Golan Shahar, Ph.D

About

Golan Shahar, Ph.D, is a clinical-health and developmental-health psychologist and a translational stress/health researcher. He serves as Professor of Psychology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, visiting Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, and an affiliated faculty member of the Edward Ziegler Center in Child Development and Social Policy.

I treat and research stress, psychopathology, psychosomatic conditions, and resilience, with a focus on adolescence and early adulthood. My research was funded by competetive research grants in Israel and the United States, and was published in the most prestigious journals in psychology, psychiatry, and pediatrics.

In 2015 I published a book with Oxford University Press, where I proposesd a novel theory of self-criticism and criticism-based relationships. I am currently working on a second book, dealing with complex and resistant depression.

Alongside my clinical and academic work, I frequently give consultations and presentations to health and private institutes, about mental and phisycal health, stress, burnout, and mental resilience.

Career Highlights

Appointments

2002 – 2003, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine.
2003 – 2004, Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Yale University.
2008 - Present, Professor of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
2009 – Present, Visiting Professor of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine.
2016 – Present, Zlotowsky Chair of Neuropsychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
2017 – Present, Professor Adjunct, Yale Child Study Center.
2020 - Present, Chair, University Committe for Ethics in Human Subject Research (IRB), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.

Awards

1998, Wolf Foundation award for doctoral students.
2000, Landau award for a creative doctoral dissertation.
2004, The National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) Young Investigator Award.
2005, Toronto Award for excellence in research and teaching in clinical psychology. Ben-Gurion University, Israel.
2005, An award from the Research Council of the American Psychoanalytic Association (APSA) for an article making an outstanding contribution to psychoanalytic research (Blatt & Shahar [2004]. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association).

Grants

Israel Science Foundation (ISF).
Israel-USA Binational Science Foundation (BSF).
National Institution for Testing and Evaluation (NITE).
The Israeli Anti-Drug Authority.
The National Institute of Psychobiology in Israel.
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

Scientometrics (Google Scholar)

Citations: 12,653.
H index: 46.

Former Students in Academic Positions

Liad Bareket-Bojmel, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, School of Behavioral Sciecnes, Peres Academic Center.
Dana Lassri, Ph.D., Lecturer, Department of Social Work, Hebrew University.
Sheera F. Lerman-Zohar, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Nirit Sofer-Dudek, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
Julia Elad-Strenger, Ph.D., Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Bar-Ilan University.

Major Publications (10 out of >200)

Shahar, G. (2015). Erosion: The psychopathology of self-criticism. New York: Oxford University Press.
Shahar, G. (2018). The (suicidal-) depressive position. A novel, scientifically-informed reformulation. Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 46(2), 265-293. doi: 10.1521/pdps.2018.46.2.265.
Shahar, G., Blatt, S. J., Zuroff, D. C., & Pilkonis, P. A. (2003). Role of perfectionism and personality disorder features in patients' responses to brief treatment for depression. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 71, 229-233.
Shahar, G., Cohen, G., Grogen, K., Barile, J., & Henrich, C. C. (2009). Terrorism-related perceived stress, adolescent, depression, and friends' support. Pediatrics, 124(2), e235-e240. doi: 10.1542/peds.2008-2971
Shahar, G., & Henrich, C. C. (2019). Role of adolescent exposure to missile attacks in the links between personality and psychopathology. Development & Psychopathology, 31(4), 1367-1380, doi: 10.1017/S0954579418000792.
Shahar, G., Henrich, C. C., Blatt, S. J., Ryan, R. & Little, T. D. (2003). Interpersonal relatedness, self-definition, and their motivational orientation during adolescence: A theoretical and empirical integration. Developmental Psychology, 39(3), 470-483. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.39.3.470
Shahar, G., & Govrin, A. (2017). Psychodynamizing and existentializing active techniques: A focus on behavioral activation. Psychotherapy, 54(3), 267-272. doi: 10.1037/pst0000115.
Shahar, G., Rogers, M. L., Shalev, H., & Joiner, T. E. (2020). Self-criticism, interpersonal conditions, and biosystemic inflammation in suicidal thoughts and behaviors within mood disorders: A bio-cognitive-interpersonal hypothesis. Journal of Personality, 88(1), 133-145. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12446.
Shahar, G., & Davidson, L. (2003). Depressive symptoms erode self-esteem in severe mental illness: A three-wave, cross-lagged study. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 71, 890-900.
Lerman-Zohar, S. F., Rudich, Z., Brill, S., Shalev, H., & Shahar, G. (2015). Longitudinal associations between depression, anxiety, pain, and pain-related disability in chronic pain patients.. Psychosomatic Medicine, 77(3), 333-341. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000158