S. Alexander (Alex) Haslam (born 1962) is a professor of psychology and ARC Australian Laureate Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland.
His research is in the area of social psychology and organisational psychology, exploring issues of stereotyping and prejudice, tyranny and resistance, leadership and power, stress and well-being. This work is informed by, and has contributed to the development of, theory and ideas relating to the social identity approach.
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Career
Haslam holds a Master of Arts (MA) degree from the University of St Andrews and a PhD from Macquarie University (Sydney). His doctoral work at Macquarie was supervised by John Turner and funded by a Commonwealth Scholarship. This was preceded by a year as a Robert T Jones scholar at Emory University (Atlanta). Prior to his current appointment at the University of Queensland, Haslam worked at the Australian National University (Canberra) (1991-2001) and the University of Exeter (2001-2012).
Haslam is a recipient of the European Association of Social Psychology's Kurt Lewin Medal and a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (currently Associate Program Director of its Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being program). In 2009, he was granted the British Psychological Society's Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Psychology, and additionally a National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy. He was an associate editor of the British Journal of Social Psychology from 1999-2001, editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Social Psychology from 2001-2005, and president of the psychology section of the British Science Association from 2009-2010. He is currently a consultant editor for a range of journals including Scientific American Mind.
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Key research projects
The BBC Prison Study
In 2001, Haslam collaborated with Steve Reicher (University of St Andrews) on the BBC television programme The Experiment (which became known as the "BBC Prison Study"). This examined the behaviour of a group of individuals within a simulated prison environment, returning to issues raised by the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE). Amongst other things, the study's findings challenged the role account of tyranny associated with the SPE as well as broader ideas surrounding the "banality of evil". The core insight from the study was that tyranny results from the engaged followership of subordinates rather than blind conformity to roles or rules. Recent work has also demonstrated that the same analysis can explain the behaviour of participants in Milgram's Obedience to Authority experiments.
The new psychology of leadership
Since the 1990s, Haslam has collaborated with a number of social identity researchers, notably Steve Reicher, Michael Platow, and John Turner, developing a social identity analysis of leadership. This work focuses on the role of perceived shared identity as a basis for mutual influence between leaders and followers. It argues that leaders' success hinges on their ability to create, represent, advance and embed a social identity that is shared with those they seek to motivate and inspire. In 2012 the researchers received the University of San Diego - International Leadership Association Outstanding Leadership Book Award for The New Psychology of Leadership.
The glass cliff
Haslam has worked with Michelle K. Ryan on the leadership experiences of women and together they coined the term "glass cliff" to describe some of their key findings - specifically, evidence that women are more likely than men to be appointed to leadership roles in organisations that are performing poorly. This was short-listed for the Times Higher Education "Research Project of the Year" in 2005.
Haslam's more recent work (funded by both the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and the Australian Research Council ) has contributed to the development of the Social Identity Approach to health and well-being, also referred to as "The Social Cure"(including the Integrated Social Identity model of Stress; ISIS). This work argues that the sense of social identity derived from shared group membership is a basis not only for individuals to have a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives, but also for them to receive and benefit from social support. It is also a basis for them to work together to overcome stressors rather than succumb to them.
Selected publications
Monographs
- Oakes, P. J., Haslam, S. A., & Turner, J. C. (1994). Stereotyping and social reality. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Haslam, S. A., & McGarty, C. (2003). Research methods and statistics in psychology. London and Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Haslam, S. A. (2004). Psychology in organisations: The social identity approach (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
- Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D. & Platow, M. J. (2011). The new psychology of leadership: Identity, influence and power. London: Psychology Press.
Edited books
- McGarty, C., & Haslam, S. A. (Eds.) (1997). The message of social psychology: Perspectives on mind in society. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Spears, R., Oakes, P. J., Ellemers, N., & Haslam, S. A. (Eds.) (1997). The social psychology of stereotyping and group life. Oxford: Blackwell.
- Haslam, S. A., van Knippenberg, D., Platow, M., & Ellemers, N. (Eds.) (2003). Social identity at work: Developing theory for organizational practice. New York and Hove: Psychology Press.
- Jetten, J., Haslam, C., & Haslam, S. A. (Eds.) (2012). The social cure: Identity, health and well-being. New York and Hove: Psychology Press.
- Smith, J. R., & Haslam, S. A. (Eds.) (2012). Social psychology: Revisiting the classic studies. London: Sage.
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