Lucas B Mazur
Biographic Data
| ID | 905786 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lucas B Mazur |
| GIVEN NAMES | Lucas B |
| FAMILY NAME | Mazur |
| SIGNATURE | MAZUR L B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Jagiellonian University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7816-588X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 15 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Equating National Borders with Ethnic Identity: How a Contemporary Heuristic Distorts Perceptions of Historical Violence
An experimental study conducted in the United States, Germany, and Poland shows that by presenting WWII violence within different national borders we differently understand the collective identities of the people involved and thereby make different assessments of collective responsibility. Perceptions of Polish, German, and French responsibility were higher when the violence was presented as having taken place in Poland, Germany, or France, respe…
Framing historical violence in geopolitical space: How describing the location of violence within national borders affects assessments of collective responsibility over time and across communication p…
As mass violence—especially that occurring during periods of war, colonialization, or foreign occupation—is generally accompanied by contested perceptions of geopolitical space, the subsequent question of where the violence took place is inevitable. This issue is of central importance for how we understand, commemorate, and teach these important historical events. Did the violence take place in the country that existed there before the violence b…
Counting Sexes and Gender: Reflections on a Timeless Tension at the Heart of Psychology
The desire for power within activist burnout. An illustration of the value of interpretive social science
Even though we know activists want to change the world, including the people living therein, we are often disinclined to see in activism the desire for social power, thinking of “power” as a dirty word. However, by overlooking this aspect of activist motivation, we may be occluding our view onto an important aspect of activist frustration which can lead to burnout. Data collected among German environmental activists suggest that, controlling for …
A dim recognition.” Religion as a font of psychological innovation
While religion constituted one of the main topics of interest for early social scientists, faith traditions have silently slipped from this central role. When religion now appears in psychological research, it is usually relegated to the position of either the object of psychological investigation (which psychology purports to “explain”) or a static piece in the empirical puzzle (as one variable among many when explaining clinical or social outco…
The Victim: Observations on a New Social Type
While victimization is as old as human history, the notion of victimhood as currently understood is a relatively recent phenomenon. Over the last several decades, the notion of victimhood has been increasing discussed both within academia and the wider public, a trend that has intensified in recent years. In order to gain a clearer vision of this social phenomenon, the current piece follows the lead of Georg Simmel, and identifies a new Simmelian…
The Individual Victim. Hypogeneralization within a New Social Type
Over the past several decades we have seen increased attention paid to victimhood. However, many of these dialogues are only tangentially related to actual experiences of victimization. They are better understood as reflections of a new Simmelian social type, that is, a new pattern emerging within psycho-social interaction—namely, the Victim. The current reflections focus on the meaning making processes within these broader discussions of victimh…
The importance of cultural psychological perspectives in pain research: Towards the palliation of Cartesian anxiety
Despite widespread awareness of the psychological dimensions of pain, researchers often and easily slip into essentializing understandings that treat pain as a purely physiological experience that can be isolated within experimental research. This drive towards scientific objectivity, while at times of tremendous utility, can also limit our understanding of pain to reductionistic conceptualizations that in effect deny the subjective and even the …
Meaningfulness beyond Meaning-Making. Cultural Psychological Aspects of the Donor Portrait
Art is a rich area in which to study psychological life through the lens of cultural psychology. While any kind of art can be studied within cultural psychology, in the current piece we argue that an art form known as the donor portrait, and more particularly a subcategory thereof known as the contact portrait, visually depicts core aspects of our psychological lives that constitute matters of fundamental interest within cultural psychology. Afte…
Breaking the link between ingroup projection and outgroup derogation: Encouraging civility in disagreements about social responsibility
Important but broad values such as "social responsibility" are understood differently by different groups, understandings that often reflect the values and traits of the ingroup. This research examines whether the tendency to project the characteristics of the ingroup onto understandings of “social responsibility” correlates with negative intergroup attitudes as would be expected on the basis of the ingroup projection literature. Building on rece…
