Elly A. Konijn, born in De Beemster, the Netherlands, in 1959. Ph.D. from Utrecht University. Professor of Media Psychology at VU University Amsterdam.
Fellow (1 September 2013 – 30 June 2014)
MEDIA AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT: MORALITY AND EMOTIONS
Research Question
How do new media and adolescent development interact in terms of their moral and emotional development?
Project Description
While moral issues and emotions are omnipresent in contemporary media fare and adolescents are most avid media users, the impact on adolescents’ moral and emotional development is unclear. Moral and emotional development underlies adolescent problem behaviour. Likewise, peers are a key factor in adolescent development and significantly predict adolescent problem behaviour. However, research regarding the impact of media and adolescent development has largely evolved as separate strands of scholarship. Therefore, I aim to integrate them by studying the interaction of media ànd peers in influencing adolescent moral and emotional development. Yet, I will also study how immoral media content may support adolescent moral and emotional development in positive ways. Furthermore, I am developing up-to-date research tools. The resulting multidisciplinary theoretical framework should support media education.
Selected Publications
1) Den Hamer, A.H., Konijn, E.A., & Keijer, M.G. (2013). Cyberbullying behavior and adolescents’ use of media with antisocial content: A Cyclic Process Model. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2012.0307
2) Plaisier, X.S. & Konijn, E.A. (2013). Rejected by peers – Attracted to antisocial media content: Rejection-based anger impairs moral judgment among adolescents, Developmental Psychology, 49, 1165-1173. DOI: 10.1037/a0029399
3) Konijn, E.A., Veldhuis, J., & Plaisier, X.S. (2013). YouTube as research tool – Three approaches, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. DOI:10.1089/cyber.2012.0357