PhD Psychological Guidance for Youngsters in Early Modern Times (1.0 FTE)

(V24.0395)

Contemporary “psychological society” emphasizes psychological identity. It can be interpreted as a historical shift towards individuality which began in the early modern period. It was the time when humanists relied on the theory of humors and temperaments to assess a person´s intellectual capacities and emotional inclinations. The idea was not only to explain the way human beings act but also to find useful guidelines for the counselling of young people. One example of such a psychological work of the 16th century was Juan Huarte de San Juan's “The Examination of Men's Wits” (1575). In it, the Spanish physician emphasizes human differences, drawing inspiration from Aristotle, Galen, Hippocrates, and others. The exploration of body humors led to the revolutionary idea that evaluating individual capacities and talents is essential for ensuring a well-functioning society. Despite the research that has been done to this date showing that early modernity was a crucial time period when human beings start to become an object of empirical study, there are still many open questions. At the time, Erasmus, Vives, or Huarte circulated explanations about human differences using a terminology based on “ingenium” (intellect) and “natural ability”. They used such terms when proposing guidelines to match individuals with societal needs, a strategy that awaits thorough historical assessment. The work of these humanists has remained relatively obscure in today´s history of psychology textbooks. Thus, more research is needed to examine the humanists' psychological concepts and the extent to which their temperamental psychology contributed to a new understanding of the individual.

The tasks of the PhD candidate are

The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has had top priority for four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.

The Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences excels in teaching and research in the fields of human behaviour, thinking, learning, and how people live together. We work on societal issues and problems that people experience in daily life. Central to this is individual and societal resilience and how to increase this. To this end, we focus on the topics of migration, the environment and climate, health, upbringing and education, the protection of vulnerable minorities, and sustainable partnerships. The Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences employs over 650 staff members. For more information about the Faculty please check the link https: // www. rug.nl/gmw/

The PhD position is located within the Theory & History of Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Groningen. The unit undertakes interdisciplinary studies on the role that psychology plays in contemporary society. On the one hand, this is done through the critical exploration of the basic assumptions underlying psychological knowledge and research. And on the other, by analysing how the discipline has been defined and redefined—originally as “the science of the soul,” then “of behaviour” and “of mind” and “brain” (and other things besides)—leading to the psychologization of society and producing profound changes in our understanding of human and animal nature.

For this position you are expected to:

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

Intended starting date: 1 December 2024

You can apply by submitting a letter of application and curriculum vitae until 15 September 11:59pm / before 16 September 2024 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). Only submissions via the application form will be considered.

The selection interviews will take place in the week from 23 September to 27 September 2024.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https: // www. rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and- strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https: // www. nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https: // euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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