Dr. Jaap W. Ouwerkerk

5 days a week

Information in Dutch

Jaap Ouwerkerk is Associate Professor in Communication Science at the VU University Amsterdam. He started his scientific career at the University of Amsterdam, where he worked as a student assistant for research and graduated in Work and Organizational Psychology. Subsequently, he was a visiting research fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and obtained his PhD in Social Psychology at the VU University Amsterdam, where he also worked as a Postdoc for two years. After obtaining a Personal Postdoc Subsidy from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), he returned to the University of Amsterdam to work on a research project at the Department of Social Psychology. On completion of this project, he went back to the VU University Amsterdam to work at the Department of Communication Science, first as an Assistant Professor, and later as an Associate Professor.

Research interests

• Schadenfreude, with an emphasis on media-based and intergroup schadenfreude.
• Perceived justice and negative behavior in organizations, with an emphasis on ostracism (social exclusion) and cyberloafing.
• The effects of communication between law enforcement agents and citizens on perceived justice and compliance.
• Intergroup relations, intergroup comparisons, and social identity processes.

Teaching

• Behavior & communication in organizations (BA)
• Internal communication and new media (MA)
• Masterthesis Communication Science
• Masterthesis Policy, Communication and Organization

Recent publications

Journal Articles

• Van Dijk, W. W., Van Koningsbruggen, G. M., Ouwerkerk, J. W., & Wesseling Y. M. (in press). Self-esteem, self-affirmination, and schadenfreude. Emotion
• Van Dijk, W. W., Ouwerkerk, J. W., Wesseling Y. M, & Van Koningsbruggen, G. M. (in press). "So you wanna be a pop star?" Schadenfreude following another's misfortune on TV. Basic and Applied Social Psychology.
• Van Dijk, W. W., Ouwerkerk, J. W., & Wesseling, Y. M., & Van Koningsbruggen, G. M. (2011). Towards understanding pleasure at the misfortunes of others: The impact of self-evaluation threat on schadenfreude. Cognition and Emotion, 25, 360-368.  
• Rice, D. R., Abrams, D., Badea, C., Bohner, G., Carnaghi, A., Dementi, L. I., Durkin, K., Ehmann, B., Hudson, G., Kokdemir, D., Masip, J., Moran, A., Oswald, M. E., Ouwerkerk, J. W., Reber, R., Schroeder, J., Tasiopoulou, K., & Trzebinski, J. (2010). What did you just call me? European ratings of the valence of ethnophaulisms. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 29, 117-131. 
• Kerr, N. L., Rumble, A. C., Park, E. S., Ouwerkerk, J. W., Parks, C. D., Gallucci, M., & Van Lange, P. A. M. (2009). “How many bad apples does it take to spoil the whole barrel”: Social exclusion and tolerance for bad apples. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 603-613.  
• Leach, C. W., Van Zomeren, M., Zebel, S., Vliek, M. L. W., Pennekamp, S. F., Doosje, B., Ouwerkerk, J. W., & Spears, R. (2008). Group-level self-definition and self-investment: A hierarchical (multi-component) model of in-group identification. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 144-165. 
• Van Dijk, W. W., Ouwerkerk, J. W., Goslinga, S., Nieweg, M., & Gallucci, M. (2006). When people fall from grace: Reconsidering the role of envy in schadenfreude. Emotion, 6. 156-160. 
• Van Dijk, W. W., Ouwerkerk, J. W., Goslinga, S., & Nieweg, M. (2005). Schadenfreude and deservingness. Cognition and Emotion, 19, 933-939. 
• Tazelaar, M. J. A., Van Lange, P. A. M., & Ouwerkerk, J. W. (2004). How to cope with noise in social dilemmas: The benefits of communication. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 845-859. 
• Utz, S., Ouwerkerk, J. W., & Van Lange, P. A. M. (2004). What is smart in a social dilemma? Differential effects of priming competence on cooperation. European Journal of Social Psychology, 34, 317-332. 
• Karremans, J. C., Van Lange, P. A. M., & Ouwerkerk, J. W., & Kluwer, E. S. (2003). When forgiving enhances psychological well-being: The role of interpersonal commitment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1011-1026. 
• Ouwerkerk, J. W., & Ellemers, N. (2002). The benefits of being disadvantaged: Performance-related circumstances and consequences of intergroup comparisons. European Journal of Social Psychology, 32, 73-91. 
• Van Lange, P. A. M., Ouwerkerk, J. W., & Tazelaar, M. J. A. (2002). How to overcome the detrimental effects of noise in social interaction: The benefits of generosity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 768-780. 
• Ouwerkerk, J. W., de Gilder, D., & de Vries, N. K. (2000). When the going gets tough, the tough get going: Social identification and individual effort in intergroup competition. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 1550-1559. 
• Ellemers, N., Kortekaas, P., & Ouwerkerk, J. W. (1999). Self-categorization, commitment to the group and social self-esteem as related but distinct aspects of social identity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 29, 371-381.

