Environmental Psychology Prize 2025: Gerhard Reese is honored!

Environmental Psychology Prize 2025: Gerhard Reese is honored!

Gerhard Reese, Professor of Environmental Psychology at the RPTU, will be awarded the German Psychology Prize 2025. This recognition recognizes his significant research work on environmental attitudes, environmental engagement and education for sustainable development. The prize is endowed with 10,000 euros and is awarded every two years by the DGPs, the BDP, the BPtK and the ZPID.

Together with Silvia Schneider from the Ruhr University Bochum, Reese receives the award for their joint efforts to improve the living conditions of young people. The award ceremony will take place on October 10, 2025 at the Rhineland-Palatinate state representation in Berlin. Reese is known for studying psychological mechanisms that promote sustainable behavior and analyzes the connection between the environment and societal well-being.

Research focus of Gerhard Reese

A central theme in Reese's research is the attitude-behavior gap. He also deals with the social influencing factors such as norms, political regulations and role models that shape sustainable action. Other aspects of his work include the interactions between the environment, society and mental health.

Reese shares his findings through a variety of formats: scientific articles, books, science slams as well as video formats and interviews ensure that his research finds a wide audience and is carried into society. The relevance of his work is also underlined by current discussions about sustainable development and psychological approaches to behavior change.

Contextualization through further research

In the context of environmental psychology, Professor Dr. Marcel Hunecke through extensive research work. His work includes, among other things, numerous peer-reviewed articles that deal with various aspects of sustainable behavior and the psychological influencing factors. Hunecke's works such as “Mindfulness, connectedness to nature, personal ecological norm and pro-environmental behavior: A daily diary study” and “Psychological resources for sustainable lifestyles” underline the importance of psychological factors in promoting sustainability.

Hunecke's approach to exploring psychological resources for sustainable lifestyles brings valuable perspectives to the discussion about environmentally conscious behavior. His contributions on topics such as social activation for community gardening or the recording of driving, public transport and bicycle use are further relevant research that sheds light on the interplay between psychological factors and sustainable mobility.

The work of Reese and Hunecke impressively shows how psychology and sustainability are connected and what opportunities arise from an interdisciplinary approach. The award of the German Psychology Prize to Reese is a further step towards raising awareness of environmental psychology research and affirming the social relevance of psychological findings in practice.

The ongoing developments in research will continue to give us important impulses and show how we can initiate a social-ecological transformation through targeted measures and psychological approaches. Information about Marcel Hunecke's work can be found on the platform, for example Psychology and sustainability.

For further information about Gerhard Reese and the German Psychology Prize 2025, please visit the website RPTU.