Susanne Bücker

In the Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology working group, we focus on development in various psychological functional areas across the lifespan (i.e. from childhood to old age).

We are particularly interested in the socio-emotional development of people. This includes, for example, the emergence and change of loneliness, self-esteem and emotional stability. We are looking for explanations for the inter-individual differences in developmental processes. In this context, we investigate how our daily lives and developmental trajectories are often co-determined by the contexts in which we live (e.g. our friends, parents, partners, teachers).

Current research projects focus on topics such as the interplay between personality traits and loneliness, the development of loneliness and well-being across the lifespan and around critical life events, the measurement of loneliness in children and adolescents, the effectiveness of loneliness interventions and the variability of emotional experience in everyday life. Our research has an interdisciplinary character. We therefore cooperate with experts from various disciplines in science, practice and politics (see Science Communication & Policy Advice).

Developmental psychology and educational psychology are represented in various courses. We also supervise theses on topics that correspond to our research interests.

Our research focuses on the psychological development of people across the entire lifespan, from childhood to old age. A particular focus is on socio-emotional development, i.e. the emergence and change of feelings such as loneliness and self-esteem. We investigate how individual differences in development can be explained and how our social environment influences these processes.

In particular, we investigate the interplay between personality and loneliness, the development of well-being and the effectiveness of programmes to reduce loneliness. We use various methodological approaches, including longitudinal studies and modern measurement techniques, to capture people's daily lives and long-term development. Through interdisciplinary collaboration with experts from science, practice and politics, we are continuously expanding our understanding of these processes.

• Socio-emotional development across the lifespan and in daily life
• Multi-method measurement of socio-emotional phenomena
• Evidence-based interventions against loneliness
• Meta-analyses and systematic literature reviews

M. Sc. Anne Neuber

• Research Assistant
  Professorship of Developmental and Educational Psychology

Since December 2023
Research assistant at the Professorship of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Witten/Herdecke University

2023
Degree in M. Sc. Psychology with a specialisation in Clinical Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum

2021
Degree B. Sc. Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum

Heike Freudewald

• Secretariat
  Professorship of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology
  Professorship of Health Psychology
  Chair of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy III

Student assistants

• Aline Beckers, support in research and teaching
• Stefanie Heßels, support in research and teaching
• Theresa Kern, support in research and teaching
• Greta Stöblen, tutor for developmental psychology
• Laura Zoller, tutor for developmental psychology

• Since 10/2023
  Professor of Developmental Psychology and Educational Psychology, Witten/Herdecke University
• 10/2022 - 09/2023
  Junior Professor for Quantitative Social Research and Differential Psychology in Health and Sport, German Sport University Cologne
• 09/2020 - 09/2022
  Research Assistant (PostDoc), Psychological Methodology, Ruhr-University Bochum
• 10/2017 - 08/2020
  PhD scholarship holder (Studienstiftung), Psychological Methodology, Ruhr-University Bochum

The most important information on teaching can be found in UWE and the respective Moodle courses. Experience has shown that most questions are answered during the first week of the course. You are therefore welcome to wait for these sessions before contacting us by e-mail.

Please quote your student ID number and use your UW/H email address in all enquiries about study-related topics (grades, etc.). If we do not respond to urgent enquiries within eight working days, we would be pleased to receive a friendly reminder by e-mail.

Theses
We offer students the opportunity to write their theses (both Bachelor's and Master's theses) in our working group. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to a member of the working group. We usually have an overview of topics currently available, which we can then send you.

Collaboration
We are delighted that you are interested in working in developmental psychology and educational psychology!

There are various ways in which you can get involved. It is important to us that you not only work, but also have the opportunity to gain a good insight into our research and academic work.

Student employees. We recruit new student assistants at irregular intervals. When positions are advertised, we announce this via the Psychology faculty student council mailing list. We also list the vacancies here. There are currently no vacancies.

Student internships. You can complete your compulsory internship in our working group as part of your degree programme. Please send us an unsolicited application at any time. The internships can be completed full-time or part-time. Unfortunately, internships cannot be remunerated.

Workshops and further training

We offer various workshops. These can be customised to the needs of the participants. Please contact Prof Dr Susanne Bücker for a quote.

