Marilynn Brewer
Encyclopedia
Marilynn B. Brewer is a prominent American social psychologist. She is now professor emeritus of psychology
at Ohio State University
and currently resides at the University of New South Wales
.
and intergroup relations. While she is particularly recognized for her theory of optimal distinctiveness
, she has been honored by a variety of organizations for wide-ranging and diverse contributions to the field of social psychology.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
and currently resides at the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Research
Brewer is well-known for her contributions to the field of social identity and has also conducted research in the areas of social cognitionSocial cognition
Social cognition is the encoding, storage, retrieval, and processing, in the brain, of information relating to conspecifics, or members of the same species. At one time social cognition referred specifically to an approach to social psychology in which these processes were studied according to the...
and intergroup relations. While she is particularly recognized for her theory of optimal distinctiveness
Optimal distinctiveness theory
Optimal distinctiveness is a social psychological theory seeking to understand ingroup–outgroup differences. It asserts that individuals desire to attain an optimal balance of inclusion and distinctiveness within and between social groups and situations...
, she has been honored by a variety of organizations for wide-ranging and diverse contributions to the field of social psychology.
Honors and awards
- APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award
- 1995 Kurt Lewin Memorial Award
- Donald T. Campbell Award for Distinguished Research in Social Psychology
- Society of Experimental Social Psychology Distinguished Scientist Award
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences (member)