Bookchapters

• Ouwerkerk, J. W., & Van Dijk, W. W. (under contract). Intergroup rivalry and schadenfreude. To appear in W. W. Van Dijk and J. W. Ouwerkerk (Eds.). Schadenfreude: Understanding pleasure at the misfortune of others. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Van Dijk, W. W., & Ouwerkerk, J. W. (under contract). Self-maintenance as an underlying motive for schadenfreude. To appear in W. W. Van Dijk and J. W. Ouwerkerk (Eds.). Schadenfreude: Understanding pleasure at the misfortune of others. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Ouwerkerk, J. W., Kerr, N. L., Van Lange, P. A. M., & Gallucci, M. (2005). Avoiding the social death penalty: Threat of ostracism and cooperation in social dilemmas. In K. D. Williams, J. P. Forgas, & W. von Hippel (Eds.), The Social Outcast: Ostracism, Social Exclusion, Rejection, and Bullying (pp. 321-332). New York: Psychology Press.
• Gallucci, M., Van Lange, P. A. M., & Ouwerkerk, J. W. (2004). Freedom of movement: A strategic analysis of social dilemmas with the option to move. In R. D. Suleiman, D. V. Budescu, I. Fischer, & D. M. Messick (Eds.), Contemporary psychological research on social dilemmas (pp. 180-208). London: Cambridge University Press.
• Ouwerkerk, J. W., Ellemers, N., & de Gilder, D. (1999). Group commitment and individual effort in experimental and organisational contexts. In N. Ellemers, R. Spears, & B. Doosje (Eds.), Social Identity: Context, Commitment, Content (pp. 184-204). Oxford: Blackwell 

Books

• Van Dijk, W. W., & Ouwerkerk, J. W. (under contract). Schadenfreude: Understanding pleasure at the misfortune of others. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Ouwerkerk, J. W., van Harreveld, F., & van der Pligt (2009). Streng doch rechtvaardig? Interactie tussen handhaver en gehandhaafde als determinant van regelnaleving, strafacceptatie en percepties van rechtvaardigheid [Interaction between law enforcement agents and citizens as determinant of compliance, acceptance of sanctions, and perceived justice]. Den Haag: Boom Juridische uitgevers.
• Holland, R. W., Ouwerkerk, J. W., Ruiter, R., Van Laar, C., & Ham, J. (Eds.). (2006). Jaarboek Sociale Psychologie 2005 [Yearbook Social Psychology 2005]. Groningen: ASPO.
• Gordijn, E. H., Holland, R. W., Meijnders, A., & Ouwerkerk, J. W. (Eds.). (2005). Jaarboek Sociale Psychologie 2004 [Yearbook Social Psychology 2004]. Groningen: ASPO.
• Ouwerkerk, J. W. (2000). Comparison-based reactions to group performance outcomes. Ridderkerk: Offsetdrukkerij Ridderprint.

Research in international media

• Pulls, H. (2010, July 30). Gemischte Gefühle: schadenfreude [mixed feelings: schadenfreude]. Sueddeutsche Zeitung. Link to article
• Anthes, E. (2010, November). Their pain, our gain. Scientific American Mind, 38-41. Link to article

Other academic activities

• Reviewer for various international journals: British Journal of Social Psychology, European Journal of Social Psychology, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Self and Identity, Social Psychology and Personality Science.
• Professional memberships: Centre for Advanced Media Research Amsterdam (CAMeRA), Center for Comparative Social Studies (CCSS), Dutch Society for Social Psychologists (ASPO), European Association of Social Psychology (EASP), International Communication Association (ICA), Netherlands School of Communication Research (NESCOR).