Jochen Fahrenberg (born 18 September 1937 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

) is a German psychologist in the fields of

Personality Personality is the characteristic sets of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional patterns that are formed from biological and environmental factors, and which change over time. While there is no generally agreed-upon definition of personality, m ...

, psychophysiology and

philosophy of science Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ult ...

Biography

Jochen Fahrenberg studied

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

, sociology and philosophy in

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, followed by a PhD at the University of Freiburg. His dissertation was based on an experimental investigation and

factor analysis Factor analysis is a statistical method used to describe variability among observed, correlated variables in terms of a potentially lower number of unobserved variables called factors. For example, it is possible that variations in six observed ...

of writing movement parameters (graphometry). After working as a research assistant to

cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular ...

Professor Ludwig Delius in Bad Oeynhausen, he completed his postdoctoral thesis (habilitation) on Psychophysiological personality research in

in 1966. Together with Dr. med. Michael Myrtek, he founded the Freiburg ''Psychophysiology Research Group'' in 1970 with funding from the

Volkswagen Foundation The Volkswagen Foundation (German: ''VolkswagenStiftung'') is the largest German private nonprofit organization involved in the promotion and support of academic research. It is not affiliated to the present company, the Volkswagen Group. It wa ...

''.'' In 1973, he was offered the Chair at the Psychology Department previously held by his academic teacher, the philosopher and psychologist Robert Heiß, founder of the Freiburg Institute. During the following decades he was involved in the Institute's considerable expansion as well as academic reform. In 2002, as professor emeritus, he retired from his dual function as head of the Personality Research section and co-director of the Psychophysiology Research Group in the Department of Psychology at Albert-Ludwigs-University in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Research

During its 35-year history, the Psychophysiology Research Group was a centre for multivariate psychophysiological research on personality, research on

cardiovascular The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

rehabilitation, illness behaviour, and

life satisfaction Life satisfaction is a measure of a person's well-being, assessed in terms of mood, relationship satisfaction, achieved goals, self-concepts, and self-perceived ability to cope with life. Life satisfaction involves a favorable attitude towards one ...

. The laboratory was generously supported by the

(with eight scientific and technical staff, two computer-based electrophysiological labs and a clinical-chemistry lab). The research group also developed and promoted both methodology and techniques of ambulatory monitoring (ambulatory assessment) to assist behavioural research in everyday situations. A number of tests and personality scales were developed, one of which, the Freiburg Personality Inventory (FPI), comparable to the 16 PF Questionnaire, is the most frequently used in German-speaking countries. A series of extensive laboratory analyses and

field research Field research, field studies, or fieldwork is the collection of raw data outside a laboratory, library, or workplace setting. The approaches and methods used in field research vary across disciplines. For example, biologists who conduct f ...

was conducted focusing on cardiovascular psychophysiology, in particular. Hans Eysenck's Theory of

Emotionality Emotionality is the observable behavioral and physiological component of emotion. It is a measure of a person's emotional reactivity to a stimulus. Most of these responses can be observed by other people, while some emotional responses can only ...

(emotional

lability Lability refers to something that is constantly undergoing change or is likely to undergo change. Biochemistry In reference to biochemistry, this is an important concept as far as kinetics is concerned in metalloproteins. This can allow for th ...

, neuroticism), which was generally accepted at that time, was critically tested in a number of experimental and clinical studies. The findings contradicted the assumed (hypothetical) correlation between specific personality factors (questionnaire scales) and autonomic lability (hyperreactivity of the autonomic nervous system). A second focus of his research was Ambulant Assessment (ambulatory monitoring): psychophysiological examinations under everyday conditions, also during work and leisure periods, with multi-channel digital systems for recording behavioural, physiological and subjective data. The research group's list of publications consists of more than 400 references (Fahrenberg & Myrtek, 2005); the most important research data have been collected and made available (open access). His later work was devoted to other areas: psychological anthropology – including surveys on student attitudes and

belief systems A belief is an attitude that something is the case, or that some proposition is true. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to refer to attitudes about the world which can be either true or false. To believe something is to take ...

