute for Research on the Socioeconomic Impact of Diseases and Systemic Risks, Polarization and populism 2., (2022-2025), RIV
• Sylvie Graf: G-VERSITY - Achieving Gender Diversity, (10/2020-12/2024), CORDIS

Past projects

• Iva Poláčková Šolcová: Midlife experience: transitions, crises, and growth (2020-6/2023), RIV
• Tibor Žingora: Vlivní adolescenti: Identifikace nejvlivnějších adolescentů v školních třídách napříč různými sociálními kontexty, (2022-2022), RIV
• Sylvie Graf: Mutual perception of acculturation preferences in majority and immigrants: An intergroup perspective (2020-2022), RIV
• Veronika Koutná: Factors of positive consequences of childhood cancer: Relationships of posttraumatic growth in children and their parents (2019-2021), RIV
• Katarína Millová: Characteristics and Predictors of Social and Psychological Adjustment in Young Adulthood: A Longitudinal Study (2018-2020), RIV
• Lenka Kollerová: Teachers' perspectives on peer exclusion among adolescents (2018-2020), RIV
• Martina Hřebíčková: The effect of intergroup contact on acculturation strategies and support for minority rights: A longitudinal perspective in majority and minority (2017-2019), RIV
• Iva Poláčková Šolcová: The styles of ego integrity in the life stories of older adults: a narrative approach (2017-2019), RIV
• Marek Blatný: Promoting participation of psychologists from the Czech Republic in the governing bodies of international societies in the field of psychology (2016-2017), RIV
• Marek Blatný: Predictors of Generativity in Middle Adulthood: A longitudinal Study (2015-2017), RIV
• Lenka Kollerová: Defending victims of bullying: The longitudinal role of individual and group factors (2015-2017), RIV
• Martina Klicperová-Baker: Psychosocial analysis of non-democratic character in a post-communist society: Empirical assessment of negative passivity and so called “bad mood” (2015-2017), RIV
• Marek Blatný: Brno Longitudinal Study of Youth (2014-2016)
• Iva Poláčková Šolcová: Sex differences in emotional habituation (2014-2016), RIV
• Sylvie Graf: Determinants of intergroup relations: An integrated model of intergroup attitudes, contact, personality-, and socially-anchored factors (2013-2016), RIV
• Marek Blatný: Quality of life in children surviving cancer: longitudinal study (2011-2015), RIV
• Veronika A. Polišenská: Psychological aspects of reintegration and resocialisation of offenders into the society (2012-2015), RIV
• Pavlína Janošová: School bullying as a process - a social-cognitive analysis of classroom bullying (2012-2014), RIV
• Marek Blatný: Studying optimal development longitudinally: potential of Prague and Brno studies on life-span development  (2010-2014), RIV
• Iva Šolcová: Dynamics of resilience and its resources in crewmembers during extended spaceflight simulation (2011-2013), RIV
• Martina Hřebíčková: Intergroup attitudes and Intergroup contact in five Central European countries (2010-2012), RIV
• Gabriela Marková: Early communication: Physiological correlates of sharing emotions with others during the first year of life (2010-2012), RIV
• Marek Blatný: Psychosocial needs and quality of life of healthy siblings of pediatric cancer patients (2009-2012), RIV
• Martina Klicperová: EUROSPHERE (2007-2012), www
• František Baumgartner: Emotional intelligence and its role in coping (2009-2011), RIV
• Pavlína Janošová: Ethical-psychological factors of bullying and coping with it in the primary school (2008-2010), RIV
• Marek Blatný: Quality of life in children surviving cancer: A developmental approach (2007-2010), RIV
• Veronika A. Polišenská: The experience of offenders and its influence upon behaviour and prevention (2007-2009), RIV
• Martina Hřebíčková: Judgment of National Stereotypes in the Context of a Five-Factor Model (2007-2009), RIV
• Iva Šolcová: Conceptions of mental resilience - a comparative study (2007-2009), RIV
• Marek Blatný: The integration of life experience in adulthood: Emotional dispositions, personal history, and life perspectives (2006-2008), RIV