Johanna Ray Vollhardt
- Media Contact
- SPN Mentor
My research focuses on the psychological impact of group-based victimization on political attitudes and relations with members of other groups (other victim groups as well as the perpetrator group). More specifically, I am interested in the social psychological processes and conditions that give rise to constructive, rather than to destructive consequences of collective victimization. I have studied these questions among various ethnic, religious and national (minority) groups in the U.S., Europe, India, and East Africa. Other questions I currently investigate are psychological processes during (e.g., resistance) and in the aftermath of genocide (e.g., acknowledgment of collective victimization), as well as how group-based power shapes experiences of and responses to collective victimization. I have a strong interest in the use of multiple methods, working with community samples, and in the integration of knowledge between disciplines (e.g., history and psychology).
Primary Interests:
- Aggression, Conflict, Peace
- Causal Attribution
- Culture and Ethnicity
- Helping, Prosocial Behavior
- Intergroup Relations
- Political Psychology
- Self and Identity
Note from the Network: The holder of this profile has certified having all necessary rights, licenses, and authorization to post the files listed below. Visitors are welcome to copy or use any files for noncommercial or journalistic purposes provided they credit the profile holder and cite this page as the source.
Image Gallery
Journal Articles:
- Bilali, R., & Vollhardt, J. R. (2013). Priming effects of a reconciliation radio drama on historical perspective-taking in the aftermath of mass violence in Rwanda. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 144-151.
- Bilali, R., Vollhardt, J.R., & Rarick, J.R.D. (2017). Modeling collective action through media to promote social change and positive intergroup relations in violent conflicts. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 68, 200-211.
- Bilali, R., Vollhardt, J.R., & Rarick, J. R. D. (2016). Assessing the impact of a media-based intervention to prevent intergroup violence and promote positive intergroup relations in Burundi. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 26, 221-235.
- Campbell, M., & Vollhardt, J. R. (2014). Fighting the good fight: The relationship between belief in evil and support for violent policies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40, 16-33
- Mazur, L., & Vollhardt, J. R. (2016). The prototypicality of genocide: Implications for international intervention. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 16, 290-320.
- Moss, S. M., & Vollhardt, J.R. (2016). “You can’t give a syringe with unity”: Rwandan responses to the government’s single recategorization policies. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 16, 325-359.
- Noor, M., Vollhardt, J.R., Mari, S., & Nadler, A. (2017). Social psychology of collective victimhood. European Journal of Social Psychology, 47, 121-134.
- Vollhardt, J., & Bilali, R. (2008). Social psychology’s contribution to the psychological study of peace: A review. Social Psychology, 39, 12-25.
- Vollhardt, J.R. (2015). Inclusive victim consciousness in advocacy, social movements, and intergroup relations: Promises and pitfalls. Social Issues and Policy Review, 9, 89-120.
- Vollhardt, J. R. (2013). “Crime against humanity” or “Crime against Jews”? Acknowledgment in construals of the Holocaust and its importance for intergroup relations. Journal of Social Issues, 69, 144-161.
- Vollhardt, J. R. (2012). Interpreting rights and duties after mass violence. Culture and Psychology, 18, 133-145.
- Vollhardt, J. R. (2009). Altruism born of suffering and prosocial behavior following adverse life events: A review and conceptualization. Social Justice Research, 22, 53-97.
- Vollhardt, J. R. (2009). The role of victim beliefs in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Risk or potential for peace? Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 15, 135-159.
- Vollhardt, J.R. & Bilali, R. (2015). The role of inclusive and exclusive victim consciousness in predicting intergroup attitudes: Findings from Rwanda, Burundi, and DRC. Political Psychology, 36, 489-506.
- Vollhardt, J. R., & Bilewicz, M. (2013). After the genocide: Psychological perspectives on victim, bystander, and perpetrator groups. Journal of Social Issues, 69, 1-15.
- Vollhardt, J.R., Mazur, L.B., & Lemahieu, M. (2014). Acknowledgment after mass violence: Effects on psychological well-being and intergroup relations. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 17, 306-323.
- Vollhardt, J.R. & Nair, R. (2018). The two-sided nature of individual and intragroup experiences in the aftermath of collective victimization: Findings from four diaspora groups. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48 (4), 412-432.
- Vollhardt, J.R., Nair, R., & Tropp, L. (2016). Inclusive victim consciousness predicts minority group members’ support for refugees and immigrants. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 46, 354–368.
- Vollhardt, J.R., & Twali, M. S. (2016). Emotion-based reconciliation requires attention to power differences, critical consciousness, and structural change. Psychological Inquiry, 27, 136-143.
Other Publications:
Courses Taught:
- Experimental Methods in Psychology
- Intro to Social Psychology
- Prosocial Behavior and Collective Action
- Social and Cultural Psychology of Genocide
- Social Psychology of Ethnic Violence and its Aftermath (Graduate Seminar)
- The Psychology of Resistance During Genocide
- Theory and Method: Research Design (Graduate seminar)
Johanna Ray Vollhardt
Psychology Department
Jonas Clark Hall
950 Main Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01610
United States of America
- Phone: (508) 793-7278