Faculty Spotlight
Professor Robb WILLER
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Professor Willer's research focuses on social psychology, collective action, gender, altruism, norms, and social networks. Visit his faculty profile here, and his website here. |
Before going to college, Professor Robb Willer says he wanted to be one of two things: a creative writer or a professor. As the son of a professor, Willer was exposed to life in academia from a young age. "I liked the lifestyle a lot," says Willer. "One of the things I love about the job is that you don't have a boss. I also like that I can think, study, write, and teach for a living." His father's job as a professor took young Robb Willer from Kansas to South Carolina, where he lived until he was 18. It was Willer's interest in creative writing, however, that took him to the University of Iowa for his undergraduate education. "I went to Iowa in part because they have a great creative writing program, the Iowa Writers' Workshop," says Willer. At the University of Iowa, Willer tried a variety of majors before he found his real interest in social psychology. "I knew I wanted to go to grad school from the get go," Willer explains. "So dabbling in different majors made sense for me." Starting as a Math and English major, Willer switched to English and Economics, then just English, then History, and finally found himself choosing between Psychology and Sociology. He attributes his final decision to major in Sociology to an inspiring social psychology class he took, taught by then graduate student Will Kalkhoff. "I think I knew I wanted to be a sociology major when on the last day of this social psychology class, I had just finished the final exam and went straight to the library and started looking up all the references that I got interested in from the class... And about half way through doing this, I kind of looked at myself and said 'Wow, what are you doing? You are voluntarily studying rather than blowing off steam.' I didn't want to stop studying. So for me that was when I realized I wanted to be a social psychologist." Time Out Robb Willer also took a year and half off school during his undergraduate years. "I wanted to have more diverse experiences besides going to school," says Willer, admitting that he had taken his college education for granted and hadn't valued it as much as he should have. He experimented with numerous jobs during his time off: he was a construction worker, landscaper, house painter, mover, dishwasher, PBS news anchorperson, financial aid advisor, union organizer, coffee shop barista, cook… The list was so long Willer had some trouble remembering all the jobs he had done. His favorite job, however, was being a line cook. He cooked for a variety of restaurants, from vegetarian eateries and pizza places to American bar and grill restaurants. Was taking time off college a good choice for him? Willer thinks so. Time off gave him "a different perspective on life and helped (him) appreciate what an opportunity it was to go to college." His job experiences also improved his work ethic. "I don't know that (time off) is the right decision for most people, but it was right for me," says Willer. Research Professor Willer says he always knew he wanted to attend graduate school, and began research early to prepare himself. As an undergraduate at the University of Iowa, Willer had the opportunity to do hands on research with his professors. "It was a very unusual and cool opportunity for an undergraduate to have," he says. "One that I now try to extend to my students." His research experience helped him when he applied for graduate school, because he already knew what research entailed. That is why he now tries to give his own undergraduates the opportunity to work with him on research, "because I know that can make a big, big difference." While attending graduate school at Cornell University, Willer continued his social psychology research, including a research study on how men overcompensate when faced with threats to their masculinity. His dissertation centered on collective action in groups and how groups sustain cooperation, taking into account concerns for status and reputation. He explains, "My theory was basically that the so-called collective action problem in rational choice theory is solved when you take into account that people care about what other people think of them, and people reward others with status when they behave in a more generous way." Willer's current research projects mostly concern altruism and collective action, as well as political ideologies and their social psychological roots. He uses a variety of research methods, ranging from experiments to surveys. One research project he is working on now explores the nature of human altruism. He is collecting evidence that some people are genuinely generous and have little care for reputation. Some people do good things when no one is around and then tell no one about them. "It's sort of a nice finding because it suggests the reality of sincere altruism," says Willer. "It provides some evidence that people do have sincerely generous motivations, or at least some people do…" The good news, he says, is that in general there appears to be more pro-social people than pro-self people. Further, even selfish people tend to behave pro-socially when other people are watching. Coming to Cal Having joined the Berkeley Sociology Department only three years ago (2005), Robb Willer speaks glowingly of his experiences at Cal. "I love it," he says. "It's an amazing place to live. The job is great, and the intellectual environment is terrific. The Berkeley sociology department is in my opinion the best sociology department in the world." He says he immediately knew he wanted to work here after he first interviewed at Cal out of grad school. "When I interviewed here and met the faculty, I really fell in love with the environment and the department. I was sold straight away on being a sociologist at Berkeley if they would have me." Willer says he is surprised by how much he loves his teaching. He had had little teaching experience in graduate school, but now finds himself really enthusiastic about that part of the job. He also speaks appreciatively of his students. "I've had such great students. I've been really lucky. The sorts of students we have as sociology majors here, I feel like I can really relate to them." His students say the same about him. Describing him as "funny, articulate, engaging" and "entertaining and approachable," Willer's students agree that he "can really relate with his students on many levels." Undergraduate students comment that he "keeps us on the edge of our seats every lecture," and describe what he teaches as highly applicable to everyday life. When asked about his advice for undergraduates, Willer refers to the need to avoid the "imposter phenomenon" and encourages all of his students to be confident in themselves. "A lot of undergrads think they're imposters and don't belong here, that they got here through some sort of accident. They should know that it's just not true. They do belong here. They all do. You were accepted into this school for a reason." As for his decision between being a creative writer and being a professor, Willer believes he's made the right choice. "In the end I had to make a pretty sober self examination of how good I would be at both jobs," he admits. "I don't know how good of a professor I am, but I know that I am a better professor than I would have been a writer." (November 2008) *Professor Willer will be teaching Soc 150A "Social Psychology: Self and Society" in Spring 2009. 
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