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).

Primary Interests:

Attitudes and Beliefs
Helping, Prosocial Behavior
Intergroup Relations
Interpersonal Processes
Motivation, Goal Setting
Personality, Individual Differences
Persuasion, Social Influence
Political Psychology
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Self and Identity
Social Cognition

Attitudes and Beliefs
Helping, Prosocial Behavior
Intergroup Relations
Interpersonal Processes
Motivation, Goal Setting
Personality, Individual Differences

Persuasion, Social Influence
Political Psychology
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Self and Identity
Social Cognition

Research Group or Laboratory:

Center for the Study of the Individual and Society
Interactive Map

Books:

Journal Articles:

Burgess, D., Haney, B., Snyder, M., Sullivan, J., & Transue, J. (2000). Rocking the vote: Using personalized messages to motivate voting among young adults. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64, 29-52.
Clary, E. G., Snyder, M., Ridge, R. D., Copeland, J., Stukas, A. A., Haugen, J., & Miene, P. (1998). Understanding and assessing the motivations of volunteers: A functional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1516-1530.
Gangestad, S. W., & Snyder, M. (2000). Self-monitoring: Appraisal and reappraisal. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 530-555.
Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (2002). Considerations of community: The context and process of volunteerism. American Behavioral Scientist, 45, 846-867.
Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (1995). Sustained helping without obligation: Motivation, longevity of service, and perceived attitude change among AIDS volunteers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 671-686.
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.
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., & 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.

Other Publications:

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.
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 (4th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 635-679). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
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.
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., & 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.

Courses Taught:

Personality and Social Behavior
Proseminar: Research in Social Psychology
Social Psychology: The Self

Personality and Social Behavior
Proseminar: Research in Social Psychology

Social Psychology: The Self

Mark Snyder
Department of Psychology
University of Minnesota
75 East River Road, Elliott Hall
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0344
United States

Phone: (612) 625-1507
Fax: (612) 626-2079