Our team approaches psychological reactance from different perspectives: the research area of cross-cutting exposure, interpersonal communication and emotion psychology. This diverse background inspires us to rethink the theory from different angles – we are looking forward to getting to know yours! Feel free to reach out to any of us.
Dr. phil. Lara Kobilke
Lara holds a BA double degree in Communication sciences, German studies and law, and a Master’s in Communication Studies from LMU. With her Master thesis Lara has received the Best Thesis Award for her work on the dissemination of the term „Lying press“ within the PEGIDA movement. In her PdD, she explored the mechanics of cross-cutting exposure which ultimately led her to reactance research. She is the coordinator for the R-Curriculum and Help desk and applies her expertise in computational communication research to shaping innovative approaches to understanding resistance dynamics in the context of wicked problems, particularly in digital contexts. www.larakobilke.de | Mail
![](https://reaktanz.ifkw.lmu.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Photo_Kobilke-1024x1024.jpg)
![](https://reaktanz.ifkw.lmu.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Katharina-Hajek-edited.jpg)
Katharina Hajek, M.A.
Katharina studied communication sciences and ecocnomics at the University of Erfurt (B.A.), University of the Arts in Berlin (M.A.), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ERASMUS), and currently finishes her PhD thesis to „Psychological Reactance as an Emotional Process“ at the Berlin University of the Arts with a visiting fellowship at UC Berkeley (CSTMS, D-Lab, Lab of Dacher Keltner). Before her PhD, she worked as a strategic communication specialist in the field of mental health and as the head of science in a Berlin start-up that used AI, emotion psychology and new sensor technology to measure states of involvement. www.katharina-hajek.de | Mail
(Image made by Ideogram.ai)