Anna Stefaniak

Dr. Stefaniak is a social psychologist specializing in psychology of intergroup relations. She completed a 3.5-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Psychology, Carleton University and is currently a Lecturer in Social Psychology at the University of St Andrews (UK). Most of Dr. Stefaniak’s research focuses on: (1) sources of and methods for reducing intergroup bias; (2) the role of collective emotions and ways in which people relate to the history of their social groups in shaping current intergroup attitudes; and (3) the psychological underpinnings of negative and positive intergroup behaviour, e.g., hate crime, collective violence, and collective action. The overarching goal of this research is to employ social psychological knowledge to understand and address challenges burdening diverse societies. Together with Prof. Wohl, she is also developing a new line of work on the role of social identities (e.g., belonging to different social groups) in shaping people’s health outcomes with a particular interest in recovery from addiction.