prof. dr. T.T. (Tom) Postmes

Tom Postmes is professor of social psychology at the University of Groningen and University of Exeter. After his PhD (University of Amsterdam, 1997) he became a lecturer at the same university. In 2001, he joined the University of Exeter where he was promoted to full professor in 2004. His awards include a postdoctoral fellowship of Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (1998) and a fellowship of the ESRC (2003). Since 2007, he works at University of Groningen. His research and teaching is concerned with communication via Internet, group processes within and between groups, and social identity. With Jolanda Jetten, he edited “Individuality and the group: Advances in social identity” (Sage, 2006).

Employment  

• Sept. 2007 - present:Professor of Social Psychology, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
• 2001-present:Professor (2004), Reader (2003), and Senior Lecturer (2001), University of Exeter
• 1996-2001:Senior Lecturer (2000), Lecturer (1996), Communication Department, University of Amsterdam.

Selected Publications

• Postmes, T., & Branscombe, N. R. (Eds.). (2010). Rediscovering social identity. New York: Psychology Press.
• Millward, L.J., & Postmes, T. (2010) Who I am affects what I do: the financial implications of organizational identification. British Journal of Management, 21, 327-339.
• Postmes, T., & Smith, L. G. E. (2009). Why do the privileged resort to oppression? A look at some intra-group factors. Journal of Social Issues.
• Morton, T., Postmes, T., Haslam, S. A. & Hornsey, M. (2009). Theorizing gender in the face of social change: Is there anything essential about essentialism? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 653–664.
• van Zomeren, M., Postmes, T., & Spears, R. (2008). Toward an integrative social identity model of collective action: A quantitative research synthesis of three socio-psychological perspectives. Psychological Bulletin, 134, 504-535.
• Postmes, T. & Jetten, J. (Eds.). (2006). Individuality and the group: Advances in social identity. London: Sage.
• Newson, L., & Postmes, T. (2005). Why are modern families small? Toward an evolutionary and cultural explanation for the demographic transition. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 9, 360-375.
• Postmes, T., Spears, R., Lee, T., & Novak, R. (2005). Individuality and social influence in groups: Inductive and deductive routes to group identity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 747-763.
• Postmes, T., & Branscombe, N. R. (2002). Influence of long-term racial environmental composition on subjective well-being in African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 735-751.
• Postmes, T., Spears, R., & Cihangir, S. (2001). Quality of decision making and group norms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 918-930.
• Postmes, T., Spears, R., & Lea, M. (2000). The emergence and development of group norms in computer-mediated communication. Human Communication Research, 26, 341-371.
• Postmes, T., & Spears, R. (1998). Deindividuation and anti-normative behavior: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 123, 238-259.
• Postmes, T., Spears, R., & Lea, M. (1998). Breaching or building social boundaries? SIDE-effects of computer-mediated communication. Communication Research, 25, 689-715.

Selected Recent Grants

• 2010: NWO awarded a € 159,000 grant entitled “Moving from being to becoming: The emergence and de-escalation of conflict between ethnic minority groups”. Applicants: E. Gordijn, M. van Zomeren, T. Postmes, and E. Kamans.
• 2009: NWO awarded a € 498,000 grant entitled “the role of communication in conflict escalation and de-escalation between ethic groups”. Applicants: E. Gordijn, M. van Zomeren and T. Postmes.
• 2009: NSF awarded a $399,189 grant entitled “Building Social Attachment in Virtual Groups” to Laura Dabbish, Bob Kraut (both Carnegie Mellon University) and Tom Postmes.
• 2009: Contract research grant of €57,859 examining “Social determinants of problem behavior among students”, Police Groningen, together with ISW.
• 2007: The Great Western Research Initiative (GWR) awarded a £120,000 grant to a postdoctoral fellowship proposal entitled “Promoting sustainable behaviour: Toward an integrated social psychological approach.” Principal applicant: T. Postmes. Co-applicants T. Morton, A. Rabinovich, and B. Verplanken.