معرفی
Esther Kluwer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social, Health and Organisational Psychology within the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Utrecht University. She also holds a special appointment as Professor on Relationships and Wellbeing at Radboud University since 2016. Her academic career began after completing her PhD at the University of Groningen in 1998, followed by a position as assistant professor at the Free University of Amsterdam before joining Utrecht University in 2000.
Her research focuses on close relationships, specifically examining the determinants and effects of relationship quality. Key research areas include relationship dynamics during stressful circumstances, transition to parenthood, work-family balance, high-conflict divorce, forgiveness processes, and relationship interventions. Her work often explores how relationship quality affects both partners' and children's wellbeing. Recent publications demonstrate her continued focus on intimate partner violence, forgiveness after divorce, work-family conflicts, and the transition to parenthood.
Professor Kluwer's scholarly contributions span multiple domains within relationship science, with notable emphasis on how autonomy and relatedness interact in close relationships, psychological availability of working parents, and the impact of negative emotions on co-parenting after divorce. Her research employs diverse methodologies including longitudinal studies, dyadic analyses, and intervention evaluations.
Among her notable recognitions are the Fellowship from the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS-KNAW) in 2020, a COVID-19 research grant from Wetenschap voor de Praktijk in 2020, and the Maarten van Son senior teaching award in 2017. Her work has significant practical implications for relationship counseling, divorce mediation, and family policy.
Professor Kluwer actively contributes to both theoretical advancement and practical applications in relationship science, with recent work addressing contemporary challenges such as pandemic-related relationship stress, workplace influences on family life, and interventions for high-conflict divorcing parents. Her research consistently bridges academic theory with real-world applications in family therapy and relationship education.
