Mario Gollwitzer
Biographic Data
| ID | 117485 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mario Gollwitzer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mario |
| FAMILY NAME | Gollwitzer |
| SIGNATURE | GOLLWITZER M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Philipps University of Marburg |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4310-4793 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 63 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 295 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 63 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
Motive Attributions Shape Judgments of Whistleblowers’ Moral Characters
Public perceptions of whistleblowers are polarized: While some praise them as heroes, others view them as traitors. We argue that such perceptions are rooted in motives attributed to whistleblowers and tested this idea in three studies. A first qualitative study ( N = 201) revealed four main motives attributed in whistleblowing situations: prosocial, competitive, individualistic, and deontic. In two subsequent scenario studies (total N = 867), we…
I Think, Therefore I Change
Why do people change their self-perceptions (i.e., self-concept) after receiving external, self-discrepant information? While recent theorizing posits that reflection is a prerequisite for such change, empirical evidence supporting this is sparse. Here, we investigated the role of reflection in self-concept change after feedback in six studies. In Studies 1a–e (total N = 2,422), participants received feedback regarding a self-concept domain and w…
Power of pictures? Questioning the emotionalization and behavioral activation potential of aesthetics in war photography
War photography is not only used illustratively in news media but also displayed as controversial art objects.The ethics and impact of aestheticization in war photography have long been debated.In three studies (N1 = 243, N2 = 251, N3 = 254), we contribute empirically to this debate by testing the impact of aesthetics in war photography (i.e., aesthetic style and context) on emotionalization and behavioral activation.While viewing war photography…
Exploring Asymmetries in Self-Concept Change After Discrepant Feedback
Receiving self-relevant feedback that is discrepant from one’s self-concept can lead to self-concept change. However, it is currently unclear whether positive or negative feedback has a larger effect on self-concept change. Across four studies (total N = 1,438), we demonstrate that intentions for self-concept change (Study 1) as well as actual self-concept change (Studies 2, 3, and 4) are larger (a) for larger discrepancies between self-concept a…
Measuring How Individuals Relate Science to Religion
Victims of Conspiracies? An Examination of the Relationship Between Conspiracy Beliefs and Dispositional Individual Victimhood
Conspiracy beliefs have been linked to perceptions of collective victimhood. We adopt an individual perspective on victimhood by investigating the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and the individual disposition to perceive and react to injustice as a victim, i.e., victim justice sensitivity (VJS). Data from two German samples (Ns = 370, 373) indicated a positive association between VJS and conspiracy mentality beyond conceptually related c…
The role of just-world beliefs, victim identifiability, and the salience of an alternative target for victim blaming
Victimhood claims in German political manifestos
Political campaigns often work with victimhood claims—stories construed around an (alleged) injustice that needs to be redressed or retaliated against. Notably, scholars have argued that victimhood claims have become more important in societal discourses over the last 20 years. In this research, we investigate the prevalence of victimhood claims (and a potential increase) in political election and party programs. More specifically, we analyzed pr…
Combining Moral Foundations and Justice Sensitivity Perspectives to Understand Political Orientation
Political orientation is systematically related to individuals' endorsement of different moral domains. Yet, current findings suggest that differences between conservatives and liberals can also be explained by a sensitivity to self-oriented or other-oriented moral transgressions. We argue that conceptualizing moral foundations as perspective-specific advances our understanding of differences in moral judgments across the political spectrum. We t…
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists. We interrogated these concerns with a preregistered 68-country survey of 71,922 respondents and found that in most countries, most p…
The double-edged sword of informality
Communication style is critical in fostering and maintaining trust in private and professional relationships. Anecdotal evidence and applied communication strategies suggest that an informal communication style not only reflects but also causes feelings of closeness and trust. However, the experimental evidence on this is mixed, which suggests that the effects are contingent on boundary conditions. In the present article, we test four hypotheses …
Psychologie der Rechtsradikalisierung