, or assumptions about

human nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

and the impact of philosophical concepts on

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

issues – the

methodology In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for br ...

categories Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * ...

; and

theoretical psychology Theoretical psychology is concerned with theoretical and philosophical aspects of psychology. It is an interdisciplinary field with a wide scope of study. It focuses on combining and incorporating existing and developing theories of psychology non- ...

. In addition, a number of books and articles were written about Wilhelm Wundt, a pioneer of modern psychology. This series was completed on the 100th anniversary of Wundt's death with a Centenial review of Wundt's work, its reception and topicality. Fahrenberg initiated the ''Workshop for Psychophysiological Methods'' in 1972, which became the ''German Society for Psychophysiology and its Application'' in 1982. Workshops on ambulatory assessment in Freiburg led to the founding of the international ''Society for Ambulatory Assessment'' in 2009.

Awards

Honorary member of the ''German Society for Psychology'' (DGP)
Honorary member of the ''German Society for Psychophysiology and its Application'' (DGPA)
''Psychological Anthropology'' Award 2011, Dr. Margrit Egnér Foundation,

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...

Selected publications

*Fahrenberg, J., (1967). Psychophysiologische Persoenlichkeitsforschung (Psychophysiological personality research). Goettingen: Hogrefe. *Fahrenberg, J., Hampel, R., & Selg, H. (1970). Das Freiburger Persoenlichkeitsinventar FPI-R. Handanweisung (Freiburg Personality Inventory Manual). (8th ed. 2010). Goettingen: Hogrefe. *Fahrenberg, J., & Foerster, F. (1982). Covariation and consistency of activation parameters. Biological Psychology, 15, 151-169. *Fahrenberg, J. (1986). Psychophysiological individuality: A pattern analytic approach to personality research and psychosomatic medicine. Advances in Behaviour Research and Therapy, 8, 43-100. *Fahrenberg, J. (1988). Psychophysiological processes. In J. R. Nesselroade, & R. B. Cattell (Eds.), Handbook of multivariate experimental psychology (2nd ed., pp. 867–914). New York: Plenum. *Fahrenberg, J. (1992). Psychophysiology of neuroticism and anxiety. In A. Gale, & M. W. Eysenck (Eds.), Handbook of individual differences: Biological perspectives (pp. 179–226). Chichester: Wiley. . *Fahrenberg, J., & Myrtek, M. (Eds.). (1996). Ambulatory assessment. Computer-assisted psychological and psychophysiological methods in monitoring and field studies. Seattle, WA: Hogrefe & Huber. . *Foerster, F., & Fahrenberg, J. (2000). Motion pattern and posture: Correctly assessed by calibrated accelerometers. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 32, 450-457. *Fahrenberg, J., & Myrtek, M. (Eds.). (2001). Progress in ambulatory assessment. Seattle, WA: Hogrefe & Huber. . *Fahrenberg, J. (2002). Psychologische Interpretation. Biographien – Texte – Tests (Psychological interpretation. Biographies – Texts – Tests). Bern: Huber. . PsyDok ZPI

*Fahrenberg, J., Leonhart, R., & Foerster, F. (2002). Alltagsnahe Psychologie mit hand-held PC und physiologischem Mess-System (Psychology in daily life using a hand-held PC and physiological recorder). Bern. Huber. . PsyDok ZPI

*Fahrenberg, J., & Steiner, J. M (2004). Adorno und die authoritaere Persoenlichkeit (Adorno and the Authoritarian Personality). Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, 56, 127-152. PsyDok ZPI

*Fahrenberg, J., & Myrtek, M. (2005). Psychophysiologie in Labor, Klinik und Alltag. 40 Jahre Projektarbeit der Freiburger Forschungsgruppe Psychophysiologie – Kommentare und Neue Perspektiven (Psychophysiology in the laboratory, clinic, and daily life. 40 years’ research in the Freiburg Psychophysiology Research Group – Commentaries and new perspectives). Frankfurt am Main: Lang. . PsyDok ZPI

