Social psychologist Dieter Frey honored for life’s work

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In its citation, the DGPs stated: “Through his research on motivation, creativity, decision-making and group processes, civil courage, fairness, and ethics-oriented leadership, Dieter Frey has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of human experience and action.” The citation further praised the research of the renowned social psychologist and longtime director of the LMU Center for Leadership and People Management for its combination of theoretical excellence, empirical variety, and high societal impact. The jury particularly recognized his work in making social-psychological insights useful for those addressing key societal issues.

Moreover, Frey was praised for his influential role in the institutional development of psychology as an academic discipline in Germany. The LMU Center for Leadership and People Management, which he co-founded, has become a nationally recognized platform linking research on leadership, organizational culture, and human resource development with the needs of business and society. The center is dedicated to promoting excellence through good leadership.

Frey held the Chair of Social Psychology at LMU Munich until 2020. Over his career, he published around 600 academic papers, edited volumes, and books. He also supervised over 100 doctoral dissertations, with 30 of his doctoral students going on to become professors in various fields of psychology around the world. He was Academic Director of the Bavarian Elite Academy (BEA), a foundation of the Bavarian business sector, as well as a reviewer and senior reviewer for the German Research Foundation (DFG). In addition, he was a member of the scientific advisory boards of the Roman Herzog Institute and the Munich Documentation Centre for the History of National Socialism. Since 1995, he has also been a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

Many honors

Among Frey’s many honors are the German Psychology Prize (Psychologist of the Year 1998) and the Margit Egnér Foundation Prize from the University of Zurich for making the world more humane through his research. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has repeatedly included him in its ranking of the 100 most influential economists in the German-speaking world.

“The DGPs award means a great deal to me,” says Frey. “Indeed, I’m proud of it. At the same time, I know that achievements like these are always team efforts. This recognition motivates me to continue working on topics where research can help improve the world in small and large ways.”

The German Psychological Society represents around 6,000 psychologists working in research and higher education. Dieter Frey will receive the lifetime achievement award on 7 September at the 54th DGPs Congress in Luxembourg.