Human beings are endowed with a pervasive sense of self. We have the ability to take a bird’s-eye view of ourselves, and reflect on our past and future behavior. We experience feelings about who we are and what we do, and cannot help but to evaluate ourselves. Along the way, we learn to know who we are.
My research probes the origins, nature, and consequences of the developing self. What causes youth to think and feel about themselves the way they do? How do significant others shape how youth come to view themselves? Why is it that the self has such a profound impact on psychological development and health? And can we harness self and identity processes to promote youth behavior change?
The questions I take are at the intersection of developmental, social, and environmental psychology. I use theory from these disciplines, integrate diverse methods (e.g., experimental, longitudinal, and experience sampling research methods), and prepare the ground for application.
Projects
Project
A mixed-methods view on young people’s efficacy of environmental influence
01.01.2025
to 31.12.2025
General project description
In this project, the team investigates the role of student emotions when they think about climate change. While some general associations between emotions such as hope and anxiety and environmental action-taking have been described in previous studies, much remains unclear about how these constructs interact. During 2025, Michiel van Harskamp (Faculty of Science), Andrik Becht (Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science) and Sander Thomaes (Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science) will combine both quantitative, large scale questionnaire data and qualitative classroom data to describe the general trends among 12-15 year olds and look for potential underlying mechanisms. This project was funded through UU research theme Dynamics of Youth’s Invigoration Grants, that requires use of existing datasets and joint forces of at least two of UU’s faculties.
In December, at the end of the project, the team will organise a symposium where we share our findings and invite other speakers to present their associated work.
Role
Researcher
Funding
Utrecht University Dynamics of Youth - Invigoration Grant
Project members UU
Project
Shifting Perspectives, Changing Narratives? How can we Help Young People Change Their Construal of Their Adverse Experiences? Does that map on their Well-Being?
16.09.2024
to 15.09.2028
General project description
How do life stories of young people exposed to adversity (e.g., young refugees) differ from those of others? To understand the effects of adversity on specific features of young refugee’s narratives, we need to disentangle the effects of cultural uprooting and refugee experience from normative developmental effects. We will, therefore, (1) examine if young refugees show different features in the way they tell their stories in comparison to third-culture-kids, and a community sample; (2) test narrative features as drivers of well-being; and (3) identify differential effects of the writing exercises for young individuals from refugee, third-culture, and community backgrounds.
Role
Researcher
Funding
Other Starter's Grant
Project
Doomed or Blessed? Identity Development in Adolescents from a Refugee Background
01.09.2022
to 31.08.2026
Role
Researcher
Funding
Utrecht University AIO workload fund
Project members UU