Scientist

Dr. Lara Ditrich

Dr. Lara Ditrich

Portrait of Lara Ditrich

Lara Ditrich has been a researcher in the Knowledge Construction Lab since 2024. Since December 2021, she has been a fellow in the Margarete von Wrangell-Programme funded by the federal Ministry of Science, Baden-Württemberg. In this project, she investigates the role of emotions – specifically fear and anger - in the context of collective action.

She has been a researcher at the IWM since June 2013, where she initially completed her dissertation in the Social Processes Lab in January 2017. Afterwards, she worked as a postdoc in the lab from 2017 to 2024. From February 2020 to November 2021, she was the spokesperson of the IWM Postdoc Network Cognitive Conflicts During Media Use.

Main research topics:

  • Reactions to discrepancies
  • Social change & collective action
  • Inter- and intra-group conflicts
  • Emotions and emotion regulation in (inter-)group conflicts
  • Sustainability
  • Effects of propaganda

Dr. Lara Ditrich

Schleichstr. 6

72072 Tübingen

Room 6.420

+49 7071 979-268l.ditrich@iwm-tuebingen.de

Lab membership

Projects

Projects with a current term and projects that have taken place in the last 5 years are shown.

Publications

 

Articles (peer-reviewed) | Books and book chapters | Research data | Other publications

Articles (peer-reviewed)

Books and book chapters

To overview
  • Klimmt, C., Sowka, A., Sjöström, A., Ditrich, L., Gollwitzer, M., & Rothmund, T. (2016). Wie Journalisten mit sozialwissenschaftlicher Evidenz umgehen: Erkenntnisse aus einem Workshop. In G. Ruhrmann, S. H. Kessler, & L. Guenther (Eds.). Wissenschaftskommunikation zwischen Risiko und (Un-)Sicherheit (pp. 75-90). Halem.

Research data

To overview

Other publications

To overview
  • Kleinhansl, M., & Ditrich, L. (2023). Sorge und Ärger, Hoffnung und Stolz: Welche Klimagefühle gibt es und wie hängen sie mit unserem Verhalten zusammen? The Inquisitive Mind, 4.

