As a social and cultural psychologist, I use experimental methods as well as qualitative interview, observation and archival data. My research is characterized by two approaches: Firstly, I am fascinated by the collaborative construction of meaning among individuals in diverse cultural contexts, and how this process influences subsequent actions and behaviors. Secondly, I focus on the embodiment of human experiences and interpersonal interactions - for example, by analyzing how spatial positions in space are linked to social roles and relationships.
I am currently working on crowds and pedestrians. The body plays a crucial role in this context: individuals in crowds often communicate and orient themselves through non-verbal cues, such as body language and movement impulses. Together with colleagues, I am investigating exactly how social norms are perceived, negotiated, or changed using large-scale experiments but also with the help of observation and survey methods. Another important research question relates to the spread of emotions and motivational states in crowds. It has been convincingly shown that mental states in crowds do not spread like wildfire, however, how motivation or emotions actually change depending on the situation and the behavior of others remain open research questions.
In a second field of research, I examine parents' conceptions of independence and interdependence in parent-child relationships. In the German-Turkish cultural comparison, both similar and different ideas about "good" parenting can be identified - but what all parents have in common is that they have to deal with competing ideas and find their own parenting stance. Here, I am interested in processes of transformation, translation and recombination of knowledge, especially popular scientific, psychological knowledge.
Prior to my appointment as Jülich Professor at BUW and Forschungszentrum Jülich in 2024, I was Associate Professor of Cultural and Social Psychology at the University of St. Gallen from 2022-2024. I completed my doctorate (2013) and habilitation (2022) at the Ruhr University Bochum at the interface of psychology and sociology at the Chair of Social Theory and Social Psychology. I studied psychology in Freiburg and Cologne and graduated with a diploma (2007). I completed an additional Master's degree in Gender & Culture at Goldsmiths College in London (2008).
