Dr. Russell Spears
Professor of Psychology
University of Groningen

Brief summary of research over last 5 years / academic profile
Russell Spears (Endowed Chair, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) is a world-leading theoretician of social identity, social influence, social norms and intergroup relations. His research addresses inter alia: 1) The explanation of social influence in terms of group identity processes, with particular relevance to new media4; 2) Explanations of ingroup bias, discrimination and prejudice between groups, both in the field and in the lab5; 3) Collective action (protest, resistance) among disadvantaged groups, specifically predicting escalation from moderate to radical action, and the central role of group emotions6; and 4) Understanding when and why disadvantaged groups seem to accept their inequality; a social identity critique of system justification theory7 (the Social Identity Model of System Attitudes). Spears is an innovative educator of the next generation of leading social psychologists in the world. He has supervised 25 PhD students, of which 6 are now full professors and many have received awards (VENI, VIDI, KNAW postdoctoral grants). He is frequently invited to collaborate in international research projects, such as on prejudice and discrimination.

International visibility, activities, prizes, scholarships etc.
Spears has an extensive international network. Ongoing international collaborations include the Australian National University, Durham University, Wayne State University, and the University of Geneva. He is elected fellow of important scientific societies, including the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (1995), Society of Personality and Social Psychology (2006), and the Association for Psychological Science (2012). Spears has received numerous prestigious grants and awards, including the EASP Kurt Lewin Award for distinguished mid-career contributions in 2011 and an ESRC Professorial Research Fellowship at Cardiff 2009-2011. His international visibility saw him elected as member of the Executive Committee of the European Association of Social Psychology (2002-2008) and he was a member of the Steering Committee of the International Society for Self and Identity (2003-2009). Spears has contributed to many international summer schools, including EASP, Groningen 2004; Cardiff 2008 (organizer); and SASP Queensland, 2010). He served two terms on the research grants board of the ESRC, UK. Spears was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Education to conduct a review of research on new social media (Spears, R., et al. 2000. The Social Psychological Influence of ICTs on society and their policy implications. Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Den Haag).

5 key output/publications
1. Spears, R. 2021. Social Influence and Group Identity. Ann Rev Psychol 72(1): 367-390.
2. Van Zomeren, M., Postmes, T., & Spears, R. 2008. Toward an integrative social identity model of collective action: A quantitative research synthesis of three socio-psychological perspectives. Psychol Bull 34, 504-535.
3. Scheepers, D., Spears, R., Doosje, B., & Manstead, A.S.R. 2006. Diversity in in-group bias: Structural factors, situational features, and social functions. J Pers Soc Psychol 90, 944-960.
4. Ellemers, N., Spears, R., & Doosje, B. (Eds.). 1999. Social identity: Context, commitment, content. (p. 273) Oxford: Blackwell.
5. Postmes, T., & Spears, R. 1998. Deindividuation and anti-normative behavior: A meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 123, 238-259.

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