Prof. Dr Barbara Gawda, University of Maria curie-Sklodowskaw, Poland
Prof. Barbara Gawda is a full professor at the Institute of Psychology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin, Poland. Renowned for her contributions to emotional psychology, she explores how emotions are mentally represented, expressed, and linked to psychopathology and personality traits. Her work bridges the gap between affective language and neural behavioral mechanisms. She has authored over 170 scientific publications, including impactful books, and actively participates in academic discourse with over 100 conference presentations. Prof. Gawda is known for her empirical approach and interdisciplinary integration of psychology, language, and neuroscience. Her most recent monograph, Psychology of Hate, exemplifies her interest in complex emotional phenomena and their social implications. With decades of dedication to psychological research and teaching, she continues to mentor, publish, and lead projects that advance understanding of emotional cognition and personality disorders.
Publication Profile
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Education
Prof. Barbara Gawda earned her degrees in psychology from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin, Poland. She pursued a Master’s degree with a specialization in clinical psychology, laying a strong foundation in understanding human cognition and emotion. She continued her academic path by obtaining a PhD in psychology from the same institution, where she focused on emotional expression and affective language. Her doctoral dissertation addressed the linguistic markers of emotional disorders, establishing her long-term scholarly trajectory. Later, she received her habilitation (post-doctoral degree), which is a key academic qualification in Poland, based on her outstanding contributions to the study of emotional representation and language processing in psychopathology. Her academic training combined traditional psychological methods with modern neuroscience and linguistic analysis. This rich educational background has deeply informed her research methodology and teaching, equipping her to lead innovative investigations into emotional cognition, psychopathology, and personality disorders.
Experience
Prof. Barbara Gawda has dedicated her academic career to the Institute of Psychology at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, where she rose through the ranks from assistant professor to full professor. She has over 25 years of teaching experience in clinical psychology, psycholinguistics, and affective neuroscience. Her work spans both theoretical and applied psychology, with emphasis on emotional language and psychopathological analysis. She supervises doctoral theses, mentors early-career researchers, and leads national and international research projects. Prof. Gawda has served on editorial boards of psychology journals and contributed peer reviews to leading publications. In addition to her teaching and research, she actively engages in organizing scientific conferences and workshops related to emotion and psychopathology. Her collaborative work with linguists, neuroscientists, and clinicians underlines her interdisciplinary approach. She continues to be a key figure in the Polish psychological community and maintains a strong presence in the European scientific network.
Awards and Honors
Prof. Barbara Gawda has received multiple academic distinctions in recognition of her scholarly achievements. Her awards include several Research Excellence Grants from the Polish National Science Centre (NCN) for her pioneering work in emotional representation and affective language. She has been honored by Maria Curie-Skłodowska University for her outstanding publication record and international collaboration. She was also awarded the Rector’s Prize for Scientific Achievement on numerous occasions. In 2022, she was acknowledged for her contribution to Polish psychological science through a lifetime achievement recognition by a national psychological association. Her invited lectures at international conferences and symposia also reflect her prestige in the field. In addition to formal awards, Prof. Gawda enjoys high esteem among her peers for her mentorship and leadership in the psychological research community. Her academic visibility continues to grow due to her innovative insights and consistent scientific productivity.
Research Focus
Prof. Barbara Gawda’s research explores the intersection of emotional cognition, language, and psychopathology. She investigates how emotions are mentally represented and expressed through affective language, and how these patterns relate to personality traits and disorders. Her studies focus particularly on individuals with antisocial personality disorder, borderline traits, and psychopathy, aiming to uncover the linguistic and cognitive markers that characterize their emotional expression. Her research also delves into the neural mechanisms underlying behavior and emotion regulation, applying both qualitative and quantitative methods, including psycholinguistic analyses and neuropsychological assessments. Prof. Gawda is especially interested in how emotional narratives reflect psychological dysfunctions and how these insights can be applied in diagnostics and therapy. Her work bridges clinical psychology and neuroscience, making significant contributions to understanding the emotional dimensions of mental disorders. She continues to develop models that explain affective dysfunction through language analysis and cognitive-emotional integration.
Publication Top Notes
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🧠 Psychology of Hate – A monograph on the emotional and cognitive mechanisms of hate (UMCS, 2023)
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💬 Affective Language in Antisocial Personality Disorder – Exploring emotional expression in forensic populations
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🧪 Emotional Narratives and Psychopathy Traits – A psycholinguistic study
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🧠 Neural Correlates of Emotional Language – Insights from neuroscience and psychology
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📖 Linguistic Markers of Borderline Personality – Analysis of narrative structures
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🧠 Emotion and Language in Criminal Behavior – Understanding the emotional deficits in offenders
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🗣️ Affective Semantics and Personality Disorders – Emotional vocabulary as diagnostic tool
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📊 Quantitative Analysis of Emotional Lexicons – A corpus-based study in clinical settings
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🧬 Psychopathology and Emotional Language Patterns – Cross-sectional investigation
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🧠 The Emotional Mind: Language, Behavior, and Brain – Interdisciplinary perspectives