Allen M. Omoto
- SPN Mentor
Allen M. Omoto is the CGU Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, a professor in the Department of Psychology, and the director of the Institute for Research on Social Issues. He is a social psychologist whose research interests focus on the social and psychological aspects of prosocial behavior and civic and political engagement, including volunteerism. He also conducts research on issues related to the environment, HIV disease, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) concerns. His research findings have been published in scholarly journals and book chapters, and his work has been supported by federal and foundation grants.
Omoto earned his BA with honors from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and his PhD from the University of Minnesota. He has been a faculty member at CGU since fall 2000. Among other honors, he has received a Distinguished Contribution to Education and Training Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues; a Distinguished Service Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues; the Western Psychological Association’s Social Responsibility Award; and an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity of the American Psychological Association. He also has served as President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues and as President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Issues, as well as on several governance boards and committees of the American Psychological Association.
In recent research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, Omoto and his collaborators conducted a multi-year, multi-site field-based intervention study of psychological sense of community among people affected by HIV disease. In addition, Omoto and his students have used qualitative and quantitative methodologies to investigate motives for and effects of volunteering and political involvement among diverse adults; ethnic group differences in and the impact of environmental engagement; and stress, resilience, and health among LGB immigrants (funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development). In a current multi-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, Omoto and his collaborators and students are investigating the social challenges and supports of LGB military service personnel and the roles these social factors play in health, job performance, and force readiness.
Primary Interests:
- Applied Social Psychology
- Close Relationships
- Emotion, Mood, Affect
- Helping, Prosocial Behavior
- Interpersonal Processes
- Motivation, Goal Setting
- Self and Identity
- Sexuality, Sexual Orientation
Research Group or Laboratory:
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Books:
- Omoto, A. M. (Ed.). (2005). Processes of community change and social action. Erlbaum.
- Omoto, A. M., & Kurtzman, H. S. (Eds.). (2006). Sexual orientation and mental health: Examining identity and development in lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. APA Books.
Journal Articles:
- Ballew, M. T., & Omoto, A. M. (2018). Absorption: How nature experiences promote awe and other positive emotions. Ecopsychology, 10(1), 26-35.
- Boyle, S. C., LaBrie, J. W., & Omoto, A. M. (2020). Normative substance use antecedents among sexual minorities: A scoping review and synthesis. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 7(2), 117-131.
- Kiviniemi, M. T., Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2002). Too many of a good thing? The effects of multiple motivations on task fulfillment, satisfaction, and cost. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(6), 732-743.
- Mendelsohn, D. M., Omoto, A. M., Tannenbaum, K., & Lamb, C. S. (2022). When sexual identity and sexual behaviors do not align: The prevalence of discordance and its physical and psychological health correlates. Stigma and Health, 7(1), 70-79.
- Omoto, A. M., & Packard, C. D. (2016). The power of connections: Psychological sense of community as a predictor of volunteerism. The Journal of Social Psychology, 156(3), 272-290.
- Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (2002). Considerations of community: The context and process of volunteerism. American Behavioral Scientist, 45, 846-867.
- Omoto, A. M., & Snyder, M. (1990). Basic research in action: Volunteerism and society's response to AIDS. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 16(1), 152-165.
- Omoto, A. M., Snyder, M., & Hackett, J. D. (2010). Personality and motivational antecedents of activism and civic engagement. Journal of Personality, 78, 1703-1734.
- Omoto, A. M., Snyder, M., & Martino, S. C. (2000). Volunteerism and the life course: Investigating age-related agendas for action. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 22(3), 181-197.
- Stuermer, S., Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2005). Prosocial emotions and helping: The moderating role of group membership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 532-546.
Other Publications:
- Berscheid, E., Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2004). Measuring closeness: The Relationship Closeness Inventory (RCI) revisited. In D. J. Mashek & A. Aron (Eds.), Handbook of closeness and intimacy (pp. 81-101). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Omoto, A. M., & Aldrich, C. A. (2007). Retirement community life: Issues, challenges, and opportunities. In J. B. James & P. Wink (Eds.), Annual review of gerontology and geriatrics: The crown of life: Dynamics of the early post-retirement period (Vol. 26, pp. 283-303). New York: Springer Publishing Company.
- Omoto, A. M., & Malsch, A. M. (2005). Psychological sense of community: Conceptual issues and connections to volunteerism-related activism. In A. M. Omoto (Ed.), Processes of community change and social action (pp. 83-103). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Omoto, A. M., & Schlehofer, M. M. (2007). Volunteerism, religiousness, spirituality, and the health outcomes of older adults. In S. G. Post (Ed.), Altruism and health: Perspectives from empirical research (pp. 394-409). New York: Oxford University Press.
- Snyder, M., & Omoto, A. M. (2007). Social action. In A. W. Kruglanski & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Social psychology: A handbook of basic principles (2nd ed., pp. 940-961). New York: Guilford Press.
Courses Taught:
- Civic Engagement and Civil Society
- Current Topics in Social Psychology
- Gender and Sexuality
- Grant Writing
- Interpersonal Processes
- Overview of Social Psychology
- Psychology and Social Policy
Allen M. Omoto
School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences
Claremont Graduate University
123 E. Eighth Street
Claremont, California 91711
United States of America
- Phone: (909) 607-9004
- Fax: (909) 621-8905
