Professor Dr. Stathis Grapsas

Biography

Stathis Grapsas is an Assistant Professor at Utrecht University, specializing in both clinical and developmental psychology. His work is particularly focused on the Youth Family Section, under the Sector Plan "Resilience Youth." Grapsas conducts research at the intersection of developmental, clinical, personality, and social psychology, exploring how nonnormative psychological characteristics and beliefs—such as narcissism, science rejection, and conspiracy beliefs—impact adolescents' adaptive goals, particularly in terms of social status and feelings of respect and inclusion. He is especially interested in how these factors can either foster or hinder adolescents' potential to flourish and contribute positively to society. Currently, he leads research lines that include investigating psychological facilitators and barriers to pro-environmental engagement among adolescents within the GREENTEENS project framework, as well as exploring the societal and psychological antecedents of science distrust during adolescence. To gain a comprehensive understanding of these complex topics, he employs a range of diverse research designs, including cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal studies.

Research Interests