Serena Chen (b. July 16, 1970[1]) is an American social psychologist known for her work on the self and interpersonal relationships. She is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and currently serves as Chair of the Psychology Department.[2] Her research utilizes a social-cognition framework and has been featured in The New York Times,[3] The Wall Street Journal,[4] and other news outlets.[5]

Serena Chen
Born
NationalityAmerican
Academic background
EducationNew York University
Cornell University
Academic work
DisciplineSocial psychology
WebsiteOfficial website

Education

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Chen completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at Cornell University, where she graduated magna cum laude.[6] At Cornell, Chen worked under the supervision of Thomas Gilovich on the topic of cognitive dissonance.[7]

Chen continued her education at New York University (NYU), completing her PhD in Social Psychology in 1997.[8] Her dissertation, titled Making sense of significant others: "Theories" about significant others and their role in transference, was supervised by Susan M. Andersen.[9][10] As a graduate student, Chen collaborated with Shelly Chaiken,[11][12] Alice Eagly,[13] and John Bargh.[14] Although Chen's education at NYU largely focused on social cognition, she was more interested in studying the self and relationships.

Research and career

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One of Chen's main research areas is focused on the self. She has written numerous articles and publications that focus on concepts of self and how an individual perceives themselves in terms of close relationships and intergroup relations.[15][16][17] She also utilizes a social-cognition approach towards these concepts due to her background.

Chen first worked at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In January 2001, she became a Professor of Psychology at University of California, Berkeley, where she is currently the Marian E. and Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. Distinguished Chair for Innovative Teaching and Research.[18] Chen is also the Chair of the Psychology Department.[19] In this department, she also runs the 'Self, Identity, and Relationships' (SIR) laboratory, which conducts ongoing research.[19] Chen's research on identity formation was utilized by TJ Maxx in 2018 to create the Maxx You Project, which hosts workshops that focus on empowering women and celebrating their differences.[20] She has also co-authored a social psychology text book, Social Psychology, with Thomas Gilovich, Dacher Keltner, and Richard E. Nisbett.[21]

Honors and awards

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In 2006, Chen won the Early Career Award from the International Society for Self and Identity, which is an award given to an individual who has made advancements in the field within 10 years of obtaining their PhD.[22] In 2007, she was named as a ‘Rising Star’ by the Association for Psychological Science.[23] She also won the Distinguished Teaching Award from the Social Sciences Division of the University of California, Berkeley, in 2010.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Chen, Serena (2018), "Chen, Serena", in Zeigler-Hill, Virgil; Shackelford, Todd K. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, Springer International Publishing, pp. 1–2, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_399-1, ISBN 978-3-319-28099-8, S2CID 239490429
  2. ^ "Department Administration". psychology.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. ^ Pattee, Emma (2019-11-20). "How to Have Closer Friendships (and Why You Need Them)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  4. ^ Hotz, Robert Lee (2014-07-22). "Why Power in the Workplace Makes People Feel They Control Time". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  5. ^ Abate, Tom; Writer, Chronicle Staff (2009-10-15). "Insecure bosses likelier to bully, study says". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  6. ^ "Serena Chen Ph.D." Psychology Today. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  7. ^ Gilovich, Thomas; Medvec, Victoria Husted; Chen, Serena (1995). "Commission, Omission, and Dissonance Reduction: Coping with Regret in the "Monty Hall" Problem". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 21 (2): 182–190. doi:10.1177/0146167295212008. ISSN 0146-1672. S2CID 146500989.
  8. ^ "Serena Chen". chen.socialpsychology.org. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  9. ^ "Susan Andersen".
  10. ^ Chen, Serena; Andersen, Susan M.; Hinkley, Katrina (1999-09-01). "Triggering Transference: Examining the Role of Applicability in the Activation and Use of Significant-Other Representations in Social Perception". Social Cognition. 17 (3): 332–365. doi:10.1521/soco.1999.17.3.332. ISSN 0278-016X.
  11. ^ Chen, Serena; Shechter, David; Chaiken, Shelly (1996). "Getting at the truth or getting along: Accuracy- versus impression-motivated heuristic and systematic processing". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 71 (2): 262–275. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.71.2.262. ISSN 1939-1315. S2CID 16095759.
  12. ^ Chen, Serena; Duckworth, Kimberly; Chaiken, Shelly (1999-01-01). "Motivated Heuristic and Systematic Processing". Psychological Inquiry. 10 (1): 44–49. doi:10.1207/s15327965pli1001_6. ISSN 1047-840X.
  13. ^ Eagly, Alice H.; Chen, Serena; Chaiken, Shelly; Shaw-Barnes, Kelly (1999). "The impact of attitudes on memory: An affair to remember". Psychological Bulletin. 125 (1): 64–89. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.125.1.64. hdl:10983/25967. ISSN 1939-1455. PMID 9990845. S2CID 2438408.
  14. ^ Chen, Serena; Lee-Chai, Annette Y.; Bargh, John A. (2001). "Relationship orientation as a moderator of the effects of social power". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 80 (2): 173–187. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.2.173. ISSN 1939-1315. PMID 11220439. S2CID 6061469.
  15. ^ Zhang, Jia Wei; Chen, Serena (2017-03-31). "Self-compassion promotes positive adjustment for people who attribute responsibility of a romantic breakup to themselves". Self and Identity. 16 (6): 732–759. doi:10.1080/15298868.2017.1305985. ISSN 1529-8868. S2CID 96440807.
  16. ^ Chen, Serena; Tharp, Jordan A.; Kuehn, Maya M. (October 2017). "They Love Me, They Love Me Not?: Social Power Shapes Expectations of Acceptance and Concerns about Rejection". Social Cognition. 35 (5): 563–584. doi:10.1521/soco.2017.35.5.563. ISSN 0278-016X. S2CID 149027084.
  17. ^ Gan, Muping; Heller, Daniel; Chen, Serena (2018-05-08). "The Power in Being Yourself: Feeling Authentic Enhances the Sense of Power". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 44 (10): 1460–1472. doi:10.1177/0146167218771000. ISSN 0146-1672. PMID 29739292. S2CID 13698789.
  18. ^ "Serena Chen: Marian E. and Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. Distinguished Chair for Innovative Teaching and Research | UC Psych". psychology.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  19. ^ a b "Psychology Department Directory Listing". UC Psych. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  20. ^ T.J.MAXX. "T.J.Maxx Partners With Debra Messing to Encourage Women to Embrace Their Individuality". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  21. ^ "Social Psychology | W. W. Norton & Company". Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  22. ^ "Society of Self and Identity - Awards". www.issiweb.org. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  23. ^ "Rising Stars". APS Observer. 20 (9). 2007-10-01.
  24. ^ "Social Sciences: Distinguished Teaching and Service Awards | College of Letters & Science". ls.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-09.