Home Page 

Prof. Sonia Roccas (1964 - 2019)

Contact Info

The Open University of Israel 1 University Road, P. O. Box 808, Raanana 43107

Additional Information

In Memorium

Open all
1997
PhD, Social Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Dissertation: The effects of group and individual characteristics and their interaction on identification with groups. Supervisor: Prof. S.H. Schwartz
1990
MA, Social Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Thesis: The effects of similarity on intergroup relations. Supervisor: Prof. S.H. Schwartz
1987
BA, Psychology and International Relations, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2014
Professor, The Open University of Israel
2008-2014
Associate Professor, The Open University of Israel
2003-2008
Senior Lecturer, The Open University of Israel
1998-2003
Lecturer, The Open University of Israel
2012-2017
Founding director, MA program in Social Psychology
2009-2012
Dean of Academic Studies, The Open University of Israel

2009 Visiting Scholar, Centre for the Study of Group Processes, University of Kent

2001 Visiting Scholar, The Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, University of Pennsylvania

1998 Post-doctoral researcher, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University

Associate Editor, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2015-2017

Associate Editor, European Journal of Social Psychology, 2009-2012

Guest Editor, Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, Special issue on Values across cultures (with L. Sagiv and A. Knafo), 2011

Consulting Editor, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 2006-2011

Editorial Board Member, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 2012-2017

Editorial Board Member, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2014-present

Ad-hoc reviewer for (partial list):
Basic and Applied Social Psychology, British Journal of Social Psychology, European Journal of Social Psychology, Group Processes & Intergroup Relation, Journal of Experimental Social psychology, Journal of Personality, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Personality and Social Psychology Review, Political Psychology, Sex Roles

Ad-hoc reviewer of research proposals for: BSF, ISF, The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), The NSF

Open all

Dugas, M., Schori-Eyal, N., Kruglanski, A. W., Klar, Y., Touchton-Leonard, K., McNeill, A, Gelfand, M., & Roccas, S. (in press). Group-centric attitudes mediate the relationship between need for closure and intergroup hostility. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations.

Sagiv, L., Roccas, S., Cieciuch, J., & Schwartz, S. H. (2017). Personal values in human life. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(9), 630.

Elias, Y., Nussinson, R., & Roccas, S. (2018). Values-Related Goals and Vocational Choice: The Effect of Temporal Distance. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48(1), 93-99.

Schori-Eyal, N., Klar, Y., Roccas, S., & McNeill, A. (2017). The shadows of the past: effects of historical group trauma on current intergroup conflicts. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(4), 538-554.

Kahn, D. T., Klar, Y., & Roccas, S. (2017). For the sake of the eternal group: perceiving the group as trans-generational and endurance of ingroup suffering. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(2), 272-283.

Sekerdej, M., & Roccas, S. (2016). Love versus loving criticism: Disentangling conventional and constructive patriotism. British Journal of Social Psychology, 55(3), 499-521.

Bilsky, W., Gollan, T., Roccas, S., Grad, H., Teixeira, M. L. M., Rodriguez, M., & Segal-Caspi, L. (2015). On the relative importance of personal values: Validating Schwartz’s theory of value structures by computerized paired comparisons. Journal of Individual Differences, 36(2), 119.

Levin, S., Roccas, S., Sidanius, J., & Pratto, F. (2015). Personal values and intergroup outcomes of concern for group honor. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 374-384.

Roccas, S., Sagiv, L., Oppenheim, S., Elster, A. & Gal, A. (2014) Integrating content and structure aspects of the self: traits, values and self-improvement. Journal of Personality, 82, 144-157.

Bogler, R., Caspi, A. & Roccas, S. (2013). Transformational and passive leadership: An initial investigation of university instructors as leaders in a virtual learning environment. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 41, 372-392.

Zell, E., Su, R., Li, H., Ho, M. H. R., Hong, S., Kumkale, T.,Stauffer, S.D. , Zecca, G., Cai, H. J., Roccas, S. ... & Albarracín, D. (2013). Cultural differences in attitudes toward action and inaction: the role of dialecticism. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4, 521-528.