Polish Catholic Concerns regarding the Rise of National Socialism in Germany
Critical discourse regarding National Socialism was well developed during the short period of the Second Polish Republic (1918–1939). These critical scholarly voices remain largely unknown. This historical discourse was in effect removed from the historical record, as these voices arose from religious, cultural, and political positions that were unacceptable to the post-war communist government – features that make these voices of such interest t…
Where the violence happened matters. Geopolitical framing and assessments of collective responsibility for historical violence
The Epistemic Imperialism of Science. Reinvigorating Early Critiques of Scientism
Positivism has had a tremendous impact on the development of the social sciences over the past two centuries. It has deeply influenced method and theory, and has seeped deeply into our broader understandings of the nature of the social sciences. Postmodernism has attempted to loosen the grip of positivism on our thinking, and while it has not been without its successes, postmodernism has worked more to deconstruct positivism than to construct som…
In dialogue with nature: The centrifugal and centripetal voices of historic trees
Dialogism posits that at the core of life lies honest, open, mutual relationships between otherwise independent beings. This position differs from the psychologism that lies at the core of many dialectical philosophies in psychology. The current article examines the two core elements of such dialogue—that which pulls us apart and recognizes the uniqueness of the individual (the intrinsic, centrifugal voice), and that which expands us beyond ourse…
Progress in Psychological Science. The Importance of Informed Ignorance and Curiosity-Driven Questions
In recent decades we have seen an exponential growth in the amount of data gathered within psychological research without a corresponding growth of theory that could meaningfully organize these research findings. For this reason, considerable attention today is given to discussions of such broader, higher-order concepts as theory and paradigm. However, another area important to consider is the nature of the questions psychologists are asking. Key…
Female and male body image ideals among Arab immigrants and Germans in Germany
Arabs and Germans. Culturally-bound body image ideals are important for the study of demographic changes in such socio-biological patterns as weight, weight-related health issues, and intergroup attraction and reproduction. The current study highlights the importance of psychological research on body image ideals for better understanding trends observed in "objective" measures of physiology (e.g., weight, weight-related health conditions) or rela…
The semiotic multistability of time: Literature as a window onto a classic challenge in psychology
This article examines two conceptualizations of time— kairic and prophetic—to illustrate the semiotic multistability of time: the Gestalt-like switch between conceptualizations. We will use two well-known novellas about time and salvation (by Charles Dickens and C. S. Lewis) to explore how the features of these two schemata cluster together thereby creating these two different understandings of time, while simultaneously blocking the view to each…
Hidden harmony: Converging interests in the development of prison reform
The “agonistic perspective” on criminal justice posits that tensions are ubiquitous in the field irrespective of time, place, and the given paradigm. While the study of conflict and contestation is important, it is equally necessary to study harmony and shared interests. In the present article, we explore a period in the history of European penal reform that was marked by such a convergence of interests, and which would in Poland wed institutiona…
Meaningful links between physical stimuli and illness: Semiotic mediation in experiences of “catching the wolf” and “avoiding drafts”
Physical and physiological experiences greatly differ in the degree to which they become meaningful elements of our narratives. Some experiences, however, are uniquely imbued with the power to evoke, or catalyze, the search for meaningful engagement with the environment. One such area is illness. This study examines differences in meaning-making processes involving commonplace experiences of physical sensations, particularly changes in temperatur…
Essentialist Thinking Underlying Definitions of Genocide
Over the last several decades, scholars have lamented the lack of a clear definition of genocide, and many have then proposed one of their own in an attempt to fill this gap. The majority of the definitions put forward, and the discomfort from which they arise, express an explicit or implicit attachment to essentialism, the assumption that the definition need reflect, in an unadulterated fashion, the objective reality out in the world. In other w…
A living legacy of peace scholarship
Debates about the Scientific Status of Psychology: Looking at the Bright Side
Prejudice Reduction and Collective Action: A Conflict or Confluence of Interests
