Institute for Psychology of Work, Unemployment and Health

The IPG was founded in 1998 by Prof. Dr. Walter R. Heinz and Prof. Dr. Thomas Kieselbach (Head of the IPG). It replaced the scientific unit "Work, Unemployment and Personality Development" and focuses on a health psychology perspective. The IPG is part of the Department of Psychology at the University of Bremen.

The projects focussing on life-course research ("Status Passages and Employment": Walter R. Heinz) were part of the Special Research Centre 186 "Status Passages and Risks in the Life Course" until 2001 and are now part of the Institute for Empirical and Applied Sociology (EMPAS). The projects focussing on health psychology ("Psychology of Unemployment and Work": Thomas Kieselbach) represent the part of the IPG which is a department of the Centre for Public Health (ZPH).

Since 1997, Prof. Dr. Walter Heinz has been member of the DAAD-Committee for the selection procedure for professors and lecturers in North America. Since 1998, Prof. Dr. Walter Heinz has been head of the Institute for Social Chances (ISO) in Cologne. From 1992-1996 he was member of the Commission for Social and Political Changes (KSPW) in former Eastern Germany.

Prof. Dr. Walter Heinz is fellow of the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Wassenaar, The Netherlands (NIAS).

Since 2000, Prof. Dr. Thomas Kieselbach has been chairman of the Scientific Committee "Unemployment and Health" of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH SC U&H). ICOH is the world's leading international scientific society in the field of occupational health. The ICOH is recognised by the United Nations as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and has close working relationships with ILO, WHO, UNEP and ISSA.

Since 2003, Prof. Dr. Thomas Kieselbach has chaired the commission "Psychology of Unemployment" of the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP) and is member of the Policy Committee of IAAP.

Research areas

The main area of research within the IPG is the individual coping with unemployment - especially long-term unemployment. What are the psychosocial consequences after job loss and long-term unemployment? Can we find differences in the reactions of individuals from different age groups? What are the consequences of mass unemployment on the personal situation of people, and how is the social climate in different communities affected?

Along with the flexibilisation of employment and the labour markets, occupational transitions become more frequent for the individual demanding increasingly more personal initiative, self-management and entrepreneurship. What are the health-related consequences of these processes, what kinds of strategies are developed to cope with these changes? How can we influence or even prevent the negative effects of unemployment, e.g. by intervention schemes?

Research within the area of health-related consequences and the interrelationship among employment, national labour policies and social exclusion of unemployed individuals is conducted in close cooperation with the Centre for Public Health (ZPH).

The individual as well as institutions for public health have to meet the new requirements evolving the progressing precarisation of the labour markets. Up to now individual and social resources are not adequately available to cope with these fundamental changes. Social institutions need to develop new concepts for guidance and counselling of clients facing such occupational transitions in order to limit the psychosocial problems arising directly or indirectly from processes of re-structuring in industry.

This is where the knowledge transfer of "IPG transfer" starts out. Members of the IPG work as counsellors and coaches in outplacement- / replacement processes, workplace health promotion and health-focused organisational development for companies and institutions on a regional, national and international level.

With the Archive for Unemployment Research (AFA), the IPG is in charge of a comprehensive archive in the thematic field of psychosocial effects of unemployment (approx. 6,000 documents). Furthermore, an archive for health-psychology literature is under construction which currently comprises approx. 3,500 documents.