Kristina Petkova, born in Nova Zagora, Bulgaria, in 1949. Ph.D. from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia. Associate Professor at the Institute of Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia.
Visiting Grant Scholar (1 September 2002 – 30 November 2002)
My objective during my stay at NIAS was to start on the preparation of a monograph devoted to one of the fundamental problems in social psychology – the problem of attitudes and attitude-behaviour consistency. The monograph will analyse the history and the most recent developments in this problem area and will give case study illustrations of attitude orientations and attitude-behaviour relations with regard to topical issues in the setting of Bulgarian post-totalitarian social reality.
During the three months I stayed at NIAS, I prepared an extensive overview of the relevant literature on the issue of attitude-behaviour consistency. I was able to elaborate the theoretical framework of a monograph for publication as planned. In addition, I tackled a new area namely that of persuasion and attitude change. This was a bonus as I had not expected to be able to expand my knowledge in this direction. I anticipate that it will open up a new avenue in my research.
I can hardly think of a better place to fulfill my endeavours. The excellent facilities, the inspiring intellectual atmosphere and the friendliness and professionalism of the staff created an environment for genuine scholarly contemplation.
The monograph of the research carried out at NIAS will most probably appear by the end of 2003. The provisional title is: ‘Attitudes and behaviour: Models of relation and limits of their implementation’. It will be a great pleasure for me to acknowledge the role of my stay at NIAS for the preparation of this book.
I participated in a workshop at Twente University on the ‘boundary work’ between science and politics. My presentation referred to the specificity of this boundary work in totalitarian and post-totalitarian Bulgaria. I made contact with Dr. Rob Holland, a colleague from the Department of Psychology at Nijmegen University. We are considering a joint cross-cultural project.