Dr Roos Vonk
Since my graduation, in 1986, I have examined the topic of person perception, i.e., how people form impressions of other people. I have focused on the motivational variables involved in this process, e.g., the interests and goals one has in the interaction with a person, the type of relationship (e.g., symmetric-asymmetric, cooperative-competitive), the consequences of a person's behavior, and the extent to which a person affirms one's self-esteem. The latter is central in my later research about the effects of ingratiation.
In researching this topic, I realized how important it is for people to maintain a favorable self-concept, and how strongly this need affects their thinking and doing. In the past years, this has spurred my interest in self-esteem – in particular the question whether it is possible to "feel good about yourself" yet see things the way they really are, and process information about the self in an unbiased, nondefensive way. This research is inspired by self-determination theory and sociometer theory.
Concomitant with developing my thoughts about these topics, I have become involved in applying fundamental research (about self, emotions, and motivation) to the training, coaching, and consultancy of managers and executives, HR personnel, and practitioners and supervisors. This work addresses a wide range of issues like transformational leadership, authenticity, self-development, autonomy and collaboration.
To create more time for this work, I now work at the university part-time. The other half of the time I work as a speaker/trainer and I write popular books which have all become bestsellers in my country The Netherlands. My latest book, My ego is always right, is currently being translated from Dutch to English (as well as Spanish).
Primary Interests:
- Emotion, Mood, Affect
- Interpersonal Processes
- Person Perception
- Political Psychology
- Self and Identity
- Social Cognition
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Video Gallery
Understanding Your Ego
Description
As humans, we often feel insecure and seek external validation. We all have an ego; a sense of self-esteem or self-importance that varies from person to person. Combining psychological research with personal experience, Roos Vonk explores the concept of ego, approaching it with humour and compassion, and offering a hopeful path to self-insight and self-improvement. This masterclass is inspired by her book ‘My ego is always right’ (currently being translated from Dutch to English).
Human Nature Forecast
Journal Articles:
- Vonk, R. (2002). Self-serving interpretations of flattery: Why ingratiation works. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
- Vonk, R. (1999). Differential evaluations of likeable and dislikeable behaviours enacted towards superiors and subordinates. European Journal of Social Psychology, 29, 139-146.
- Vonk, R. (1999). Effects of outcome dependency on correspondence bias. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 110-117.
- Vonk, R. (1999). Impression formation and impression management: Motives, traits, and likeability inferred from self-promoting and self-deprecating behavior. Social Cognition, 17, 390-412.
- Vonk, R. (1998). Effects of behavioral causes and consequences on person judgments. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1065-1074.
- Vonk, R. (1998). Effects of cooperative and competitive outcome dependency on attention and impressions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 34, 265-288.
- Vonk, R. (1998). The slime effect: Suspicion and dislike of likeable behaviors towards superiors. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 849-864.
- Vonk, R. (1995). Effects of inconsistent behavior on person impressions: A multidimensional study. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 674-685.
- Vonk, R., & Van Knippenberg, A. (1995). Processing attitude statements from ingroup and outgroup members: Effects of within-group and within-person inconsistencies on reading times. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 215-227.
- Vonk, R., & Van Knippenberg, A. (1994). The sovereignty of negative inferences: Suspicion of ulterior motives does not reduce the negativity effect. Social Cognition, 12, 169-186.
Other Publications:
- Vonk, R. (2007). Ingratiation. In R.F. Baumeister & K.D. Vohs (Eds), Encyclopedia of social psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Vonk, R. (2006). Improving self-esteem. In M. Kernis (Ed.), Self-esteem: Issues and answers (pp. 178-187). New York: Psychology Press.
- Vonk, R. (2001). Aversive self-presentations. In R. M. Kowalski (Ed.), Behaving badly: Aversive interpersonal behaviors (pp. 79-155). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press.
- Vonk, R. (1994). Trait inferences, impression formation, and person memory: Strategies in processing inconsistent information about persons. In W. Stroebe & M. Hewstone (Eds.), European Review of Social Psychology (Vol. 5, pp. 111-149). NY: Wiley.
Courses Taught:
- Introduction to Social Psychology
- Is unconscious processing smart or stupid
- Moral resistance to persuasion and behaviour change: honours class
- The Self in Social Interaction
Dr Roos Vonk
Behavioral Sciences Institute
Radboud University Nijmegen
P.O. Box 9104
6500 HE Nijmegen
The Netherlands