Nationality Norway | Name Arnulf Kolstad | |
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Born 23 April 1942 (age 82) ( 1942-04-23 ) | ||
Arnulf Kolstad (born 23 April 1942 in Oslo) is a Norwegian social psychologist. He is professor emeritus of Social Psychology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He was appointed by the King-in-Council at the then-University of Trondheim in 1986 and was head of department for the Department of Psychology from 1990 to 1992. He became professor emeritus in 2012.
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Career
Kolstad holds a higher degree (siv.ing.) in engineering from 1966 and a doctorate in engineering (dr.ing.) from 1973, as well as a higher doctorate of philosophy (dr.philos.) in social psychology from 1984. As a student, he served as editor-in-chief of the student newspaper Under Dusken in Trondheim. He was also a member of the Trondheim city council for the Socialist People's Party during this period. He was employed at the University of Bergen from 1972, where he became associate professor of social psychology in 1976. From 1978, he was associate professor at Aalborg University, before his appointment by the Norwegian government as a full professor at the University of Trondheim. He has also been research director at the Research Council of Norway.
Kolstad is a well-known figure nationally, and often participates in public debates relating to his fields of expertise. His research focus is social psychology, cultural psychology, political psychology, environmental psychology, ecological psychology, and mental health.
His criticism of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Liu Xiaobo as "western arrogance" received significant media attention in Norway and abroad.