Arie W. Kruglanski

Career

Arie Kruglanski received his B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1966, and his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1968 under the mentorship of Harold H. Kelley. He is currently a distinguished university professor at the University of Maryland. Kruglanski's research interests have centered on the psychology of motivation and cognition, as well as on group processes and interpersonal relations. Kruglanski has formulated a number of theories in these domains including the theory of lay epistemics (1989) (and its counterpart, the theory of epistemic motivations), the theory of regulatory mode with E. Tory Higgins (2000), a theory of goal systems (2002), a psychological theory of extremism (2021), and significance-quest theory (2022). These theories inspired empirical research in various domains of psychology and have led to development of scales that measure the need for cognitive closure (with Donna Webster, 1994) and regulatory modes of locomotion and assessment (with Tory Higgins, 2000).

In the aftermath of September 11 attacks, Kruglanski developed an interest in the study of violent extremism. He co-founded a center for excellence, START at the University of Maryland in 2006 (for the study of terrorism and the response to terrorism), and has empirically studied the psychology of terrorism and radicalization in various regions of the world including Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Maghreb, the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. Based on this work, Kruglanski has developed the 3N model of radicalization including the essential parameters of need, narrative and network as the essential ingredients of radicalization. Among others, Kruglanski and his students studied captive Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam after the defeat of that South Asian terror group, finding that de-radicalization is possible with a systematic process involving the 3N framework.

Among the projects the Kruglanski lab is pursuing are violent extremism, political activism, the quest for significance, coping with uncertainty, and closed-mindedness. Their research uses a variety of methods, including lab experiments, neuroscience techniques, computer modeling, text analyses, and surveys. The laboratory collaborates closely with the Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), the Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland), the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore).

Kruglanski has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition, as editor-in-chief of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, as associate editor of American Psychologist, and as president of the Society for the Science of Motivation (2014–15). He is member of several editorial boards including the editorial board of Psychological Review.

In 2018, a Festschrift for Kruglanski was held at the University of Maryland, and a volume was published with contributions to the Festschrift.

Selected awards

• 1998 Society for Personality and Social Psychology: Donald T. Campbell Award
• 2002 Distinguished Faculty Research Fellowship Award, University of Maryland
• 2003 Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland
• 2003 Humboldt Forschungspreis, (lifetime achievement award)
• 2007 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, Society for Experimental Social Psychology
• 2021 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, Society for the Science of Motivation
• 2025 William James Award. Association for Psychological Science
• 2025 Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, American Psychological Association