Wie radikalisieren sich Menschen und warum ist die Empfänglichkeit für rechte Radikalisierungsdynamiken aktuell besonders hoch? Dieses Buch bietet Einblicke in die psychologische Forschung zu diesen Fragen. Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler stellen in prägnanter und verständlicher Weise Erkenntnisse und Forschungslücken dar. Die Beiträge diskutieren insbesondere die motivationale Bedeutung von Verlust- und Benachteiligungserfahrungen, das …
The Corporate Samaritan
Although the literature on organizational justice enactment is becoming richer, our understanding of the role of the deontic justice motive remains limited. In this article, we review and discuss theoretical approaches to and evidence of the deontic justice motive and deontic justice enactment. While the prevalent understanding of deontic justice enactment focuses on compliance, we argue that this conceptualization is insufficient to explain beha…
Quality, Replicability, and Transparency in Research in Social Psychology
In 2020, the Division of Social Psychology of the German Psychological Society (DGPs) published 11 methodological recommendations for improving the quality, replicability, and transparency of social psychological research. We evaluate these recommendations in a quantitative and qualitative survey conducted with members of the division ( N = 54). Most – but not all – recommendations are well-known and understood by these members of the division. F…
Victim empowerment and satisfaction
Imagery rescripting (ImRs) is a prominent approach to help individuals alleviate the negative consequences following victimization. In two studies (total N = 641), participants experienced a victimization incident induced by a video. In subsequent audio‐guided (ImRs or control) interventions, we examined the impact of imagined (i) victims' active or passive role, (ii) punishment for the offender (yes/no), and (iii) offender moral change (yes/no) …
When growth mindset backfires
Collective punishment (CP) is deemed unfair because it sanctions group members who are not responsible for the wrongdoing. However, CP may be driven by utilitarian motives, aiming to deter other group members from committing offenses. This research investigated whether individuals’ inclination to support CP for utilitarian reasons is influenced by their belief in the malleability of groups (their belief that groups can change; a growth mindset). …
How victim sensitivity affects our attitudes and behaviour towards immigrants
Three studies explore the relation between victim sensitivity-the sensitivity to being a victim of injustice - and anti-immigration attitudes and behaviour. Based on theoretical considerations and prior research, we hypothesized that victim sensitivity positively predicts anti-immigration attitudes and behaviour over and above political orientation and ideology. Results from a longitudinal study (Study 1; N = 1038), a computerized online experime…
Taking Back Control
Being duped is an aversive experience which people are motivated to avoid. For this reason, especially people with a high fear of exploitation (i.e., people high in victim sensitivity; VS) often behave pre-emptively selfish and defensive in socially uncertain situations. Because the cognitive and motivational processes underlying such defensiveness have received little attention so far, we conducted two studies aiming to close this research gap. …
Does Lockdown Compliance Reflect a Latent Trait
Imposing and enforcing lockdown rules are effective means to decelerate the spread of SARS-CoV-2. That said, the effectiveness of these rules strongly depends on citizens’ compliance. Here, we investigate the extent to which lockdown compliance varies as a function of (a) time-variant factors (i.e., infection wave), (b) rule-related factors (i.e., length, intensity, and flexibility of lockdown), and/or (c) stable individual differences. Using lat…
The virus of distrust
Victim sensitivity (VS) is a personality trait conceptualized as the expectation of being exploited by others. Previous research has shown that one highly victim‐sensitive group member can negatively impact the entire group's outcomes. In the present research, we investigate boundary conditions and mechanisms underlying this effect. Study 1 ( N = 134 individuals, 40 groups) shows that the VS score of the most victim‐sensitive group member negativ…
Victims need more than power
Punishing offenders for their misdeeds can restore a sense of justice achieved (i.e., justice-related satisfaction) among victims and increase their willingness to reconcile, especially if offenders signal that they understand why punishment has been inflicted on them. In this article, we theoretically disentangle and empirically test two explanations for this effect. One possible interpretation for this effect is that offender feedback empowers …
Situational factors shape moral judgements in the trolley dilemma in Eastern, Southern and Western countries in a culturally diverse sample
Public acceptance of Covid‐19 lockdown scenarios
By mid‐March 2020, most countries had implemented nationwide lockdown policies aimed at decelerating the spread of SARS‐CoV‐2. At that time, nobody knew how long these policies would have to remain in force and whether they would have to be extended, intensified or made more flexible. The present study aimed to illuminate how the general public in Germany reacted to the prospect of increasing the length, the intensity and/or the flexibility of di…
