Vera King

Prof. Dr. Vera King is Professor of Sociology and Psychoanalytic Social Psychology at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and Managing Director of the Sigmund Freud Institute Frankfurt. She is affiliated with the Department of Social Sciences and Institute of Sociology, where she leads research on the intersection of sociology and psychoanalysis. Her work bridges theoretical frameworks with contemporary social challenges, particularly in the digital age.

King's research focuses on the social-psychological analysis of societal developments, their institutional, intergenerational, and individual psychological consequences. She examines the interplay between psychological and social determinants of individual action, exploring theoretical and methodological connections between sociology and psychoanalysis. Her current research addresses social-psychological analyses of crisis phenomena, psychological consequences of digitalization (e.g., in the 'The Measured Life' project), optimization requirements in changing time relations (e.g., in the DFG research project 'Reproductive Timing'), and shifts in pathology and normality in contemporary society.

Her recent publications reveal a clear trend examining how digital measurement and optimization transform social relations and individual psyche. King's work investigates how digital technologies create new 'normalities' and 'pathologies,' particularly in social media use, self-tracking practices, and workplace environments. She analyzes the cultural shift toward quantification and how it affects attention, relationships, and self-perception, revealing both productive possibilities and destructive mechanisms in digitally optimized societies.

Prof. King supervises Bachelor and Master theses in sociology and social psychology, requiring prior attendance at her 'Sociology and Psychoanalytic Social Psychology' colloquium. She has led major research projects including 'The Measured Life' (funded by Volkswagen Foundation), 'Reproductive Timing' (DFG research project), and participates in the interdisciplinary research cluster 'ConTrust - Vertrauen im Konflikt. Politisches Zusammenleben unter Bedingungen der Ungewissheit.'

She leads the research team at the Sigmund Freud Institute and collaborates with prominent scholars including Hartmut Rosa and Benigna Gerisch. Her team conducts interdisciplinary work examining the psychosocial consequences of migration and flight, adolescent trajectories, and generational dynamics. King's approach integrates sociological theory with psychoanalytic methodology to understand how social structures shape psychological processes and vice versa.