Dennis Nigbur

Dr Dennis Nigbur

I joined CCCU in 2007. I teach mostly social psychology and research methods. My research interests are in the social psychology of culture and ecology.

As a social psychologist, I want to encourage people to see the everyday world differently and help develop a better future. Teaching and research is therefore my dream job. After completing my PhD on national identity (Royal Holloway, University of London), a postdoctoral research contract on environmental sustainability (University of Surrey) and another postdoctoral research post on acculturation and multiculturalism (University of Sussex), I joined Christ Church as a lecturer in 2007.

Since that day, I have been trying to introduce students to the fascinating perspective of social psychology, give them the methodological understanding to develop their own research, and contribute to making Christ Church a good place to work and study. 

I teach social psychology and research methods at all levels of study and also have an interest in study skills.

I have experience in supervision, assessment and examination at BSc, MSc and PhD levels.

My research uses qualitative and quantitative methods, and is generally concerned with social-psychological approaches to culture, identity, and environmental sustainability. The theme is “sustaining culture and cultivating sustainability”.

Among others, I make use of the social identity tradition, the theory of planned behaviour, Berry’s acculturation framework, and Smith, Flowers and Larkin’s interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).

Past and current interests include:

  • People’s interaction with the contents of national identity
  • Religious identities and experiences
  • Social predictors of environmentally sustainable habits
  • Experience of and attitudes towards migration and multiculturalism
  • The use of IPA in social psychology.

Research Projects

  • “The Self and the Sacred: Exploring the relationships between experiences deemed spiritual or religious and beliefs using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.”. Researcher(s): Dr James Murphy. Supervisor(s): Dr Fergal Jones, Dr Dennis Nigbur. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • A RELEASE FROM BONDS; A QUALITATIVE CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY ON STUDENTS’ SOCIAL AND DRINKING BEHAVIOUR. Researcher(s): Miss STEFANIA KONSTA. Supervisor(s): Dr Dennis Nigbur, Professor Margie Callanan. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Before the revolution: Identity leadership, mobilisation, and state repression during and before the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. Researcher(s): Ms Klara Jurstakova. Supervisor(s): Dr Dennis Nigbur, Dr Lance Slade. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Doctoral Research Project. Researcher(s): Mrs Marisa Kolovos. Supervisor(s): Dr Dennis Nigbur. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
  • Double standards and dehumanization: the disparity of Britain’s responses to refugees.. Researcher(s): Miss Sameena Hoda. Supervisor(s): Dr Dennis Nigbur, Dr Alexandra Polyzou. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Exploration of the role of gardeners and allotment holders identity and tenure upon their understanding and adoption of sustainable garden practices supporting biodiversity.. Researcher(s): Ms Julie Jones. Supervisor(s): Dr Dennis Nigbur, Dr Lance Slade. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Exploring the potential difference in executive cognitive functions of individuals with alleged mediumistic and extra-sensory perception abilities.. Researcher(s): Mr Chris Connelly. Supervisor(s): Dr James Cane, Dr Dennis Nigbur, Dr David Vernon. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Social norms, class and working mothers’ (WMs) choices. An investigation into the complex and multifaceted societal influences on working mothers’ choices and challenges stemming from social and gender norms.. Researcher(s): Mrs Jo Law. Supervisor(s): Dr Anke Franz, Dr Ian Marsh, Dr Dennis Nigbur. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • The experience of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in the UK: Migration and identity. Researcher(s): Dr Jana Warren. Supervisor(s): Dr Dennis Nigbur, Professor Thomas Hennessey. [Postgraduate Research Project (past)]
  • THE EXPERIENCE, SECONDARY STRESSORS, AND COPING STRATEGIES OF UK SOCIAL CARE WORKERS DURING COVID-19: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY PROVIDING A DIAGRAM OF THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN STRESSORS, DE-STRESSORS, AND COPING STRATEGIES. Researcher(s): Mr William Nicholls. Supervisor(s): Dr Dennis Nigbur, Dr Lance Slade. [Postgraduate Research Project]
  • Unlocking Catalonia’s National Identity ‘Deadlock’: a Social Psychological Examination of Nationhood, Unionism and Secession in the Region.. Researcher(s): Miss Nuria Martinez Tevar. Supervisor(s): Dr Dennis Nigbur, Dr Sarah Lieberman. [Postgraduate Research Project]

I am a member of the British Psychological Society (BPS), European Association for Social Psychology (EASP), International Academy for Intercultural Research (IAIR), Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

I am the South East of England regional contact for interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). 

ORCID ID 0000-0002-2332-9242.

Blog: https://thisisablogabouteverything.wordpress.com/