Victim sensitivity in groups
Victim sensitivity (VS)—a personality trait reflecting the anxious expectation of being exploited—reliably predicts egoistic behavior in interpersonal situations. Here, we look at intragroup situations and investigate whether even one highly victim-sensitive individual can have a detrimental effect of solidarity and cooperativeness on the entire group. Two studies—one field study with community residents from Philippine villages who played a soli…
No harm in being self-corrective
Science should be self-correcting. However, researchers often hesitate to admit errors and to adopt reforms in their own work. In two studies (overall N = 702), we test whether scientific self-criticism and reform intentions expressed by researchers damage or rather improve their reputation in the eyes of the public (i.e. perceivers). Across both studies, such self-correction (compared to no self-correction) increases perceivers’ epistemic trustw…
The Justice Sensitivity Inventory
Asymmetrical Effects of Justice Sensitivity Perspectives on Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior
Regaining In-Group Continuity in Times of Anxiety About the Group's Future
Collective nostalgia for the good old days of the country thrives across the world. However, little is known about the social psychological dynamics of this collective emotion across cultures. We predicted that collective nostalgia is triggered by collective angst as it helps people to restore a sense of in-group continuity via stronger in-group belonging and out-group rejection (in the form of opposition to immigrants). Based on a sample (N = 5,…
What makes revenge sweet
n The present article investigates the conditions under which vengeful episodes are satisfactory for the victim/avenger. Two hypotheses are tested simultaneously: (1) Victims are satisfied if they see the offender suffer, even if this suffering was imposed by fate (?comparative suffering? hypothesis); (2) Victims are satisfied if the offender signals that he understands why revenge was imposed upon him (?understanding? hypothesis). A laboratory e…
Why and when justice sensitivity leads to pro- and antisocial behavior
What gives victims satisfaction when they seek revenge
The present paper aims to elucidate under what conditions victims of injustice who seek revenge feel satisfied and perceive that everybody got what he or she deserved. Two hypotheses are discussed: The comparative suffering hypothesis states that seeing the offender suffer from fate is sufficient for evoking satisfaction and perceptions of deservingness among victims. The understanding hypothesis states that revenge can only be satisfactory when …
The “true” indirect effect won't (always) stand up
What exactly are victim-sensitive persons sensitive to
Displaced revenge
Individual differences make a difference
Much social psychological research is concerned with the question whether and how behavior changes because of a “treatment” (e.g., a situation that triggers a psychological reaction). One easy way to investigate such changes would be to analyze intraindividual differences before (Time 1) and after the treatment (Time 2). Interestingly, many scholars refrain from using difference scores because they think they are inherently unreliable. However, t…
Gamers against science
This article explores the notion that scientific research programs and empirical findings are fundamentally devalued when they threaten a perceiver's social identity. Findings from three studies show the following: (1) identification with the group of “gamers” (i.e., people who play video games on a regular basis) influences the extent to which perceivers devalue research suggesting that playing violent video games has negative consequences; (2) …
Macbeth and the Joystick
What You Did Only Matters if You Are One of Us
Research has demonstrated that repeat offenders are generally punished more severely than first-time offenders. In the present article, we argue that this should particularly be true if the offender is a member of one's own social category. A group of 86 students were told about a fellow student who hid books from the university library. The student was either an ingroup or an outgroup member and was either a first-time or a repeat offender. As e…
Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries
Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists. We interrogated these concerns with a preregistered 68-country survey of 71,922 respondents and found that in most countries, most p…
Cultural Values Moderate the Impact of Relative Deprivation
Relative deprivation (RD) is the judgment that one or one's ingroup is worse off compared with some relevant standard coupled with feelings of dissatisfaction, anger, and resentment. RD predicts a wide range of outcomes, but it is unclear whether this relationship is moderated by national cultural differences. Therefore, in the first study, we used national assessments of individual-collectivism and power distance to code 303 effect sizes from 31…
There is broad consensus
A Closer Look at an Eye for an Eye
Biased Estimation of Violent Video Game Effects on Aggression