    Open Access

Presentations und Conferences

Talks

  • Ditrich, L. (2025, May 20). So nicht!? Von den Gründen und Gefahren des Versuchs, eine neue Normalität zu schaffen. Studium Generale. Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen. [Invited Talk]
  • Ditrich, L. (2025, April 24). Wir sehen unsre Welt, wie sie uns gefällt - Die Rolle von Identitäten und Ideologien im Umweltschutz. 64. IPU-Kongress "Die Rolle der Ideologie im Umweltschutz". Initiative Psychologie im Umweltschutz e. V., Berg. [Keynote]
  • Febriana, S. G., & Ditrich, L. (2024, September 16-19). Keeping up with the norms: Unraveling the connection between perceived norms and collective action. 53. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs) / 15. Kongress der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (ÖGP). Universität Wien, Austria. [Talk]
  • Febriana, S. G., & Ditrich, L. (2024, August 29-31). Keeping up with the norms: Unraveling the connection between perceived norms and collective action. 1st Collective Action Network Meeting (CAN): Understanding the Multifaceted and Applied Nature of Collective Action Research. Durham University, UK. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Febriana, S. G. (2024, July 17-20). Of looming threats - Affective and behavioural responses to making crises’ consequences salient. 2024 Conference of the International Society for Research on Emotion. Queen’s University Belfast, UK. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Febriana, S. G. (2024, August 29-31). Scaring people into action? Affective responses to making consequences salient and their correlates. 1st Collective Action Network Meeting (CAN): Understanding the Multifaceted and Applied Nature of Collective Action Research. Durham University, UK. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Febriana, S. G. (2024, September 16-19). There will be CO2nsequences: Affective and behavioural responses to highlighting potential threats. The climate is changing – when do we? Shedding light on affective processes and group dynamics to foster pro-environmental action. 53. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs) / 15. Kongress der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (ÖGP). Universität Wien, Austria. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L. (2023, März 27). Die Rolle von Emotionen für kollektives Handeln - Von Wutbürgern und Friedensbewegten. Eingeladener Vortrag, Margarete von Wrangell Frühjahrsseminar 2023. Universität Hohenheim. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., Febriana, S. G., & Sassenberg, K. (2023, September 11-13). Everything will go downhill from here!? How making crises’ consequences salient affects emotions and action readiness. 18. Tagung der Fachgruppe Sozialpsychologie (FGSP). Graz, Austria. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2023, June 30). How fear is related to policy support and collective action intentions in the context of the war in Ukraine. Pre-conference “The role of emotions in societal problems” preceding the 19th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology. Krakow, Poland. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Febriana, S. G. (2023, June 25-28). How making the consequences of climate change salient breeds readiness for collective and individual action. EASP Small Group Meeting “Collective responses to global environmental challenges: How do collective cognition and motivation shape appraisals and responses?”. Leipzig. [Talk]
  • Wroblewski, D., Scholl, A., Ditrich, L., Pummerer, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2023, May 3-6). Let's stay in touch: Frequency (but not mode) of interaction between leaders and followers predicts better leadership outcomes. 6th Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Leadership Symposium (IPLS 2023). Rhodes, Greece. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2023, June 30-July 4). Scary times ahead - How making a crisis’s consequences salient influences affect and collective action intentions. 19th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology. Krakow, Poland. [Talk]
  • Wroblewski, D., Scholl, A., Ditrich, L., Pummerer, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2022, September 10-15). Let’s stay in touch: Frequency (but not mode) of interaction between leaders and followers predicts better leadership outcomes. 52. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs). Hildesheim. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L. (2022, June 10-11). Long-term or situational? How integrative emotion regulation relates to sympathy and supportiveness towards outgroups? Consortium of European Research on Emotion (CERE) 2022 conference. Granada, Spain. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L. (2022, September 21). Reactions to violated expectations in groups - Of chucking out bad apples and packing your bags. Invited talk at Grandes Ideas en Psicología y Neurociencias. Webinars en directo por expertos y para todos. University Pública de Navarra (UPNA), Spain. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2022, September 10-15). Threat and reactions to violated expectations in groups: Adding control to the equation. 52. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs). Hildesheim. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., Sassenberg, K., & Roth, G. (2021, June 30). I feel (for you) – I’ll help! The relation between integrative emotion regulation, sympathy, and support for out-groups. Social Emotions Meeting (SEM). [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., Roth, G., & Sassenberg, K. (2021, September 13-15). Integrative emotion regulation is related to sympathy and support for outgroups - Chronic response pattern or in situ emotion regulation? European Social Cognition Network (ESCON), Transfer of Knowledge Conference 2021. Salzburg, Austria. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2021, August 25-27). Responding to deviance: Why group members choose confrontation or escape in response to norm – violations. Social Psychology Section Annual Conference of the British Psychological Society. Leicester, UK. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L. (2020, February). Dealing with deviance - On the underpinnings of confrontation and escape responses to norm-violations. Invited talk at Group Processes and Intergroup Relations Preconference at the 2020 Annual Convention of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. New Orleans, LA, USA. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., Gedeon, E. Z., & Sassenberg, K. (2019, September). Favouring a Disunited Kingdom? How Negative Perceptions of the EU-Referendum Process Relate to Individual Mobility and Collective Action Intentions. 17. Tagung der Fachgruppe Sozialpsychologie. Köln, Germany. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., Gedeon, E. Z., & Sassenberg, K. (2019, March). Favouring a Disunited Kingdom? How Negative Perceptions of the EU-Referendum Relate to Individual Mobility and Collective Action Intentions. 2019 International Convention of Psychological Science. Paris, France. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., Sassenberg, K., & Roth, G. (2019, October). I feel, therefore I help - Integrative emotion regulation, out-group directed sympathy, and out-group support. Emotions 2019 - 7th International conference on emotions, well-being, and health. Tilburg, The Netherlands. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2018, April). Gehöre ich hier noch hin? Wie deviantes Verhalten Ausschluss und Austrittsintentionen beeinflusst. Eingeladener Vortrag an der Universität Salzburg. Salzburg, Österreich. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2018, September). Hit the road! How deviant behavior shapes confrontation and escape responses. 51. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs). Frankfurt am Main. [Talk]
  • Sassenberg, K., & Ditrich, L. (2018, September). Should I stay or should they go? The impact of norm violations on intentions to leave a group and to confront the deviants. Social Identity and Groups Network Workshop. Brisbane, Australien. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2017, September). Do I still belong here? How deviant behavior shapes exclusion and leaving intentions. 16. Tagung der Fachgruppe Sozialpsychologie. Ulm. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2017, August). One of us does not belong here anymore! - The effects of norm-deviant behavior on confrontation and escape. Pre-Conference on Self and Identity of the International Society for Self and Identity (ISSI). Granada, Spain. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2016, August). That’s not what I expected! - Deviant behavior and how it motivates exclusion and leaving. ESCON Transfer of Knowledge Conference 2016. Lissabon, Portugal. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2016, September). That’s not what I expected! - How deviations from norms lead to changes in group membership. 50. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs). Leipzig. [Talk]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2015, September). Ohne mich oder ohne dich? Austritt und Ausschluss als Reaktionen auf nicht-normatives Verhalten anderer Gruppenmitglieder. 15. Tagung der Fachgruppe Sozialpsychologie. Potsdam. [Talk]

