Peter Gollwitzer

Peter Max Gollwitzer ( born June 29, 1950 in Nabburg ) is a German social and motivational psychologist and university professor in New York.

Career

Gollwitzer studied Economics of Education and Psychology at the University of Regensburg. He received his degree in psychology from the University of Bochum in 1977 and the Dr. phil. (PhD) from the University of Texas at Austin in 1981. In 1988 he habilitated at the Ludwig- Maximilians- University of Munich. From 1982 to 1983 Gollwitzer was employed at the Department of motivation psychology at the University of Bochum as a research assistant. In 1983 he moved to the Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research in Munich, where he worked in the Department of motivation and action intention and action was head of the research group to 1988 employees and 1989 to 1993 worked. Since 1993 he is Professor ( Chair of Social and motivational psychology ) at the University of Konstanz and since 1999 professor of social psychology at New York University.

Research

Gollwitzer developed several models for the control of action: The theory of symbolic self-completion ( with Robert A. Wicklund ), the Rubicon model of action phases ( with Heinz Heckhausen ), the auto- motive model automatic goal pursuit ( with John A. Bargh ), the Mindset Theory of action phases ( MAP) and the distinction between action control by goal intentions ( intentions, "goal intentions " ) versus implementation intentions ( intentions, " implementation intentions ") in the form of " if - then " plans.

Gollwitzer experimental research tries to discover the variety of different mechanisms that positively influence the control of action and the conditions to emerge that are particularly conducive to the effect of these mechanisms. His research is related to the work of Gabriele Oettingen on the importance of mental contrasting for the realization of goals.

Awards

  • Fellow, Academia Europaea
  • Fellow, American Psychological Association
  • Charter Fellow, American Psychological Society
  • Max Planck Research Award
  • TransCoop Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
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