In order to improve the understanding of media violence effects, it is crucial to extend knowledge about factors that threaten the validity of such effects in empirical research. Research artifacts can be expected when participants are (a) aware of a scientist’s hypothesis, (b) motivated to confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis, and (c) capable of manipulating their responses in line with their motivation. Based on social identity theory (SIT) and…
Implicit Measures and Media Effects Research
Although implicit measures are now widely used in different areas of psychology, they have received only little attention in communication science. This paper discusses the potential benefits of implicit measures such as the Implicit Association Test (IAT) for media effects research. We first address more general theoretical and methodological issues and introduce some practical challenges that come along with implicit methods. The paper conclude…
Are "We" More Punitive than "Me"? Self-Construal Styles, Justice-Related Attitudes, and Punitive Judgments
Situational factors shape moral judgements in the trolley dilemma in Eastern, Southern and Western countries in a culturally diverse sample
What makes displaced revenge taste sweet
The present research investigates the psychological dynamics underlying displaced revenge. We examine (1) the effect of entitativity on displaced revenge tendencies, including potential mediators of this effect, and (2) the conditions under which taking displaced revenge is satisfying for avengers. In three studies, we show that (a) perpetrator group entitativity predicts the tendency to take displaced revenge via perceptions that the vengeful ac…
The virus of distrust
Victim sensitivity (VS) is a personality trait conceptualized as the expectation of being exploited by others. Previous research has shown that one highly victim‐sensitive group member can negatively impact the entire group's outcomes. In the present research, we investigate boundary conditions and mechanisms underlying this effect. Study 1 ( N = 134 individuals, 40 groups) shows that the VS score of the most victim‐sensitive group member negativ…
Victims need more than power
Punishing offenders for their misdeeds can restore a sense of justice achieved (i.e., justice-related satisfaction) among victims and increase their willingness to reconcile, especially if offenders signal that they understand why punishment has been inflicted on them. In this article, we theoretically disentangle and empirically test two explanations for this effect. One possible interpretation for this effect is that offender feedback empowers …
On the psychometric properties of the aggressiveness‐IAT for children and adolescents
In research on aggression, implicit association tests (IATs) have been constructed to elucidate automatic processes involved in aggressiveness. Despite an increasing number of applications of the "Aggressiveness-IAT" in basic and applied research, the psychometric properties of this method for measuring an automatic aggressive self-concept have not been comprehensively investigated. Although the Aggressiveness-IAT has been used both as a cross-si…
Justice Sensitivity
Scales for justice sensitivity from three perspectives (victim, observer, perpetrator) were developed. A latent state-trait analysis revealed high reliabilities (≈ .95). Trait consistencies (≈ .61) were twice as large as occasion specificities (≈ .33). The correlation between observer and perpetrator sensitivity was much higher than the correlation between either one and victim sensitivity. Self-related concerns (Machiavellianism, paranoia, suspi…
Asymmetrical Effects of Justice Sensitivity Perspectives on Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior
Are "We" More Punitive than "Me"? Self-Construal Styles, Justice-Related Attitudes, and Punitive Judgments
Why and when justice sensitivity leads to pro- and antisocial behavior
What makes revenge sweet
n The present article investigates the conditions under which vengeful episodes are satisfactory for the victim/avenger. Two hypotheses are tested simultaneously: (1) Victims are satisfied if they see the offender suffer, even if this suffering was imposed by fate (?comparative suffering? hypothesis); (2) Victims are satisfied if the offender signals that he understands why revenge was imposed upon him (?understanding? hypothesis). A laboratory e…
What You Did Only Matters if You Are One of Us
Research has demonstrated that repeat offenders are generally punished more severely than first-time offenders. In the present article, we argue that this should particularly be true if the offender is a member of one's own social category. A group of 86 students were told about a fellow student who hid books from the university library. The student was either an ingroup or an outgroup member and was either a first-time or a repeat offender. As e…
The Justice Sensitivity Inventory
A Closer Look at an Eye for an Eye
Implicit Measures and Media Effects Research
Although implicit measures are now widely used in different areas of psychology, they have received only little attention in communication science. This paper discusses the potential benefits of implicit measures such as the Implicit Association Test (IAT) for media effects research. We first address more general theoretical and methodological issues and introduce some practical challenges that come along with implicit methods. The paper conclude…