There is a growing body of research findings suggesting that prejudice reduction strategies can have unintended negative consequences, particularly by helping to stabilize systems of inequality. In light of these findings, a handful of scholars have suggested that the field be guided less by the prejudice reduction tradition, so as to focus more on collective action. While agreeing with the recent critiques of prejudice reduction, I argue that in…
The social psychology of intractable conflicts
The author reviews Daniel Bar-Tal’s summary of the social-psychological research on mass violence, particularly intractable conflicts, and critically examines his synthesis of this large and growing body of literature. What actually defines a conflict as intractable is discussed, and an overview of past research is presented. The author explores Bar-Tal’s thinking on the escalation of conflict, how societies are shaped by conflict, how conflicts …
The Victim: Observations on a New Social Type
While victimization is as old as human history, the notion of victimhood as currently understood is a relatively recent phenomenon. Over the last several decades, the notion of victimhood has been increasing discussed both within academia and the wider public, a trend that has intensified in recent years. In order to gain a clearer vision of this social phenomenon, the current piece follows the lead of Georg Simmel, and identifies a new Simmelian…
The Epistemic Imperialism of Science. Reinvigorating Early Critiques of Scientism
Positivism has had a tremendous impact on the development of the social sciences over the past two centuries. It has deeply influenced method and theory, and has seeped deeply into our broader understandings of the nature of the social sciences. Postmodernism has attempted to loosen the grip of positivism on our thinking, and while it has not been without its successes, postmodernism has worked more to deconstruct positivism than to construct som…
A dim recognition.” Religion as a font of psychological innovation
While religion constituted one of the main topics of interest for early social scientists, faith traditions have silently slipped from this central role. When religion now appears in psychological research, it is usually relegated to the position of either the object of psychological investigation (which psychology purports to “explain”) or a static piece in the empirical puzzle (as one variable among many when explaining clinical or social outco…
Progress in Psychological Science. The Importance of Informed Ignorance and Curiosity-Driven Questions
In recent decades we have seen an exponential growth in the amount of data gathered within psychological research without a corresponding growth of theory that could meaningfully organize these research findings. For this reason, considerable attention today is given to discussions of such broader, higher-order concepts as theory and paradigm. However, another area important to consider is the nature of the questions psychologists are asking. Key…
Debates about the Scientific Status of Psychology: Looking at the Bright Side
The Individual Victim. Hypogeneralization within a New Social Type
Over the past several decades we have seen increased attention paid to victimhood. However, many of these dialogues are only tangentially related to actual experiences of victimization. They are better understood as reflections of a new Simmelian social type, that is, a new pattern emerging within psycho-social interaction—namely, the Victim. The current reflections focus on the meaning making processes within these broader discussions of victimh…
Hidden harmony: Converging interests in the development of prison reform
The “agonistic perspective” on criminal justice posits that tensions are ubiquitous in the field irrespective of time, place, and the given paradigm. While the study of conflict and contestation is important, it is equally necessary to study harmony and shared interests. In the present article, we explore a period in the history of European penal reform that was marked by such a convergence of interests, and which would in Poland wed institutiona…
Essentialist Thinking Underlying Definitions of Genocide
Over the last several decades, scholars have lamented the lack of a clear definition of genocide, and many have then proposed one of their own in an attempt to fill this gap. The majority of the definitions put forward, and the discomfort from which they arise, express an explicit or implicit attachment to essentialism, the assumption that the definition need reflect, in an unadulterated fashion, the objective reality out in the world. In other w…
The social psychology of intractable conflicts
The author reviews Daniel Bar-Tal’s summary of the social-psychological research on mass violence, particularly intractable conflicts, and critically examines his synthesis of this large and growing body of literature. What actually defines a conflict as intractable is discussed, and an overview of past research is presented. The author explores Bar-Tal’s thinking on the escalation of conflict, how societies are shaped by conflict, how conflicts …
Prejudice Reduction and Collective Action: A Conflict or Confluence of Interests