Poster presentations

To overview
  • Febriana, S. G., & Ditrich, L. (2025, June 15-18). Collective action against conventional palm oil production: How perceived participation norms are linked to collective action against environmental issues. The International Conference on Environmental Psychology (ICEP). Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Lithuania. [Poster presentation]
  • Ditrich, L., Sassenberg, K., & Roth, G. (2020, June). I feel (for you) – I’ll help! The relation between integrative emotion regulation, sympathy, and support for out-groups. Social Emotions as Regulators of Social Relations prefoncerence. Krakow, Poland. (Conference cancelled). https://easp2020krakow.com/ [Poster Presentation]

    View poster

  • Ditrich, L., Lüders, A., Jonas, E., & Sassenberg, K. (2020, February). Leader deviance changes the group – if the group-norm is not affirmed. 2020 Annual Convention of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP). New Orleans, LA, USA. [Poster Presentation]
  • Ditrich, L. (2020, June). You can’t do that! How questioning groups and their norms relates to threat experiences and confrontation. 19th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Krakow, Poland. (Conference cancelled). https://easp2020krakow.com/ [Poster Presentation]

    View poster

  • Ditrich, L., Gedeon, E. Z., & Sassenberg, K. (2018, March). The Disunited Kingdom? How negative perceptions of the EU-referendum relate to individual mobility and collective action intentions. Symposium "Brexit & The Rise of Populism - Insights from Political and Psychological Sciences". University of Kent. Canterbury, UK. [Poster Presentation]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2017, August). When friends turn foes – How deviant behavior motivates exclusion and leaving. 18th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Granada, Spain. [Poster Presentation]
  • Ditrich, L., & Sassenberg, K. (2015, February). Should I stay or should they go?: Schismatic intentions in social groups. 16th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Long Beach, CA, USA. [Poster Presentation]
  • Ditrich, L., Landkammer, F., Sassenberg, K., & Jacoby, J. (2014, September). Einfluss des regulatorischen Fokus und inititaler Meinungen auf den Entscheidungsprozess. 49. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie. Bochum. [Poster Presentation]
  • Ditrich, L., Landkammer, F., Sassenberg, K., & Jacoby, J. (2014, July). The impact of regualtory focus and initial opinions about decision making. 17th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Amsterdam, The Neterlands. [Poster Presentation]

