Claude-Hélène Mayer

Claude-Hélène Mayer is a German psychologist and professor in Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg,^[1] South Africa.

As a transdisciplinary researcher, she contributed to the research areas of intercultural conflict management and mediation, salutogenesis in the workplace, women in leadership, positive psychology and emotions, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and psychobiography.^[2]

Claude-Hélène Mayer was born in Göttingen, Germany. She completed her M.A. and Dr disc.pol. in Cultural Anthropology, Intercultural Didactics and Socio-Economics of Rural Development at the Georg-August-University. She furthered her qualifications at different institutions, with a MSc in psychology from Northumbria University in Newcastle, UK and a MSc in Crime Sciences, Investigation and Intelligence from Portsmouth University, UK. She obtained a PhD in Psychology at the University of Pretoria and a PhD in Management at the university in Grahamstown, South Africa.^[2] Her habilitation is in Psychology, with focus on Work, Organisational and Cultural Psychology from the Europa-Universität Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany.

Together with Paul Elovitz and Inna Rozentsvit, Mayer is one of the founding members of the International Psychobiography Group of the Psychohistory Forum.^[3] Additionally, she is an Editorial Board Member of Frontiers in Psychology,^[4] an Associate Regional Editor for the International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management,^[5] as well as a Senior Editor of Europe's Journal of Psychology.^[6] From 2011 to 2016, Mayer was the co-editor of the Series on Intercultural Mediation at Peter Lang^[7] together with Dominic Busch and Hartmut Schröder.

She has been elected a fellow of the International Academy for Intercultural Research.^[8] In 2022, Mayer was a faculty member of the Semester at Sea voyage.^[9]

Claude-Hélène Mayer's research has traversed several interconnected fields. In her early career, she concentrated on the application of salutogenesis in the realm of transcultural management,^[10] examining how managers comprehend and engage with the complexity of cultural dynamics and mental health within organizational settings.^[11] Her work aimed to deepen the understanding of salutogenesis and sense of coherence within intercultural contexts and its influence on intercultural competence and managerial well-being.^[10]

Mayer's research has extended to shaping practical applications for managerial training. She has authored manuals on developing salutogenesis and sense of coherence as health-promoting resources, with particular focus on intercultural dimensions within organizations. Her publications provide insights on systemic approaches, reflecting a commitment to fostering health and well-being across cultures.^[10]

In her recent work, Mayer concentrates on psychobiography, expanding the field towards a positive psychology approach.^[12] Mayer's psychobiographical focus has also extended to exploring the lives of prominent women leaders,^[13] such as Angela Merkel, and individuals from non-Western societies,^[14] such as Graça Machel.

Her current research continues to investigate the intersection of cultural influence and individual psychological experiences. Mayer has published work on topics such as shame,^[15] the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women in leadership, and psychobiography, where she emphasizes culture as a crucial factor in psychological research.

Mayer's work has been acknowledged and awarded by multiple institutions, including:

• In 2016, she won the best paper award at the SAIMS conference for her work on "China in Africa" together with Professor Lynette Louw et al.^[16]
• In 2021 she was awarded as the Top Researcher 2020 by the University of Johannesburg for her scientific contributions to the academic community.^[17]
• Also in 2021, the paper "In Memory of Edward Diener: Reflections on his career, contributions and the science of happiness" won the outstanding best paper award at the Frontiers in Psychology (Positive Psychology) Editor's Choice Awards.^[18]
• In 2023 she received, together with Elisabeth Vanderheiden, The William B. Gudykunst Outstanding Book Award from the Intercultural Academy for International Research (IAIR) for the "International Handbook of Love".^[19]
• In 2024, her publications "Unwrapping Transcultural Romantic Love Relationships" and "Women's Empowerment for a Sustainable Future" each won a Special Honor Nautilus Book Award.^[20]
• In 2024, Mayer was acknowledged by the University of Johannesburg for her outstanding contribution to the University's DHET-accredited research outputs and graduating postgraduate students, for the 2021 and 2022 publication and graduation years.

• Holm-Hadulla, R. M., Mayer, C. H., Wendler, H., Kremer, T. L., Kotera, Y., & Herpertz, S. C. (2022). Fear, depression, and well-being during COVID-19 in German and South African students: A cross-cultural comparison. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 920125.
• Holm-Hadulla, R. M., Hofmann, F. H., Sperth, M., & Mayer, C. H. (2021). Creativity and Psychopathology: An Interdisciplinary View. Psychopathology, 54(1), 39–46.

• Mayer, C.-H.; van Niekerk, R., Fouché, P.J. & Ponterotto, J. (2023). Beyond WEIRD: Psychobiography in Times of Transcultural and Transdisciplinary Perspectives. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
• Mayer, C.-H., Fouché, P.J., & van Niekerk, R. (2021). Psychobiographical illustrations on meaning and identity in sociocultural contexts. Sociocultural Psychology of the Lifecourse Series. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillian.
• Krasovska, N. & Mayer, C.-H. (2021). A psychobiography of Viktor E. Frankl. Using adversity for life transformation. Springer Briefs in Psychology. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Briefs.
• Mayer, C.-H. & Kovary, Z. (2019). New Trends in Psychobiography. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
• Mayer, C.-H. (2017). The life and creative works of Paulo Coelho. A Psychobiography from a Positive Psychology Perspective. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

• Mayer, C.-H. (2023). Unwrapping transcultural romantic love relationships. Sense of coherence and identity development in cultural perspectives. SpringerBriefs in Psychology. Cham: Springer.
• Mayer, C.-H. & Vanderheiden, E. & Wong, P.T. (2021). Shame 4.0. Investigating an Emotion in Digital Worlds and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
• Mayer, C.-H. & Vanderheiden, E. (2021). International Handbook of Love. Transcultural and transdisciplinary discourses. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
• Mayer, C.-H. & Vanderheiden, E. (2019). The Bright Side of Shame. Transforming and growing through practical applications in cultural contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
• Vanderheiden, E. & Mayer, C.-H. (2017). The Value of Shame - Exploring a Health Resource in Cultural Contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

• Mayer, C.-H. & Boness, C.M. (2013). Creating mental health across cultures. Coaching and training for managers. Lengerich: Pabst Publishers.
• Krause, C. & Mayer, C.-H. (2012). Gesundheitsressourcen erkennen und fördern. Ein Trainingsprogramm für pädagogische Fachkräfte. Göttingen: V&R.
• Mayer, C.-H. (2011). The meaning of Sense of Coherence in Transcultural Management. Internationale Hochschulschriften Series. Münster: Waxmann.

• Mayer, C.-H. (2020). Intercultural Mediation and Conflict Management Training. A Guide for Professionals and Academics. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International.
• Lindemann, H., Mayer, C.-H. & Osterfeld, I. (2020). Systemisch-lösungsorientierte Mediation und Konfliktklärung. Ein Lehr-, Lern- und Arbeitsbuch für Ausbildung und Praxis. 2nd edition. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

• Homepage of Dr. Claude-Hélène Mayer
• Homepage of Mayer's Institute for Intercultural Practice and Conflict Management