What exactly are victim-sensitive persons sensitive to
What gives victims satisfaction when they seek revenge
The present paper aims to elucidate under what conditions victims of injustice who seek revenge feel satisfied and perceive that everybody got what he or she deserved. Two hypotheses are discussed: The comparative suffering hypothesis states that seeing the offender suffer from fate is sufficient for evoking satisfaction and perceptions of deservingness among victims. The understanding hypothesis states that revenge can only be satisfactory when …
Do Victims of Injustice Punish to Improve Their Mood
Previous research has shown that angry people sometimes aggress to improve their mood. The present research tests whether people who have been treated unjustly seek revenge (i.e., retributive punishment) to improve their mood. The authors hypothesized that retributive punishment is generally not fuelled by a desire to improve one’s mood, whereas more destructive forms of aggression (e.g., venting one’s anger against people or inanimate objects) a…
Leniency for out‐group offenders
The present research investigates leniency for out‐group offenders and differentiates it from the black sheep effect. The authors assume that leniency for out‐group offenders can be used by in‐group members to protect their group's image by displaying that they are not prejudiced. Thus, leniency should disappear when in‐group members have otherwise shown that they are not prejudiced (i.e., moral credentials). In two experiments, offenders' group …
Macbeth and the Joystick
Biased Estimation of Violent Video Game Effects on Aggression
In order to improve the understanding of media violence effects, it is crucial to extend knowledge about factors that threaten the validity of such effects in empirical research. Research artifacts can be expected when participants are (a) aware of a scientist’s hypothesis, (b) motivated to confirm or disconfirm the hypothesis, and (c) capable of manipulating their responses in line with their motivation. Based on social identity theory (SIT) and…
There is broad consensus
Individual differences make a difference
Much social psychological research is concerned with the question whether and how behavior changes because of a “treatment” (e.g., a situation that triggers a psychological reaction). One easy way to investigate such changes would be to analyze intraindividual differences before (Time 1) and after the treatment (Time 2). Interestingly, many scholars refrain from using difference scores because they think they are inherently unreliable. However, t…
Gamers against science
This article explores the notion that scientific research programs and empirical findings are fundamentally devalued when they threaten a perceiver's social identity. Findings from three studies show the following: (1) identification with the group of “gamers” (i.e., people who play video games on a regular basis) influences the extent to which perceivers devalue research suggesting that playing violent video games has negative consequences; (2) …
Displaced revenge
Agreement across stakeholders is consensus
On the psychometric properties of the aggressiveness‐IAT for children and adolescents
In research on aggression, implicit association tests (IATs) have been constructed to elucidate automatic processes involved in aggressiveness. Despite an increasing number of applications of the "Aggressiveness-IAT" in basic and applied research, the psychometric properties of this method for measuring an automatic aggressive self-concept have not been comprehensively investigated. Although the Aggressiveness-IAT has been used both as a cross-si…
Public concerns about violent video games are moral concerns—How moral threat can make pacifists susceptible to scientific and political claims against violent video games
Public discussions about the harmfulness of violent media are often held in the aftermath of violent felony. At the same time, we know little about whether and how experiencing real‐life violence impacts the way laypersons perceive and evaluate debates about virtual violence. In Study 1, we provided data indicating that both real‐life violence and violent video games are perceived as morally threatening by people who regard nonviolence to be an i…
People as Intuitive Retaliators
Two studies explore whether people intuitively approve or rather disapprove of a victim personally retaliating against an offender. Participants in Study 1 were introduced to the case of Ameneh Bahrami, an Iranian woman who had been blinded by a jealous suitor and who was given the opportunity to blind her perpetrator in return. Results show that participants who were instructed to complete a secondary task (cognitive load condition) reacted most…
Inter-individual stabilization of justice sensitivity in childhood and adolescence
The “true” indirect effect won't (always) stand up
Psychology (61 works) · Social Psychology (53 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (30 works) · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment (28 works) · Political science (26 works) · Social Psychology (24 works) · Economic Justice (12 works) · Law (12 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Cultural Differences and Values (9 works)