G. (Goda) Perlaviciute, Prof

Coordinator Master's programme Environmental Psychology

Climate change is one of the greatest threat to our and future generations. In recognition of this threat, almost 200 nations agreed to fight  environmental problems caused by human behaviour. But which factors induce environmentally harmful behaviour and what motivates people to act pro-environmentally? In the Master’s programme “Environmental psychology”, students acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to understand the human dimension of environmental and energy problems. After completing the programme, students are able to develop and test theory in the field of Environmental psychology and to build theory-based strategies to promote environmental quality. Career prospects include, among others, pursuing a PhD in Environmental psychology, conducting research at an institute for applied sciences, consultancy on environmental issues, environmental communication and education, policy advisor or environmental policy making, and behavioural expert in environmental or energy organisations. 

Read more about the Master's programme Environmental psychology

Advanced Topics in Environmnetal Psychology (Master Environemntal Psychology)

Students of this course dive into the literature and critically review the sate-of-the-art knowledge on their selected topic in environmental psychology. Specifically, which theories have been developed? Is there empirical evidence? Do theories support or contradict each other, and what do they imply for real-life questions? The students will think constructively about the ways to advance current knowledge. The ultimate goal is to achieve a better understanding of people's perceptions of and attitudes and behaviour towards their environments, and the human dimension of environmental and energy problems. The course is very interactive and facilitates students’ engagement. Experts in the field consult the students on their selected topics. The students peer-review each other’s work and give constructive feedback aimed at advancing knowledge. The course ends with a “scientific conference” on environmental psychology, where students present their critical and constructive reflections on the selected topics. Upon completing the course, the students have become experts on their selected topics and have gained in-depth insights into other topics through peer-reviews and the final conference. 

Thoerizing Change (Research Master Behavioural and Social Sciences)

Addressing pressing societal challenges (e.g. group conflicts, climate change, ageing society) requires understanding and managing changes on the individual, organizational, and societal level. However, policy responses to societal changes can only be sustainable if there is good theory-based understanding of what are the drivers of change in the first place. An interdisciplinary approach enhances such understanding. In this course, students therefore study, compare, evaluate, integrate and debate psychological and sociological theories that provide explanations of what triggers change and responses to change in individuals, groups, organizations, networks and societies. Students address and combine micro- and macro-level perspectives of change and sustainability, focusing on how individual change may influence groups, organizations and institutions, and vice versa, and how sustainable change in society is possible, given this interplay. Students learn to think critically as well as constructively about the state-of the-art knowledge on change and sustainability, and integrate perspectives from different disciplines. Students learn how to integrate knowledge and identify knowledge gaps and ways forward to theorize about the conditions under which sustainable change can be realised.

Social & Cultural Psychology (2nd year Honours students, University of Groningen)

Social and cultural psychology seeks to understand the relationship between the individual and the environment in which the individual acts. Thus, social and cultural psychology is interested in how we perceive other people, how we make sense of other people’s behavior, and how we shape our attitudes towards various objects such as other groups of people. At the same time, social and cultural psychology is interested in how our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are influenced by the imagined or the actual presence of other people as well as by the environments (e.g., cultures) we are brought up in and function within. The module serves as an introduction to the discipline of social and cultural psychology, its research methods and its major themes. These themes include but are not limited to: (i) social cognition and perception with a greater focus on attributions (how we explain other people’s behavior); (ii) the self: how we construe our self-image, how culture and how others influence the way we see ourselves and the way we act; (iii) attitudes: how they are formed, what is their nature and how they change especially as an effect of persuasion; (iv) intergroup processes: what causes a group to form prejudices and develop hostility towards a different group and what is social psychology’s approach to conflict-resolution; (v) leadership: looking into different leadership styles and what makes a strong leader. Cultural influences as well as cultural differences in how various phenomena manifest themselves in different cultures will also be discussed. We discuss social-psychological phenomena in relation to important societal issues and challenges, such as conflict, migration, climate change, and public health.

Post-academic teaching

Masterclasses and trainings to practitioners and decision makers in the energy domain. Organised by, among others, the Business school of the Faculty of Economics and Business (RUG) and Energy Delta Institute.