I am currently a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Psychology at Yale University, working with Dr. Jaime Napier and Dr. Jack Dovidio.

I am interested in how basic processes of motivation play out at individual, interpersonal, and system (or societal) levels of analysis. My research mainly focuses on the social psychological mechanisms involved in how, why, and when people resist, provide support for, or directly engage in social change. The central theoretical framework I apply in answering these questions is “system justification theory,” which posits that people are not only motivated to feel good about themselves and the groups to which they belong, but also strive to defend and justify existing structural arrangements, including societal inequalities.

I have studied individuals’ desires to change (vs. maintain) the status quo from a variety of angles, such as (1) the influence of structural factors, (2) the underlying motivational forces, and (3) the consequences for the self and society. I have recently become interested in the self-regulatory function of system justifying beliefs and am currently investigating how stereotyping is an effective strategy in coping with norm deviance. In all of my research programs, a strong training in statistics has provided me with sophisticated tools for carrying out and interpreting complex studies of psychological processes.

Primary Interests:

Attitudes and Beliefs
Gender Psychology
Group Processes
Intergroup Relations
Life Satisfaction, Well-Being
Motivation, Goal Setting
Organizational Behavior
Political Psychology
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Sexuality, Sexual Orientation

Attitudes and Beliefs
Gender Psychology
Group Processes
Intergroup Relations
Life Satisfaction, Well-Being
Motivation, Goal Setting

Organizational Behavior
Political Psychology
Prejudice and Stereotyping
Sexuality, Sexual Orientation

Journal Articles:

Klandermans, B., Van der Toorn, J., & Van Stekelenburg, J. (2008). Embeddedness and identity: How immigrants turn grievances into action. American Sociological Review, 73, 992-1012.
Van der Toorn, J., Berkics, M., & Jost, J. T. (2010). System justification, satisfaction, and perceptions of fairness and typicality at work: A cross-system comparison involving the U.S. and Hungary. Social Justice Research, 23, 189-210.
Van der Toorn, J., Tyler, T. R., & Jost, J. T. (2011). More than fair: Outcome dependence, system justification, and the perceived legitimacy of authority figures. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 127-138.

Other Publications:

Jost, J. T., Liviatan, I., Van der Toorn, J., Ledgerwood, A., Mandisodza, A., & Nosek, B. (2010). System justification: How do we know it's motivated? In D. R. Bobocel, A. C. Kay, M. P. Zanna, & J. M. Olson (Eds.), The psychology of justice and legitimacy: The Ontario symposium, Vol. 11 (pp. 173-203). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Jost, J. T., & Van der Toorn, J. (in press). System justification theory. In K. Dowding (Ed.), Encyclopedia of power. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Jost, J. T., & Van der Toorn, J. (in press). System justification theory. In P. A. M. van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology. London: Sage.
Van der Toorn, J., & Jost, J. T. (2009). System justification theory. In D. Matsumoto (Ed.), Cambridge dictionary of psychology (p. 534). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Courses Taught:

Advanced Statistics Seminar: Structural Equation Modeling
Introduction to Psychology
Lab in Personality and Social Psychology

Advanced Statistics Seminar: Structural Equation Modeling
Introduction to Psychology

Lab in Personality and Social Psychology

Jojanneke van der Toorn
Department of Psychology
Yale University
P.O. Box 208205
New Haven, CT 06520-8205
United States

Phone: (917) 293-1216