Wilhelm Kempf (born 1 June 1947) is an Austrian born psychologist and peace researcher who has made significant contributions to theoretical psychology, psychological methodology and peace research. Alongside of Johan Galtung, Kempf is one of the founders of the concept of peace journalism,Kempf, W., 1996. Konfliktberichterstattung zwischen Eskalation und Deeskalation. Wissenschaft und Frieden, 14/2, 51-54. Kempf, W., 2003. Constructice Conflict Coverage – A Social Psychological Approach. Berlin: Regener. which he, in contrast to Galtung, however, does not conceive of as a form of advocacy journalism, but rather understands as a trans-disciplinary research program which has as its object the possibilities of and limits to maintaining journalistic quality norms during war and crisis situations,Kempf, W., 2007. Peace Journalism: A tightrope walk between advocacy journalism and constructive conflict coverage. Conflict & communication online, 6/2. and to overcome the communication barriers between the conflict parties.Kempf, W., 2018. Communication barriers in the debate between supporters and critics of Israeli Palestinian policy. Conflict & communication online, 17/1.

Kempf graduated in sociology from the Institute of Advanced Studies (Vienna) (Diploma, 1970), earned a PhD in psychology, philosophy and statistics at the University of Vienna (Dr. phil, 1970) and achieved his postdoctoral qualification for a professorship in psychology (Habilitation) at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany (Dr. phil. habil., 1977).Wer ist Wer? - Das Deutsche Who's Who 2008/2009 (CD-ROM), Immediately upon completing his Habilitation he was called to a chair in psychological methodology by the University of Konstanz, Germany, where he founded the Peace Research Group Konstanz, which he has directed up until today. Since 2002 he has edited the trans-disciplinary peace research journal conflict & communication online.

Kempf studied under Hubert Rohracher, whose concept of psychology as a science of man’s subjective world has lastingly stamped his scientific work,Cf. Kempf, W., 2003. Forschungsmethoden der Psychologie. Zwischen naturwissenschaftlichem Experiment und sozialpsychologischer Hermeneutik. Band 1: Theorie und Empirie. Berlin: Regener. as well as under Gerhard H. Fischer, who awakened his interest in psychometrics.Cf. Kempf, W. & Repp, B. (eds.), 1977. Mathematical Models for Social Psychology. New York: Wiley. Kempf, W., 2008. Psychometrie. In: Kempf, W. Forschungsmethoden der Psychologie. Zwischen naturwissenschaftlichem Experiment und sozialpsychologischer Hermeneutik. Band 2: Quantität und Qualität. Berlin: Regener, 139-363. Kempf, W. & Langeheine, R. (eds.), 2012. Item-Response-Modelle in der sizialwissenschaftlichen Forschung. Berlin: Regener. Under the influence of Hans Werbik and Paul Lorenzen, however, he soon also began to do research on the epistemology of social science and developed a constructivist foundation for psychological peace researchKempf, W. 1978. Konfliktlösung und Aggression. Zu den Grundlagen einer psychologischen Friedensforschung. Bern: Huber. that later grew into a comprehensive empirical and experimental research activity which focuses on the cognitive-emotional representation of conflicts and their influence on the escalation dynamic of conflicts.Kempf, W., 2017. Towards a theory and (better) practice of peace journalism. Conflict & communication online, 16/2. Placing the principles of quantitative and qualitative social research on a common methodological basis, and combining competing research paradigms into a homogeneous whole,Kempf, W., 2002. Integration of Quantitative and Qualitative Content Analysis in Media Research. In: Kempf, W. & Luostarinen, H. (eds.). Journalism and the New World Order. Vol. 2: Studying War and the Media. Göteborg: Nordicom. Kempf, W., 2008. Textinterpretation und Inhaltsanalyse. In: Kempf, W. Forschungsmethoden der Psychologie. Zwischen naturwissenschaftlichem Experiment und sozialpsychologischer Hermeneutik. Band 2: Quantität und Qualität. Berlin: Regener, 15-135. Kempf, W., 2009. Psychologie als Natur- und Kulturwissenschaft. In: Kempf, W. & Kiefer, M. (eds.). Forschungsmethoden der Psychologie. Zwischen naturwissenschaftlichem Experiment und sozialpsychologischer Hermeneutik. Band 3. Natur und Kultur. Berlin: Regener, 17-48. the methods for a social-psychological reconstruction of subjective reality,Kempf, W., 1991. Transkulturelle Verständnisbildung als Methodenproblem. In: Kempf, W. (ed.). Verdeckte Gewalt. Psychosoziale Folgen der Kriegsführung niedriger Intensität in Zentralamerika. Hamburg: Argument, 119-132. Kempf, W., 2009. Die soziale Konstruktion der Wirklichkeit. In: Kempf, W. & Kiefer, M. (eds.). Forschungsmethoden der Psychologie. Zwischen naturwissenschaftlichem Experiment und sozialpsychologischer Hermeneutik. Band 3. Natur und Kultur. Berlin: Regener, 51-99. which Kempf developed in this context, have implications beyond the disciplinary boundaries of psychology, and found applications in other disciplines as well, e.g. in pedagogyCf. Baros, W., 2001. Familien in der Migration. Frankfurt/Main: Peter Lang. Reetz, K.-D., 2007. Migration und schulischer Misserfolg italienischer Kinder. Berlin: Regener. and media research.Cf. Nohrstedt, S.A. & Ottosen, R. (eds.), 2000. Journalism and the New World Order. Vol. 1: Gulf War, National News Discourses and Globalization. Göteborg: Nordicom.

