Dr. Avi Besser is a Full Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of
Communication Disorders at the Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College, Israel. He
earned his B.A. with honors in 1991, and his M.A. in 1995, followed by his
Ph.D. in 2000, all in psychology from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He
completed a postdoctoral fellowship at York University, Canada (2001–2002),
collaborating with experts on personality vulnerability to depression. Since
2002, he has been at Sapir Academic College in the Department of Human Resource
Management and Social Work, where he is a full professor and Chairman of the
Center for Research in Personality, Life Transitions, and Stressful Life
Events. He served as Vice President for Academic Affairs until 2019.
Dr. Besser’s research focuses on personality and social psychology, particularly
vulnerability to depression and interpersonal functioning. His key topics
include the impact of traits like narcissism, dependency, self-criticism,
extraversion, neuroticism, perfectionism, and adult attachment on
relationships, depression, suicidality, postpartum depression, leisure
activities, security threats, and PTSD.
He is a recognized educational psychologist with an international reputation. He
has published over 150 empirical studies, authored chapters, edited books, and
served on editorial boards of leading journals.