*Fahrenberg, J. (2007). Menschenbilder. Psychologische, biologische, interkulturelle und religioese Ansichten. Psychologische und Interdisziplinaere Anthropologie (Concepts of man. Psychological, cross-cultural, and religious perspectives. Psychological and interdisciplinary anthropology). e-book. PsyDok ZPI

*Fahrenberg, J., & Cheetham, M. (2007). Assumptions about human nature and impact of philosophical concepts on professional issues. A questionnaire-based study with 800 students from psychology, philosophy, and science. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology, 14 (3), 183-214. *Fahrenberg, J., Myrtek, M., Pawlik, K., & Perrez, M. (2007). Ambulatory Assessment – Monitoring Behaviour in Daily Life Settings. A Behavioural-Scientific Challenge for Psychology. European Journal of Personality Assessment, 23, 206-213. *Prill, T., & Fahrenberg, J. (2007). New methods in ambulatory BP monitoring: Interactive monitoring and detection of posture and movement patterns. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 39, 390-398. *Fahrenberg, J. (2008). Gehirn und Bewusstsein. Neurophilosophische Kontroversen brain and consciousness. Neurophilosophical controversies. In S. Gauggel, & M. Herrmann (Eds.), Handbuch der Neuro- und Biopsychologie (pp. 28–43). Goettingen: Hogrefe. . *Fahrenberg, J. (2011). Wilhelm Wundt – Pionier der Psychologie und Außenseiter? Leitgedanken der Wissenschaftskonzeption und deren Rezeptionsgeschichte (Wilhelm Wundt – pioneer in psychology and outsider? Basic concepts and their reception). e-book. PsyDok ZPI

*Fahrenberg, J. (2012). Wilhelm Wundts Wissenschaftstheorie. Ein Rekonstruktionsversuch (Wilhelm Wundt's theory of science. An attempt at reconstruction). Psychologische Rundschau, 63 (4), 228-238. *Fahrenberg, J. (2013). Zur Kategorienlehre der Psychologie. Komplementaritaetsprinzip. Perspektiven und Perspektiven-Wechsel (On categories in psychology. Complementarity principle, perspectives, and perspective-taking). Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers. . PsyDok ZPI

*Fahrenberg, J. (2015). Wilhelm Wundts Neuropsychologie (Wilhelm Wundt's neuropsychology). D. Emmans & A. Laihinen (Eds.). Comparative Neuropsychology and Brain Imaging: Commemorative publication in honour of Prof. Dr. Ulrike Halsband (pp. 348–373). Vienna; LIT-Verlag. . *Fahrenberg, J. (2015). Theoretische Psychologie – Eine Systematik der Kontroversen (Theoretical psychology – A system of controversies). Lengerich: Pabst Science Publishers. . PsyDok ZPI

*Fahrenberg, J. (2017). The influence of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz on the Psychology, Philosophy, and Ethics of Wilhelm Wundt.PsyDok ZPI

*Fahrenberg, J. (2019). Wilhelm Wundt (1832 - 1920). Introduction, Quotations, Reception, Commentaries, Attempts at Reconstruction. Pabst Science Publishers, 2019. PsyDo

*Fahrenberg, J., Hampel, R., & Selg, H.(2020): Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar. (9., vollständig überarbeitete Auflage mit neuer Normierung und Validitätshinweisen, Prinzipien der Testkonstruktion und modernen Assessmenttheorie). Goettingen: Hogrefe. * Fahrenberg, J & Fahrenberg, A. (2021). Täter-Forschung nach Auschwitz. John M. Steiners Untersuchungen (1962 bis 2014). PsychArchive

* Fahrenberg, J. (2022). Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920). Eine Centenarbetrachtung 2022. PsychArchive

External links

Institute for Psychology at Albert Ludwigs University of FreiburgGeschichte des Instituts für Psychologie in FreiburgGeschichte der Forschungsgruppe PsychophysiologiePublications by Jochen Fahrenberg
i
Dokumentenserver PsyDokCenter for Psychological Documentation and Information, ZPIDGerman Society for Psychophysiology and its Application, DGPASociety for Ambulatory Assessment.Homepage Jochen Fahrenberg

Research data (open access)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fahrenberg, Jochen German psychologists 1937 births Living people