Other conference contributions

To overview
  • Ferner, U., Ditrich, L., Brucker, B., Halfmann, M., Krogmann, L., Moser, M., & Gerjets, P. (2024, December 4). Experience-based digital access to museum research. Digital Education Day. [Project/Pitch]
  • Ditrich, L. [Chair] (2024, September 16-19). The climate is changing – when do we? Shedding light on affective processes and group dynamics to foster pro-environmental action. 53. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs) / 15. Kongress der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (ÖGP). Universität Wien, Austria. [Symposium Organisation]
  • Ditrich, L., Klackl, J., & Stollberg, J. (2023, June 30-July 4). To protest or not to protest - that is the question. A nuanced view on how affect shapes collective responses to global crises. 19th General Meeting of the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP). Krakow, Poland. [Symposium Organisation]
  • Ditrich, L. (2019, March). The Divided Kingdom - Psychological Perspectives on the Antecedents and Consequences of Brexit as a Geopolitical Event. 2019 International Convention of Psychological Science. Paris, France. [Symposium Organisation]
  • Ditrich, L., de Vreeze, J., & Sassenberg, K. (2016, September). Changes in group membership - intrapersonal and intragroup dynamics. 50. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs). Leipzig. [Symposium Organisation]

Event organisation

  • Ditrich, L. (2025, April 25). Emotion und Ideologie - Einflüsse auf umweltfreundliches Verhalten in einer polarisierten Welt. 64. IPU-Kongress "Die Rolle der Ideologie im Umweltschutz". [Workshop Organisation]
  • Bahnmüller, J., Ditrich, L., & Scharinger, C. (2019). Cognitive Conflicts in the Wild. Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen. 02.-03.04.2019. [Conference Organisation]

Teaching

  • Ditrich, L., & Febriana, S. G. (Summer semester 2025). Nicht rein rational: (Sozial-)psychologische Phänomene in politischen Kontexten. Seminar (Bachelor). Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Scholl, A., Ditrich, L., & Utz, S. (Summer semester 2025). Wirtschaftspsychologie II. Lecture (Bachelor). Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Buder, J., Candan Şimşek, A., Fischer, H., Ditrich, L., Utz, S., Klein, S. H., Mayer, M., Lermann Henestrosa, A., Hoch, E., Schwan, S., & Gerjets, P. (Winter semester 2024/25). Knowledge media in education, work, and leisure. Lecture (Master). Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Ditrich, L. (Summer semester 2024). Kognitionspsychologie: „Von Streiks und Klimaprotesten: Wie Kognition und Emotion bei sozialen Veränderungsprozessen zusammenspielen“. Seminar (Master). Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Ditrich, L. (Winter semester 2024/25). Wir sind hier nicht bei wünsch Dir was…!? Die Folgen verletzter Erwartungen für soziale Prozesse. Seminar (Bachelor). Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Scholl, A., Ditrich, L., & Ziegler, R. (Winter semester 2024/25). Wirtschaftspsychologie I. Lecture (Bachelor). Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Buder, J., Kimmerle, J., Hoch, E., Schwan, S., Gerjets, P., Utz, S., Anderl, C., Lermann Henestrosa, A., Fischer, H., & Ditrich, L. (2023). Knowledge media in education, work, and leisure. Vorlesung. Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Fachbereich Psychologie.
  • Ditrich, L. (2023). Wir sind hier, wir sind laut – Die Rolle von (Wissens-)medien und Emotionen im Kontext von kollektivem Protest. SoSe 2023. FS und FP Master: Modul Vertiefung Anwendung, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Ditrich, L., Scholl, A., & Utz, S. (2023). Wirtschaftspsychologie II. SoSe 2023. Vorlesung für Bachelorstudierende. Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.

CV