Mark Snyder McKnight Presidential Chair in Psychology N367 Elliott, (612) 625-1507 msnyder@umn.edu Education Ph.D., 1972, Stanford University B. A., 1968, McGill University

Statement of Interests

How individuals create their own social worlds is the over-arching theme of my programs of research. Understanding these processes has involved theoretical and empirical inquiries into the linkages among personality, motivation, and social behavior.

Specifically, I have been concerned with the processes by which individuals construct and enact motivational 'agendas for action' that draw upon and integrate features of their personal identities and their social settings, and that guide and direct their pursuit of relevant life outcomes in diverse domains of functioning.

The investigative strategy that I employ constitutes something of a marriage between personality and social psychology. It brings together personality's concern with the psychology of the individual and social psychology's focus on the influence of the situation in coordinated programs of basic and applied research, conducted in laboratory and field settings, on the motivational foundations of individual and social behavior.
In these programs of research, my colleagues and I are addressing matters of functioning within individuals (which we have examined in studies of self and identity), between individuals (which we have investigated in studies of social interaction sequences), and in the context of groups and collectives (which we have studied in the context of voluntary action in response to societal problems).

Much of this research is conducted within the Center for the Study of the Individual and Society, a research center at the University of Minnesota dedicated to understanding how and why people become actively involved in doing good for others and for society. Such involvement can take the form of participation in volunteerism and philanthropy, social activism, community and neighborhood organizations, social and political movements. Among the questions being addressed are: Why do individuals become involved in such pro-social action? What sustains their involvement over time? What are the consequences of such action for individuals and for society? Research relevant to these concerns can and does have a basic/theoretical or applied/action-oriented focus, or both, and is being conducted with the investigative strategies of both social psychology and personality psychology.

Selected Publications

Snyder, M., & Cantor, N. (1998). Understanding personality and social behavior: A functionalist strategy. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology: Vol. 1. (4th ed., pp. 635-679). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Snyder, M., & Stukas, A. A. (1999). Interpersonal processes: The interplay of cognitive, motivational, and behavioral activities in social interaction. In J. T. Spence (Ed.), Annual Review of Psychology (Vol. 50, pp. 273-303). Palo Alto, CA : Annual Reviews, Inc.

Gangestad, S. W., & Snyder, M. (2000). Self-monitoring: Appraisal and reappraisal. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 530-555.

Snyder, M., Clary, E. G., & Stukas, A. A. (2000). The functional approach to volunteerism. In G. R. Maio & J. M. Olson (Eds.), Why we evaluate: Functions of attitudes (pp. 365-393). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2001). Basic research and practical problems: Volunteerism and the psychology of individual and collective action. In W. Wosinska, R. Cialdini, D. Barrett, & Reykowski, J. (Eds.), The practice of social influence in multiple cultures (pp.287-307). Mahwah, NJ : Erlbaum.

Snyder, M., & Kiviniemi, M. T. (2001). Getting what they came for: How power influences the dynamics and outcomes of interpersonal interaction. In A. Y. Lee-Chai & J. A. Bargh (Eds.), The use and abuse of power: Multiple perspectives on the causes of corruption (pp. 133-135). Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (2002). Considerations of community: The context and process of volunteerism. American Behavioral Scientist, 45, 846-867.

Klein, O., & Snyder, M. (2003). Stereotypes and behavioral confirmation: From interpersonal to intergroup perspectives. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 35, pp. 153-234). San Diego: Academic Press.

Vescio, T. K., Snyder, M., & Butz, D. A. (2003). Power in stereotypically masculine domains: A social influence x stereotype match model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 1062-1078.

Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2004). Volunteers and volunteer organizations: Theoretical perspectives and practical concerns. In R. E. Riggio & S. S. Orr (Eds.), Improving leadership in nonprofit organizations (pp. 163-179). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Klein, O., Snyder, M., & Livingston, R. W. (2004). Prejudice on the stage: Self-monitoring and the expression of group attitudes. British Journal of Social Psychology, 43, 299-314.

Stuermer, S., Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2005). Prosocial emotions and helping: The moderating role of group membership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 532-546.

Vescio, T. K., Snyder, M., Gervais, S. J., & Hoover, A. (2005). Power and the creation of patronizing environments: The stereotype-based behaviors of the powerful and their effects on female performance in masculine domains. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 658-672.

Snyder, M., & Klein, O. (2005). Construing and constructing others: On the reality and the generality of the behavioral confirmation scenario. Interaction Studies, 6, 53-67.

Vescio, T. K., Snyder, M., & Heidenreich, S. (2006). The effects of prejudice level and social influence strategy on stereotypic responding to racial outgroup members. European Journal of Social Psychology, 36, 435-450.

Stuermer, S., Snyder, M., Kropp, A., & Siem, B. (2006). Empathy-motivated helping: The moderating role of group membership. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 943-956.

Snyder, M. & Stukas, A. A., Jr. (2007). Interpersonal processes in context: Understanding the influence of settings and situations on social interaction. In K. Fiedler (Ed.), Social communication (pp.363-388). New York: Psychology Press.

Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2007). Social action. In A. W. Kruglanski & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Social psychology: A handbook of basic principles (2nd ed., pp. 940-961). New York: Guilford.

Sullivan, B. A., Snyder, M., & Sullivan, J. L. (2008). Cooperation: The political psychology of effective human interaction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.