Caspi, L., Roccas, S., & Sagiv, L. (2012). Don’t judge a book by its cover - revisited: perceived and reported traits and values of attractive women. Psychological Science, 23, 1112-1116.

Sagiv, L., Roccas, S., & Hazan, O. (2012). Identification with groups: the role of personality and context. Journal of Personality, 80, 345-374.

Roccas, S., & Amit, A. (2011). Group heterogeneity and tolerance: the moderating role of conservation values. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 47, 898–907.

Knafo, A., Sagiv, L. & Roccas, S. (2011). The value of values in cross cultural research: a special issue in honor of Shalom Schwartz. Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, 42, 178-185.

Amit, A., Roccas, S., & Meidan, M. (2010). A group just like me: the moderating role of conservation values on social projection. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 931-943.

Roccas, S., Schwartz, S. H., & Amit, A. (2010). Personal value priorities and national identification. Political Psychology, 31, 393-419.

Roccas, S., & Sagiv, L. (2010). Personal values and behavior: taking the cultural context into account. Social and Personality Psychology Compass. 4, 30-41.

Roccas, S., Sagiv, L., Schwartz, S. H., Halevy, N., & Eidelson, R. (2008). Towards a unifying model of identification with groups: integrating theoretical perspectives. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 12, 280-306.

Halevi, N., Sagiv, L., Roccas, S., & Bornstein, G. (2006). Perceiving intergroup conflict: From game models to mental templates. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 1674-1689.

Roccas, S., Klar, Y., & Liviatan, I. (2006). The paradox of group-based guilt: Modes of national identification, conflict vehemence, and reactions to the in-group’s moral violations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 698-711.

Roccas, S. (2005). Religion and value systems. Journal of Social Issues, 61, 747-759.

Gandal, N., Roccas, S., Sagiv, L., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2005). Personal value priorities of economists. Human Relations, 58, 1227-1252.

Roccas, S. (2003). Identification and status revisited: The moderating role of self-enhancement and self-transcendence values. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 726-736.

Roccas, S. (2003). The effects of status on identification with multiple groups. European Journal of Social Psychology, 33, 351-366.

Roccas, S. & Mushinsky, A. (2003). Factors affecting the psychometric characteristics of verbal analogies. Applied Measurement in Education, 16, 99-114.

Beyth-Marom, R., Chajut, E., Roccas, S., & Sagiv, L. (2003). Internet assisted versus traditional distance learning environments: Factors affecting students’ preferences. Computers & Education, 41, 65 - 76.

Roccas, S., Sagiv, L., Schwartz, S. H., & Knafo, A. (2002). The big five personality factors and personal values. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 789-801.

Roccas, S. & Brewer, M. (2002). Social identity complexity. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6, 88-106.

Roccas, S., Horenczyk, G., & Schwartz, S. H. (2000). Acculturation discrepancies and well-being: the moderating role of conformity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 323-334.

Roccas, S. & Schwartz, S. H. (1997). Church-state relations and the associations of religiosity with values: A study of Catholics in six countries. Cross-Cultural Research, 31, 356-375. 

Roccas, S. & Schwartz, S. H. (1993). Effects of intergroup similarity on intergroup relations. European Journal of Social Psychology, 23, 581-595.

Roccas, S., & Sagiv, L. (Eds.). (2017). Values and Behavior: Taking A Cross Cultural Perspective. Springer.

Sagiv, L., & Roccas, S. (2017). What personal values are and what they are not: Taking a cross-cultural perspective. In S. Roccas & L. Sagiv (Eds.) Values and Behavior. Springer: Cham.

Roccas, S., Sagiv, L., & Navon, M. (2017). Methodological issues in studying personal values. In S. Roccas & L. Sagiv (Eds.) Values and Behavior. Springer: Cham

Roccas, S., & Berlin, A. (2016).  Identification with groups and national identity. In J. Grimm, L. Huddy, P. Schmidt & J. Seethaler (Eds.), Dynamics of National Identity: Media and Societal Factors of What We Are, UK: Routledge.

