Michele J. Gelfand
Michele J. Gelfand is a cultural psychologist, best known for being an expert on tightness–looseness theory,[1] which explains variations in the strength of social norms and punishments across human groups.[2] She is currently a Distinguished University Professor[3] at the University of Maryland, College Park.[4]
Michele J. Gelfand | |
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Academic background | |
Alma mater | Colgate University, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Psychology |
Sub-discipline | Cultural psychology |
Institutions | University of Maryland, College Park |
Education and career
Gelfand studied at Colgate University, where she graduated with a B.A. in psychology in 1989. She graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1996 with a PhD in social psychology and organizational psychology.[5] There, she studied under the mentorship of Harry Triandis, one of the founders of cross-cultural psychology.[6] She was on the faculty of New York University from 1995 to 1996, and she has worked at the University of Maryland, College Park since 1996.[5]
Gelfand is the editor of several academic books and series, including Advances in Culture and Psychology, which she co-founded; Psychology of Conflict and Conflict Management in Organizations; and The Handbook of Negotiation and Culture.[7] She was the president of the International Association for Conflict Management from 2009 to 2010.[5][8]
Research
Gelfand has conducted research across many cultures, using field, experimental, computational, and neuroscientific methods to understand the evolution of cultural differences and their consequences for individuals, teams, organizations, and nations.[9][10] Gelfand has also done work on the role of culture in negotiation and conflict and the psychology of revenge and forgiveness.[11][12][13]
Cultural tightness–looseness
Gelfand is considered a pioneering researcher on the concept of tightness–looseness.[1] She is credited with defining the tightness-looseness classification system, which assesses how much a culture adheres to social norms and tolerates deviance. Tight cultures are more restrictive, with stricter disciplinary measures for norm violations while loose cultures have weaker social norms and a higher tolerance for deviant behavior. Gelfand found that a history of threats, such as natural disasters, high population density, or vulnerability to infectious diseases, is associated with greater tightness. Her research has shown that tightness allows cultures to coordinate more effectively to survive threats.[2][14] This work is summarized in the book, titled, Rule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our World (2018).[15]
Awards and honors
- Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2019)[16]
- Outstanding International Psychologist Award, American Psychological Association (2017)[17]
- Carol and Ed Diener Award in Social Psychology, Society for Personality and Social Psychology (2015)[18]
- William A. Owens Scholarly Achievement Award, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (2014)[19]
- Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (2012)[20]
- Anneliese Maier Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2011)[21]
- Best Paper Award for New Directions, Academy of Management Conflict Management Division (2009)[22]
- Distinguished University Scholar-Teacher, University of Maryland, College Park (2009)[23]
- Outstanding Article of the Year Award, International Association for Conflict Management (2009, 2004, and 2001)[24]
- Cummings Scholarly Achievement Award, Academy of Management Organizational Behavior Division (2002)[25]
- Distinguished Early Career Contribution Award, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (2002)[26]
Selected publications
- Gelfand, Michele J.; Raver, Jana L.; Nishii, Lisa; Leslie, Lisa M.; Lun, Janetta; et al. (2011). "Differences Between Tight and Loose Cultures: A 33-Nation Study". Science. 332 (6033): 1100–1104. Bibcode:2011Sci...332.1100G. doi:10.1126/science.1197754. PMID 21617077.
- Harrington, Jesse R.; Gelfand, Michele J. (2014). "Tightness–looseness across the 50 united states". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111 (22): 7990–7995. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111.7990H. doi:10.1073/pnas.1317937111. PMC 4050535. PMID 24843116.
- Mu, Yan; Han, Shihui; Gelfand, Michele J. (2017). "The role of gamma interbrain synchrony in social coordination when humans face territorial threats". Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 12 (10): 1614–1623. doi:10.1093/scan/nsx093. PMC 5647809. PMID 28985437.
- Roos, Patrick; Gelfand, Michele J.; Nau, Dana; Lun, Janetta (2015). "Societal threat and cultural variation in the strength of social norms: An evolutionary basis". Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 129: 14–23. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2015.01.003.
- Gelfand, Michele J.; Leslie, Lisa M.; Keller, Kirsten; de Dreu, Carsten (2012). "Conflict cultures in organizations: How leaders shape conflict cultures and their organizational-level consequences" (PDF). Journal of Applied Psychology. 97 (6): 1131–1147. doi:10.1037/a0029993. PMID 23025807.
- Gelfand, Michele J.; Severance, Laura; Lee, Tiane; Bruss, C. Bayan; Lun, Janetta; Abdel-Latif, Abdel-Hamid; Moustafa Ahmed, Sally (2015). "Culture and getting to yes: The linguistic signature of creative agreements in the United States and Egypt". Journal of Organizational Behavior. 36 (7): 967–989. doi:10.1002/job.2026.
