Name: Keynote Lecture by Professor Naomi Ellemers: The Paradox of Morality
Start: 2025-09-09T09:00:00+02:00
End: 2025-09-09T10:30:00+02:00
Location: Uniwersytet SWPS w Sopocie

Keynote Lecture by Professor Naomi Ellemers: The Paradox of Morality

What exactly is the paradox of morality? Join us for a fascinating lecture by Professor Naomi Ellemers from Utrecht University. She will explain why people are reluctant to accept criticism regarding their moral choices, even if they declare a strong commitment to ethical values. The lecture will open the EASP Group Meeting on Moral Psychology in Sopot.
📅 Date: September 9, 2025
📌 Location: SWPS University in Sopot
👉 Sign up: https://bit.ly/4oWl4Hy
🌐 The lecture will be conducted in a hybrid format, allowing participants to attend in person at SWPS University's Faculty of Psychology in Sopot or to join online.
🇬🇧 Language: English
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💡 About the psychology of morality
Research on morality has been one of the key areas of interest in psychology worldwide for over two decades. Advances in this field have made it possible to better understand how people differ in terms of moral reasoning, judgments, and behavior.
The EASP Group Meeting on Moral Psychology will take place from September 8 to 11, 2025 in Sopot. The event is sponsored by the European Association of Social Psychology (EASP), SWPS University, and the National Science Centre (NCN). Over 25 researchers from various countries will jointly analyze current trends, previously overlooked issues, and future directions for this dynamically developing field.
↪️ The keynote lecture will be delivered by Professor Naomi Ellemers – a world-class expert in the psychology of morality. During her presentation, she will explore the psychological paradox of morality: Although people are strongly motivated to perceive themselves and be perceived as moral, they react defensively when their morality is questioned. On the one hand, research reveals cognitive engagement with assignments that can demonstrate one’s good moral intentions. On the other hand, it indicates emergence of cardiovascular stress and cognitive resilience when one’s moral choices are called into question.
The results of this research allow us to better understand why people often resist moral criticism. They also demonstrate how psychologically informed interventions can increase the effectiveness of actions promoting honesty, responsibility, and adherence to social norms. Professor Ellemers's collaboration with public institutions, regulators, and policymakers translates academic knowledge into concrete strategies that support inclusiveness, psychological safety, and an ethical culture, both within organizations and in the broader societal context.
🗣️ The lecture will open a discussion about how, despite good intentions, people unconsciously undermine their own moral ideals, and what we can do about it as researchers, practitioners, and citizens.
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Meet the keynote speaker
🎙️ Professor Naomi Ellemers specializes in moral psychology, social identity, and prosocial behavior. She is also a Distinguished University Professor at Utrecht University, a member of the Economic and Social Council of the Netherlands, and one of the Chief Scientific Advisors to the European Commission. Her research combines an experimental scientific approach with practical challenges related to ethics, diversity, and social cohesion.