Self and Social Motivation Lab

Dominik Mischkowski

Graduate student
Department of Psychology
1835 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
e-mail: mischkowski.1@osu.edu

My research focuses on the negative side of the self, i.e., protection of the ego and self-esteem, but also on the positive side, i.e., compassion and self-transcendence. In particular, I am interested on the effects of ego-threats (e.g., social exclusion, being confronted with the inevitability of death) on cognitive performance, other-directed goals, emotions, physiology, and behavior. Furthermore, I work on developing and validating interventions that are based on self-transcendence with the goal to alleviate effects of ego-threats, to shield people from the goal confusion, emotional turmoil, and the cognitive incapacitation that result from ego-threats, and to enable people to act more aligned with their real goals and needs. I use a wide range of methodologies, ranging from surveys to experiments, collecting self-report, behavioral, and physiological data.