Roccas, S., & Oppenheim, S. (2016). Values, ethos, and diversity. In J. Stone, R. M. Dennis, P. Rizova, & A. D. Smith (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Sagiv, L., Roccas, S., & Oppenheim, O. (2015). Value and well-being. In J. Stephen (Ed.), Positive psychology in practice 2nd edition. NY: John Wiley.

Roccas, S. & Sagiv, L. (2015). Values. In J. Lopez (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology, 2nd edition. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Roccas, S., & Elster, A. (2014). Values and religiosity. In V. Saroglu (Ed.), Religion, Personality, and Social Psychology (pp. 193-212). New York: Psychology Press.

Roccas, S., & Elster, A. (2012). Group Identities. In L. A. Tropp (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of intergroup conflict (pp. 106-122). New York: Oxford University Press.

Sverdlik, N., Roccas, S. & Sagiv, L. (2011). Morality across cultures: A value perspective.  In M. Mikulincer & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), The social psychology of morality -- Exploring the causes of good and evil (pp. 219-235). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Roccas, S. & Sagiv, L. (2009). Values. In J. Lopez (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Sagiv, L., Roccas, S., & Halevi, N. (2005). A new challenge for managers: Values’ role in introducing innovative communication technologies in organizations. In A. Tamayo & J. B. Porto (Eds.), Valores e Comportamento nas Organizações [Values and behavior in organizations]. Petrópolis, Brazil: Vozes.

Sagiv, L., Roccas, S., & Hazan, O. (2004). Value pathways to well-being: Healthy values, valued goal attainment, and environmental congruence. In A. Linley & J. Stephen (Eds.), Positive psychology in practice. NY: John Wiley.

Roccas, S. & McCauley, C. (2004). Values and emotions in the relational models: What happens when relationship norms are violated? In N. Haslam (Ed.), Relational models: Theories, advances and prospects (pp. 263-286). Mahweh, NJ: Erlbaum.

Roccas, S., Klar, Y., & Liviatan, I. (2004). Exonerating cognitions, group identification, and personal values as predictors of collective guilt among Jewish-Israelis. In N. R. Branscombe & B. Doosje (Eds.), Collective guilt: International perspectives (pp. 130-147). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Brewer, M.B. & Roccas, S. (2001). Individual values, social identity, and optimal distinctiveness. In C. Sedikides & M. Brewer (Eds.), Individual self, relational self, collective self (pp. 219-237). Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Schwartz, S. H., Lehman, A., & Roccas, S. (1999). Multimethod probes of human values. In J. Adamopoulos & Y. Kashima (Eds.), Social psychology and cultural context: Essays in honor of Harry C. Triandis (pp. 107-123). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Research Areas
My research focuses on psychological processes as they relate to social identities and to value priorities. In both fields I investigate the interplay between personal, situational, and cultural factors.

Open all
2014/2018

Israel Science Foundation, The mechanisms that link values to behavior: the role of attention and interpretation. With L. Sagiv, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

2011/2014

GIF, Conceiving One's National Group as a Trans-Generational Entity. With K. Boehnke, Jacobs Universitaet, and Y. Klar, Tel Aviv University.

2006/2010

Israel Science Foundation, Traits and values: Their differential implications for attitudes and behavior

2003/2005

Israel Science Foundation, Social identity complexity

2003/2004

The Open University Research Fund, Values and relational models

2002/2001

The Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, University of Pennsylvania, National identification

2001

The Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, University of Pennsylvania, Collective guilt

1999/2000

The Open University Research Fund, Social identity complexity

1999

The Open University Research Fund, Status and identification with multiple groups

1997-1999

Mosad Neeman, Values and the effectiveness of advanced teaching technologies (with Lilach Sagiv and Gila Kurtz)

1992

Machon Eshkol, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The effects of group and individual characteristics and their interaction on identification with groups

Open all
  • MA program in Social Psychology
  • Roccas, S. (2005). Hizdahut im kvuzot [Identification with groups].
  • Roccas, S. (2002). Psichologia bein tarbutit [Cross-cultural psychology].
  • Roccas, S. (2000). Haatzmi hahevrati [The social self]. A chapter in the textbook: Psychologia hevratit [Social Psychology].