There is a growing body of research findings suggesting that prejudice reduction strategies can have unintended negative consequences, particularly by helping to stabilize systems of inequality. In light of these findings, a handful of scholars have suggested that the field be guided less by the prejudice reduction tradition, so as to focus more on collective action. While agreeing with the recent critiques of prejudice reduction, I argue that in…
A living legacy of peace scholarship
Debates about the Scientific Status of Psychology: Looking at the Bright Side
Meaningful links between physical stimuli and illness: Semiotic mediation in experiences of “catching the wolf” and “avoiding drafts”
Physical and physiological experiences greatly differ in the degree to which they become meaningful elements of our narratives. Some experiences, however, are uniquely imbued with the power to evoke, or catalyze, the search for meaningful engagement with the environment. One such area is illness. This study examines differences in meaning-making processes involving commonplace experiences of physical sensations, particularly changes in temperatur…
Essentialist Thinking Underlying Definitions of Genocide
Over the last several decades, scholars have lamented the lack of a clear definition of genocide, and many have then proposed one of their own in an attempt to fill this gap. The majority of the definitions put forward, and the discomfort from which they arise, express an explicit or implicit attachment to essentialism, the assumption that the definition need reflect, in an unadulterated fashion, the objective reality out in the world. In other w…
The semiotic multistability of time: Literature as a window onto a classic challenge in psychology
This article examines two conceptualizations of time— kairic and prophetic—to illustrate the semiotic multistability of time: the Gestalt-like switch between conceptualizations. We will use two well-known novellas about time and salvation (by Charles Dickens and C. S. Lewis) to explore how the features of these two schemata cluster together thereby creating these two different understandings of time, while simultaneously blocking the view to each…
Hidden harmony: Converging interests in the development of prison reform
The “agonistic perspective” on criminal justice posits that tensions are ubiquitous in the field irrespective of time, place, and the given paradigm. While the study of conflict and contestation is important, it is equally necessary to study harmony and shared interests. In the present article, we explore a period in the history of European penal reform that was marked by such a convergence of interests, and which would in Poland wed institutiona…
In dialogue with nature: The centrifugal and centripetal voices of historic trees
Dialogism posits that at the core of life lies honest, open, mutual relationships between otherwise independent beings. This position differs from the psychologism that lies at the core of many dialectical philosophies in psychology. The current article examines the two core elements of such dialogue—that which pulls us apart and recognizes the uniqueness of the individual (the intrinsic, centrifugal voice), and that which expands us beyond ourse…
Progress in Psychological Science. The Importance of Informed Ignorance and Curiosity-Driven Questions
In recent decades we have seen an exponential growth in the amount of data gathered within psychological research without a corresponding growth of theory that could meaningfully organize these research findings. For this reason, considerable attention today is given to discussions of such broader, higher-order concepts as theory and paradigm. However, another area important to consider is the nature of the questions psychologists are asking. Key…
Female and male body image ideals among Arab immigrants and Germans in Germany
Arabs and Germans. Culturally-bound body image ideals are important for the study of demographic changes in such socio-biological patterns as weight, weight-related health issues, and intergroup attraction and reproduction. The current study highlights the importance of psychological research on body image ideals for better understanding trends observed in "objective" measures of physiology (e.g., weight, weight-related health conditions) or rela…
Polish Catholic Concerns regarding the Rise of National Socialism in Germany
Critical discourse regarding National Socialism was well developed during the short period of the Second Polish Republic (1918–1939). These critical scholarly voices remain largely unknown. This historical discourse was in effect removed from the historical record, as these voices arose from religious, cultural, and political positions that were unacceptable to the post-war communist government – features that make these voices of such interest t…
Where the violence happened matters. Geopolitical framing and assessments of collective responsibility for historical violence
The Epistemic Imperialism of Science. Reinvigorating Early Critiques of Scientism
Positivism has had a tremendous impact on the development of the social sciences over the past two centuries. It has deeply influenced method and theory, and has seeped deeply into our broader understandings of the nature of the social sciences. Postmodernism has attempted to loosen the grip of positivism on our thinking, and while it has not been without its successes, postmodernism has worked more to deconstruct positivism than to construct som…
