Department of Education
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
My Life before BGU:
I was born in Mevaseret Zion. I studied for my bachelor's degree in psychology at the Hebrew University and master's degree in clinical child psychology at Tel Aviv University. My PhD was completed here at BGU, in the Department of Education. For the past four years, I was a faculty member in the Faculty of Education at Haifa University, and this year I returned to BGU. My field of research is motivation and emotional adjustment, especially in the education system.
"Each person that we meet, even if he or she are different from us in appearance and have different values, contains a whole world of thoughts, feeling and desires. In order to create a better society, we need to remember that, and also that when we don't agree with the other, to put aside our judgement and to truly listen"
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My research:
I am interested in the reasons why people, and especially children in the education system, do what they do. In daily life, people set goals for themselves and adopt values, directing them towards desirable behaviors. Nonetheless, especially in the education system, these goals and values are not always translated into goal-oriented behavior and, even more important, to an experience of thriving and growing. I am interested in the motivational processes and feelings that allow people to achieve their goals and to behave according to their values. The educational environment in which the child grows often influences these processes. My research deals with the ways in which the educational environment promotes optimal internalization of the surrounding goals and values, so that these will be realised through optimal behavior and the experience of growth.
Why BGU?
I did my PhD dissertation work at BGU's Department of Education. As a clinical psychologist, exposure to the world of education while in the department was a game changer for me, and reshaped the way in which I see the world of psychology. Beyond this, for more than 5 years the department was a home, which allowed me to express myself, to realize myself and to grow personally and professionally. Even though I enjoyed my work at Haifa University, made many good friends and established a thriving research lab, the invitation from the Department of Education was for me coming home, and after a long period of indecision, I decided that it was the right thing for me.
An insight from my research:
Each person that we meet, even if he or she are different from us in appearance and have different values, contains a whole world of thoughts, feeling and desires. In order to create a better society, we need to remember that, and also that when we don't agree with the other, to put aside our judgement and to truly listen.
Something that doesn't appear on my resume:
I'm a long distance runner and play the guitar.
A source of inspiration:
There isn't just one. I've met many significant figures during my life, I've read a lot of books, seen a lot of movies. All of them together represent one large model.
When I grow up:
As a child I dreamt of being a guitarist in a rock band. Today I dream of expressing myself freely, as if I was in a rock band……
If I was not a researcher, I would:
Probably be a full-time clinical psychologist.
In Brief:
» Facebook or Twitter? Neither
» Game of Thrones or the Simpsons? Game of Thrones
» Yoga or CrossFit? Neither. I love to run alone.
» Hapo'el or Maccabi? Hapo'el (Jerusalem)
» Chess or backgammon? Backgammon
» Steak or tofu? Steak
» Trekking or the spa? Trekking
» Car or train? Train
» X-Box or PlayStation? Neither
» Fortis or Sakharov? Fortis
» Classic Europe or India? India
» Ocean or the pool? Ocean
» Morning or night? Night
» Winter or summer? A bit of each
» Cat or dog? Today a cat, but I'm willing to consider a dog
» Movie or play? Movie