• Introduction to R (incl. switching from SPSS to R)
• Advanced data preparation and data analysis in R
• Multilevel analyses for longitudinal data in R
• Open Science & Pre-Registration

Science communication and policy advice

Policy advice

2022 - today
Expert on loneliness for the European Commission and the EU Joint Research Centre

08/2023
Expert in public hearing on loneliness and participation in old age in the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament

2020 - 2022
Permanent expert member of the commission of enquiry on loneliness in the NRW state parliament

04/2021
Expert in public hearing on loneliness in the Bundestag

Selected lectures for the public

2023

• Focus on loneliness: Psychological perspectives on a social challenge. Lecture for the Association for Prevention and Health in Saarland (PuGiS e. V.).
• Loneliness and unemployment. Unemployed, left behind, ill - when social health suffers! Lecture for the State Centre for Health in Bavaria.
• When relationships lack depth - loneliness and its consequences. Lecture for the digital Family Day NRW.
• When encounters are missing - loneliness and its consequences. Lecture for the digital symposium on neighbourhood development Quartier 2030 Baden-Württemberg.
• Pathway(s) to prevent loneliness in collaboration with civil society. Lecture for the "High-level meeting on combating loneliness" in the context of the Swedish EU Council Presidency.

2022

• Loneliness - meaning and topicality of a feeling. Lecture as part of the BMFSFJ-funded loneliness competence network.
• Loneliness as a cause and consequence of dementia and the need for care. Lecture for the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Seniorenbüros e. V. (BaS).
• Loneliness - a purely individual problem or of importance to society as a whole? Lecture for the Office for Social Services Kiel.

2021

• Loneliness as a cause and consequence of dementia and the need for care. Lecture for the Alzheimer Gesellschaft Siegen e. V.
• Home Office Blues - You are not alone. Lecture for Interhyp AG.
• Loneliness: Psychological perspectives from science & practice. Lecture for the Organisationsberatungsinstitut Thüringen - ORBIT.
• Loneliness: Personal and social challenges for the organisation of social relationships. Lecture for the Bavarian State Conference 2021 of the Social Service of Catholic Women.
• Lonely society?! - Scientific forum on inclusion. Panel discussant. Organisation: Prof. Dr. Volker Beck and colleagues, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.
• Loneliness: Psychological perspectives from science. Lecture for the Federal Women's Council Bündnis 90/Die Grünen.
• Loneliness as a cause and consequence of dementia and the need for care. Lecture for the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Seniorenbüros e. V. (BaS).

2020

• Loneliness: Psychological perspectives from science. Invited lecture as part of the Lonely Lectures: "Perspectives from Science" at TU Dortmund University.
• Loneliness as a cause and consequence of dementia. Lecture for the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Seniorenbüros e. V. (BaS).
• The painful feeling of loneliness: Personal and social challenges for the organisation of social relationships. Lecture for the (virtual) 17th Abensberg Symposium.

2019

• Society of the lonely - an evening of discussion about the pain of an individualised world. Panel discussion. Organisation: PD Dr Mazda Adli, Fliedner Klinik Berlin & Charité, Berlin.
• Loneliness is a silent topic: Results of current research and their practical implications. Lecture in a lecture series at the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, Mönchengladbach.
• Loneliness - a psychological view. Invited lecture on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the TelefonSeelsorge Bochum, Bochum.
• Loneliness - an introduction. Lecture at the symposium of the Paritätischer Gesamtverband on the topic "alt-einsam-insoliert! - Ways to participation", Kassel.

Selected interviews

• "Loneliness - the unrecognised illness" - TV interview on hr fernsehen (ARD Mediathek). Available online.
• Interview on loneliness with GEO WISSEN (issue 76/2022).
• "We don't like to talk about loneliness." - Interview for Deutschlandfunk Nova. Available online.
• "The casual is important" - Interview on loneliness. taz am Wochenende. Available online.
• "Loneliness - these tips can help". TV interview for ARD Buffet. Available online.
• "Away from deficit-orientated reforms - how should the National Prevention Plan announced in the coalition agreement be filled with life?" Interview for TAGESSPIEGEL. Available online.
• "Lonely people perceive others as a threat." Interview for ZEIT ONLINE. Available online.
• "Why growing up can make you lonely - and what role the pandemic plays". Interview for DER SPIEGEL. Available online.
• "Loneliness in times of Corona". Interview with SWR3 Radio and SWR3 online. Available online.
• "Neighbourhood as a chance against loneliness". Interview for the blog of Deutsche Fernsehlotterie gGmbH. Available online.