The importance of cultural psychological perspectives in pain research: Towards the palliation of Cartesian anxiety
Despite widespread awareness of the psychological dimensions of pain, researchers often and easily slip into essentializing understandings that treat pain as a purely physiological experience that can be isolated within experimental research. This drive towards scientific objectivity, while at times of tremendous utility, can also limit our understanding of pain to reductionistic conceptualizations that in effect deny the subjective and even the …
Meaningfulness beyond Meaning-Making. Cultural Psychological Aspects of the Donor Portrait
Art is a rich area in which to study psychological life through the lens of cultural psychology. While any kind of art can be studied within cultural psychology, in the current piece we argue that an art form known as the donor portrait, and more particularly a subcategory thereof known as the contact portrait, visually depicts core aspects of our psychological lives that constitute matters of fundamental interest within cultural psychology. Afte…
Breaking the link between ingroup projection and outgroup derogation: Encouraging civility in disagreements about social responsibility
Important but broad values such as "social responsibility" are understood differently by different groups, understandings that often reflect the values and traits of the ingroup. This research examines whether the tendency to project the characteristics of the ingroup onto understandings of “social responsibility” correlates with negative intergroup attitudes as would be expected on the basis of the ingroup projection literature. Building on rece…
The Victim: Observations on a New Social Type
While victimization is as old as human history, the notion of victimhood as currently understood is a relatively recent phenomenon. Over the last several decades, the notion of victimhood has been increasing discussed both within academia and the wider public, a trend that has intensified in recent years. In order to gain a clearer vision of this social phenomenon, the current piece follows the lead of Georg Simmel, and identifies a new Simmelian…
The Individual Victim. Hypogeneralization within a New Social Type
Over the past several decades we have seen increased attention paid to victimhood. However, many of these dialogues are only tangentially related to actual experiences of victimization. They are better understood as reflections of a new Simmelian social type, that is, a new pattern emerging within psycho-social interaction—namely, the Victim. The current reflections focus on the meaning making processes within these broader discussions of victimh…
The desire for power within activist burnout. An illustration of the value of interpretive social science
Even though we know activists want to change the world, including the people living therein, we are often disinclined to see in activism the desire for social power, thinking of “power” as a dirty word. However, by overlooking this aspect of activist motivation, we may be occluding our view onto an important aspect of activist frustration which can lead to burnout. Data collected among German environmental activists suggest that, controlling for …
A dim recognition.” Religion as a font of psychological innovation
While religion constituted one of the main topics of interest for early social scientists, faith traditions have silently slipped from this central role. When religion now appears in psychological research, it is usually relegated to the position of either the object of psychological investigation (which psychology purports to “explain”) or a static piece in the empirical puzzle (as one variable among many when explaining clinical or social outco…
Equating National Borders with Ethnic Identity: How a Contemporary Heuristic Distorts Perceptions of Historical Violence
An experimental study conducted in the United States, Germany, and Poland shows that by presenting WWII violence within different national borders we differently understand the collective identities of the people involved and thereby make different assessments of collective responsibility. Perceptions of Polish, German, and French responsibility were higher when the violence was presented as having taken place in Poland, Germany, or France, respe…
Framing historical violence in geopolitical space: How describing the location of violence within national borders affects assessments of collective responsibility over time and across communication p…
As mass violence—especially that occurring during periods of war, colonialization, or foreign occupation—is generally accompanied by contested perceptions of geopolitical space, the subsequent question of where the violence took place is inevitable. This issue is of central importance for how we understand, commemorate, and teach these important historical events. Did the violence take place in the country that existed there before the violence b…
Counting Sexes and Gender: Reflections on a Timeless Tension at the Heart of Psychology
Sociology (17 works) · Psychology (16 works) · Epistemology (14 works) · Social Psychology (14 works) · Political science (13 works) · Law (12 works) · Law (10 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Politics (9 works) · Social Psychology (8 works)