Bibliography (selection) 1977. Mathematical Models for Social Psychology. New York, Wiley (with B. Repp). 1978. Konfliktlösung und Aggression. Zu den Grundlagen einer psychologischen Friedensforschung. Bern, Huber. 1982. Aggression. Naturwissenschaftliche und kulturwissenschaftliche Perspektiven der Aggressionsforschung. Bern, Huber (with R. Hilke). 1990. Medienkrieg oder »Der Fall Nicaragua« Politisch-psychologische Analysen über US-Propaganda und psychologische Kriegsführung. Hamburg, Argument. 1994. Manipulierte Wirklichkeiten. Medienpsychologische Untersuchungen der bundesdeutschen Presseberichterstattung im Golfkrieg. Münster, LIT. 1997. Psychologie. Eine Einführung. Grundlagen, Methoden, Forschungsfelder. München, dtv (with J. Straub and H. Werbik). 1998. Krieg, Nationalismus, Rassismus und die Medien. Münster, LIT (with I. Schmidt-Regener). 2000. Konflikt und Gewalt. Münster, agenda. 2001. Los Medios y la Cultura de Paz. Berlin, regener (with S. Gutiérrez Villalobos). 2002. Journalism and the New World Order. Vol. II. Studying War and the Media. Göteborg, Nordicom (with H. Luostarinen). 2003. Constructive Conflict Coverage – A Social Psychological Approach. Berlin, regener. 2003-2009. Forschungsmethoden der Psychologie. Zwischen naturwissenschaftlichem Experiment und sozialwissenschaftlicher Hermeneutik. Berlin, regener.

Band 1: Theorie und Empirie (2003).

Band 2: Quantität und Qualität (2008).

Band 3: Natur und Kultur (2009, with M. Kiefer).

2008. The Peace Journalism Controversy. Berlin, regener. 2010. Readings in Peace Journalism. Foundations – Studies – Perspectives. Berlin, regener. 2012. Item-Response-Modelle in der sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschung. Berlin, regener (with R. Langeheine). 2014. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: War Coverage and Peace Journalism. Berlin, regener (with D. Shinar). 2015. Israelkritik zwischen Antisemitismus und Menschenrechtsidee. Eine Spurensuche. Berlin, regener. 2021. Friedensjournalismus. Grundlagen, Forschungsergebnisse und Persperktiven. Baden-Baden, Nomos.

References

External links Peace Research Group Konstanz conflict & communication online