ERC grant
29 March 2022
Department of Psychology involved in new project on the ‘Big Two’
ERC grant
With a 2 million euro grant from the European Research Council, Professor Jochen Gebauer from University of Mannheim and the UCPH will lead a new project asking why the so-called ‘Big Two’ in human psychology – agency and communion – are so fundamental to us.
To assess ourselves and other people, we usually use two primary trait dimensions, known in psychology as agency (assertiveness) and communion (good nature). In psychology, agency and communion have such significance that they are often referred to as the ‘Big Two’.
But why do agency and communion determine how we think about ourselves and others?
To explore this question, the European Research Council has awarded Professor Jochen Gebauer one of its prestigious Consolidator Grants. Together with colleagues from the universities of Mannheim, Copenhagen and Exeter, Gebauer will develop and test a new theory on the ‘Big Two’ over the next five years.
“The fact that the ‘Big Two’ are so incredibly important to us humans when we reflect on ourselves and on other people cannot be a coincidence. There must be an evolutionary advantage for us in paying particular attention to these two dimensions of personality traits,” explains Jochen Gebauer in a press release published by University of Mannheim. The university hosts the project.
The interdisciplinary research team is planning, among other things, to conduct specially developed laboratory experiments and extensive long-term surveys. The project also includes the consolidation and analysis of huge amounts of data from official statistics and other sources.
Jochen Gebauer is professor at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), University of Mannheim, and the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen.
Read more in the press release from University of Mannheim: High EU Funding for Mannheim Psychologist Jochen Gebauer.
Read more about the ERC grants.
Facts about ERC Consolidator Grants
- The European Research Council's Consolidator Grant supports talented researchers in consolidating their own research team.
- You must have a PhD degree that is between 7-12 years old to apply for this scholarship.
- To be suitable, you must have several important publications as either the main author or without a PhD supervisor.
- You must also demonstrate in other ways that you have contributed to your field of research, e.g. by having been invited as a speaker at conferences, having received awards, etc.
- You must be able to dedicate a minimum of 40 percent of your working time to an ERC project, and at least 50 percent of your working time must take place in an EU country or a country associated with Horizon Europe.
- You can apply for up to 2 million euros for up to five years.
Read more on ERC's web page.
Contact
Jochen Gebauer
Professor
Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), University of Mannheim
Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen
Email: j.gebauer@psy.ku.dk
Danish phone number: +45 35 32 48 00
German phone number: +49 621 181 2826