- Imai, Lynn; Gelfand, Michele J (2010). "The culturally intelligent negotiator: The impact of cultural intelligence (CQ) on negotiation sequences and outcomes". Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 112 (2): 83–98. doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2010.02.001.
- Gelfand, Michele J.; Erez, Miriam; Aycan, Zeynep (2007). "Cross-cultural organizational behavior" (PDF). Annual Review of Psychology. 58: 479–514. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085559. PMID 17044797.
- Triandis, Harry C.; Gelfand, Michele J. (1998). "Converging measurement of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism" (PDF). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 74: 118–128. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.1.118.
References
- White, Lawrence T.; Jackson, Steven (2013-07-21). "Some Like It Tight, Some Like It Loose". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
- Gelfand, Michele J.; Raver, Jana L.; Nishii, Lisa; Leslie, Lisa M.; Lun, Janetta; Lim, Beng Chong; et al. (2011-05-27). "Differences Between Tight and Loose Cultures: A 33-Nation Study". Science. 332 (6033): 1100–1104. Bibcode:2011Sci...332.1100G. doi:10.1126/science.1197754. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 21617077.
- "Distinguished University Professors". University of Maryland Faculty Affairs. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- "Michele J. Gelfand". University of Maryland Department of Psychology. Archived from the original on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
- "Michele J. Gelfand Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). University of Maryland Department of Psychology. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-12. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
- Gelfand, Michele J. (March 2013). "Multinational collaborations in culture and psychology". Psychology International. American Psychological Association. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
- Matthew (2014-11-04). "Michele Gelfand, University of Maryland – American Regionalism". The Academic Minute. WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
- "24th Annual Conference of the International Association for Conflict Management". Association Française d'Economie Expérimentale. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
- "Research: Culture and Psychology". Michele F. Gelfand. University of Maryland Department of Psychology. Archived from the original on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
- Gelfand, M. J.; Erez, M.; Aycan, Z. (2007). "Cross-cultural organizational behavior" (PDF). Annual Review of Psychology. 58: 479–514. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085559. PMID 17044797. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
- Gelfand, M. J.; Leslie, L.; Keller, K.; De Dreu, C. (2012). "Conflict cultures in organizations: How leaders shape conflict cultures and their organization-level consequences" (PDF). Journal of Applied Psychology. 97 (6): 1131–1147. doi:10.1037/a0029993. PMID 23025807. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-04-17. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
- Gelfand, M. J.; Severance, L.; Lee, T.; Bruss, C. B.; et al. (2015). "Getting to Yes: The linguistic signature of the deal in the U.S. and Egypt". Journal of Organizational Behavior. 36 (7): 967. doi:10.1002/job.2026.
- Zheng, Xue; Fehr, Ryan; Tai, Kenneth; Narayanan, Jayanth; Gelfand, Michele J. (May 2015). "The Unburdening Effects of Forgiveness: Effects on Slant Perception and Jumping Height" (PDF). Social Psychological and Personality Science. 6 (4): 431–438. doi:10.1177/1948550614564222. hdl:1765/83178. ISSN 1948-5506.
- Harrington, Jesse R.; Gelfand, Michele J. (2014). "Tightness–looseness across the 50 united states". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111 (22): 7990–7995. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111.7990H. doi:10.1073/pnas.1317937111. PMC 4050535. PMID 24843116.
- Gelfand, Michele J. (2018-09-11). Rule makers, rule breakers : how tight and loose cultures wire our world (First Scribner hardcover ed.). New York, NY. ISBN 978-1-5011-5293-1. LCCN 2018010275. OCLC 1039191230. OL 26975086M.
- "Two University of Maryland Faculty Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences". UMD Right Now :: University of Maryland. 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
- "Outstanding International Psychologist Awards, Past Recipients". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- "Diener Award in Social Psychology, Past Recipients". Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- "William A. Owens Scholarly Achievement Award, Past Recipients". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- "Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize Winners" (PDF). Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- "Gelfand Receives Anneliese Maier Research Award". Association for Psychological Science. 2012-10-04. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
- "CMD Sponsored Awards". Academy of Management, Conflict Management Division. Archived from the original on 2007-01-14. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- "Distinguished Scholar Teacher Recipients". University of Maryland Office of Faculty Affairs. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- "IACM Outstanding Article or Book Chapter Award Recipients". International Association of Conflict Management. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- "Cummings Scholarly Achievement Award, Past Award Winners". Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- "Past SIOP Award Recipients". Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Retrieved 2016-06-03.