New Publication
Moran, T., & Walther, E. (2025). Learning to like the enemy: Moral learning reduces affective polarization. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 18. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19485506251343667
New Publication
Walther, E., Grozeva, N., Sonnicksen, J., Wesser-Saalfrank, A., & Banse, R. (2025). The joint influence of individual deprivation and right-wing authoritarianism on radical political preferences in Germany and the US. Personality and Individual Differences, 246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113291
Fascination Right Wing?
![[Translate to Englisch:] warum_rechtsaußen](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/f/csm_Logo_warum_rechtsaussen_bc65b3a687.jpg){kind=logo}
volkswagenstiftung.de
Which aspects of right wing are fascinating young people? | VolkswagenStiftung
Anti-democratic attitudes are increasing in Germany. Yet, politics and science don't care much about the attitudes of a specially important group: young voters. An interdisciplinary project in east-german federal states does not accept this.
Review of book: Psychologie der Rechtsradikalisierung. Theorien, Perspektiven, Prävention.
Review of book: ROTHMUND, Tobias / WALTHER, Eva (Hg.): Psychologie der Rechtsradikalisierung. Theorien, Perspektiven, Prävention, Stuttgart: Kohlhammer 2024.: https://oerf-journal.eu/index.php/oerf/article/view/492/450
Academic Publication
Finkhäuser, M., Scherrer, V., Pauer, S., & Buttlar, B. (2025). Feeling Pushed and Feeling Pulled: A Panel Study on the Temporal Dynamics of Meat-Related Ambivalence, Morality, and Behavioral Consequences. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 19485506251331157. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506251331157
New Publication
Kassab, Y., Halbeisen, G., & Walther, E. (in press). The unfairness we feel: How positive and aggressive affect could shape relative deprivation and aggression. BMC: Psychology
New publication: Psychology of right-wing radicalization
![[Translate to Englisch:] Buchcover Psychologie der Rechtsradikalisierung](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/1/csm_978-3-17-043997-9_g_2cc54fe787.jpg)
A book on psychology of right-wing radicalization has been published in "Kohlhammer Verlag".
Psychologie der Rechtsradikalisierung (kohlhammer.de)
Editors: Prof. Dr. Eva Walther and Prof. Dr. Tobias Rothmund
New Publication of the department
Title: Introducing the trier univalence neutrality ambivalence (TUNA) database: A picture database differentiating complex attitudes. PLoS ONE, 19(5), e0302904.
News Archive
Teaching Award
Prof. Dr. Eva Walther received the teaching award for the best lecture in psychology in summer term 2024!
Policy Paper: Challenges for Politics and Democracy after regional elections in eastern germany 2024
Policy Paper: Herausforderungen für Politik und Demokratie nach den Landtagswahlen 2024 in Ostdeutschland
Im Rahmen des Projekts NutureDEMOS haben wir gemeinsam mit dem KomRex
(Zentrum für Rechtsextremismusforschung, Demokratiebildung und gesellschaftliche
Integration) erste Ergebnisse veröffentlicht.
New Research Project „Nurturing Democratic Resilience among Youth to Counter Far-Right Influence in the Eastern German Elections 2024 (NurtureDEMOS)“
Prof. Dr. Walther received an initial grant for 12 months together with Dr. Anna-Sophie Heinze, FB III, Political Sciences University of Trier, and Sebastian Reißig, Aktion Zivilcourage e.V., Pirna,
Sponsored by: VolkswagenStiftung
New publication reveals a link between social Darwinist attitudes, non-compliance with Covid-19 guidelines and right-wing orientation
Researcher from Trier University (Germany) discovered a significant relation between disease-related social Darwinist attitudes and non-compliance with covid-19 guidelines.
Two studies, conducted in Germany and the US, suggest that people who view disease as a means of achieving societal progress (i.e., disease-related social Darwinism) are less likely to follow official Covid-19 guidelines regarding self-protection. The studies also show that these people are more likely to exhibit conservative or right-wing political attitudes.
This research provides valuable inside into the role of social Darwinist beliefs during the Covid-19 pandemic in a broader political contexts. It has important implications for public-health more generally and highlights the need to address social Darwinist attitudes that are still present in societies today.
Survival of the fittest in the pandemic age: Introducing disease-related social Darwinism
Trier VR team publishes a new study
Are social stress responses dependent on the group identity of interaction partners?
In one study, we examined the role of ethnic context on stress responses using a virtual reality (VR)-based adaptation of a standardized stress induction protocol, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST-VR). Results show that stress responses occur regardless of the ethnicity of the interviewer and could not be predicted based on implicit bias, explicit bias, or prejudicial attitudes regarding appearance. In real threat situations, the ethnic identity of the interaction partners apparently plays no role. The paper will be published in Psychoneuroendocrinology.
