Prof. Dr. Gisela Trommsdorff
Head of the Division Developmental and Cross-Cultural Psychology
Short biography
Academic Education and Career
2007 - present | Research Fellow at German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Berlin Head of Division Developmental and Cross-Cultural Psychology, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz | |
1987-2007 | Chair of Developmental Psychology and Cross-Cultural Psychology, Department of Psychology at the University of Konstanz | |
1978-1987 | Professor at Technical University Aachen for socialization and educational psychology | |
1968-1978 | Research assistant, project director and assistant professor at the interdisciplinary research project on decision making (Sonderforschungsbereich 24, Mannheim) | |
1963-1975 | Study of sociology and psychology at the University of Göttingen and Free University Berlin; social psychology at Chapel Hill (UNC) USA (Fulbright) and at the University of Mannheim: Dr. phil. and “Habilitation” (venia legendi for social psychology and sociology) |
Honors
| 2022 | Elected ISSBD Fellow, International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development |
2016 | The “Minister of Foreign Affairs commendation” (Gaimu daijin hyōshō) awarded by the Japanese Government |
| 2015 | Honorary President of the German Japanese Society for Social Sciences (Nichidoku Shakaikagaku Gakkai) |
2008 | Federal Cross of Merit, 1st Class, of the Federal Republic of Germany, awarded by Federal President Professor Dr. Horst Köhler |
2007 | Research Fellow at the DIW (German Institute for Economic Research), Berlin |
1998 | Member of the Academy of Sciences in Erfurt (Akademie Gemeinnütziger Wissenschaften zu Erfurt) |
Academic Functions
Research and Teaching at University of Konstanz
Head of Division Developmental and Cross-Cultural Psychology, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz. Supervision and reviews of final degree theses (BA, MA, Diploma, PhD); regular research seminars.
Membership in National and International Advisory Committees and Supervising Bodies
2012-2020 | Member of the Board of Directors of the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften of the Goethe-University in cooperation with the Werner Reimers Foundation |
2009-2020 | Board of Trustees of the Werner Reimers Foundation, Bad Homburg (since 2011 Vice Chair) |
2007-present | International Advisory Committee at the Research Center for the Psychological Science (RCPS), College of Sciences at Chung-Yuan Christian University (CYCU), Taiwan |
2007-2012 | Scientific Advisory Board of the Research Institute for Human Sciences of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, and of the Werner Reimers Foundation, Bad Homburg |
2006-present | Member of the Scientific Council of the Research Department of the Universitiy of Education Thurgau (Switzerland) |
2006-2014 | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ), Tokyo, Foundation German Humanities Institutes Abroad (DGIA) since 2012 Vice Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ), Tokyo |
Academic Functions (Selection)
Member of Board of Trustees, e.g., for German Social Science Infrastructure Services (GESIS); Bavaria Council for Science and Research; Committee for Research on Social and Political Change in East Germany (KSPW).
Member of Steering and Selection Committees, e.g., for Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Max Planck Society (Max-Planck Forschungspreis); Swiss National Science Foundation; TransCoop-Programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH); Jury Eugen-und-Ilse-Seibold-Award (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG).
Member of Evaluation Committees, e.g., for Minerva Center of Youth Studies, Haifa, Israel (chair); Volkswagen Foundation (Fields of Inter- and Intracultural Communication) (chair).
Member of National or International Scientific Advisory Boards: Institutions: e.g., German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) (chair); Werner-Reimers-Foundation (chair); Editorial Boards: e.g., International Journal of Behavioral Development; Culture and Psychology; Asian Journal of Social Psychology
Editorial Activities for Journals and Book Series
2011-present | Editorial Board: Child Studies in Diverse Context (CSDC, Korean Association of Child Studies) |
| 2007-present | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board: Zeitschrift für Soziologie der Erziehung und Sozialisation (ZSE) |
2002-present | Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Consulting Editor: Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology |
2000-present | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board: KronoScope (Journal of the International Society for the Study of Time) |
2000-present | Editorial Board: Journal Psikologi, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Indonesia |
1998-2019 | Consulting Editor: Asian Journal of Social Psychology |
| 1998-2017 | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie (Cologne Journal of Sociology and Social Psychology) |
1997-present | Member of the Scientific Advisory Board: Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft (Journal of Educational Science, ZfE) |
Memberships and Functions in Professional Scientific Societies
2011-2014 | Member of the Working Group "Neurobiological and Psychological Factors of Socialization" Leopoldina Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften |
| 2006-2020 | President of the German-Japanese Society for Social Sciences (GJSSS; Nichidoku Shakaikagaku Gakkai) |
2000-present | Research Association “Living in Switzerland” (Swiss Household Panel) |
before 2000-present | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPS, German Psychological Association): Section Developmental Psychology, Section Social Psychology |
before 2000-present | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie (DGS, German Sociological Association): Section Family Sociology |
before 2000-present | Foreign Affiliate of the American Psychological Association (APA) |
before 2000-2019 | Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) |
before 2000-present | Wilhelm-Wundt-Gesellschaft e. V. |
before 2000-present | European Association of Experimental Social Psychology |
before 2000-present | International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology (IACCP) |
before 2000-present | International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD) |
before 2000-present | German Association for Asian Studies |
before 2000-2015 | Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) |
1998-present | Academy of Sciences in Erfurt (Akademie Gemeinnütziger Wissenschaften zu Erfurt) |
1996-present | Vereinigung für sozialwissenschaftliche Japanforschung e. V. (VSJF, German Association for Social Science Research on Japan) |
1990-present | German-Japanese Society for Social Sciences (GJSSS) (2000-2006 Vice President; 2006-present President) |
Ad hoc Review Activities (Selection)
a) For International Professional Journals, e.g.:
- European Psychologist
- European Journal of Social Psychology
- European Journal for Developmental Psychology
- International Journal of Behavioral Development
- Journal of Emotion and Cognition
- Child Development
- American Psychologist
- Developmental Psychology
- International Journal of Psychology
- British Journal of Developmental Psychology
- Parenting
- Social Development
- Child Developmental Perspectives
- Asian Journal for Social Psychology
- Japanese Psychological Research
- Political Psychology
- Journal of Neuroscience
- Applied Developmental Science
- New Directions of Child and Adolescent Development
- Journal of Social Issues
- Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
b) For Large Funding Institutions e.g.:
- Commission of the European Community, Brüssel
- German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development (GIF)
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
- Austrian Science Fund (FWF Wien)
- German Research Foundation (DFG)
- Volkswagen-Stiftung (VW-Stiftung)
- Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung
- Ministry of Baden-Württemberg
- Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
- Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ)
- Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
- Jacobs Foundation
- The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)
Research Fellowships
Between 1985 - 1996: Multiple fellowships and visiting professorships at Keio University; Kansai University, Tokyo Institute for Statistical Mathematics, and other institutions in Japan (by invitation of e.g., JSPS; Monbusho, DAAD) (for 3 months each).
Major Research Interests
Cross-cultural studies in socio-emotional development and self regulation; intergenerational relations; ”Value of children”; value change; socialization.
Socialization: social change and individual development
Since 1972 cross-cultural research in East Asian and South East Asian countries.
Research Funding
1992-2014 | German Resarch Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) Multiple projects | |
2008-2011 | Jacobs Foundation Project: The role of values and religion in adolescent development: A culture-informed perspective | |
1993-1996 | Japan Foundation Project: Modern Japan (teaching program) | |
1991-1994 | Lion Foundation Project: Conditions for the development of pro-social motivation of Israeli and German children (Tel Aviv) |