1997/1998 - Establishment of the Faculty of Social Studies (officially from January 1, 1998). The disciplines taught and researched included psychology, sociology, social anthropology, social policy and social work, political science, European studies, international relations, media studies and journalism, and environmental studies.
1997 - Assoc. Prof. Ivo Plaňava became the first head of the department, specializing in the psychology of communication and marriage and family counseling.
1997 - Establishment of the Laboratory for Research on Children and Youth. During its three years of operation, 16 studies were published. Some current members of IVDMR/INPSY were also part of the laboratory (Petr Macek, Lenka Lacinová, Stanislav Ježek, etc.). The main research activity involved participation in the longitudinal project ELSPAC, which included individual psychological examinations of children and their parents at ages 5-6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 years, conducted from 1997 to 2011.
2000 - Establishment of the Centre for Research on Personality Formation in Ethnic and Social Contexts (Director Prof. Vladimír Smékal). One of the Centre's objectives was to investigate the influence of social conditions on the social, psychological, and physical development of children and youth, the family, and the coexistence of different ethnic groups and minorities. The Laboratory for Research on Children and Youth (headed by Petr Macek) became a faculty of the Centre.
2001 - Assoc. Prof. Lubomír Kostroň, CSc., became the head of the Department of Psychology at FSS. His focus was on general psychology, organizational psychology, and work psychology.
2003 - Assoc. Prof. Petr Macek, CSc. became the head of the Department of Psychology at FSS. His areas of expertise include personality psychology and social and developmental psychology (adolescence and young adulthood).
2005 - Establishment of the Institute for Research on Children, Youth, and Family (IVDMR). The establishment was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science's research plan (2005-2011). Prof. Petr Macek became the principal investigator and head of IVDMR, while Prof. Vladimír Smékal served as deputy head in the early years. IVDMR research teams focused on:
- Development of personality structure and dynamics: Interconnections between biological, psychological, and social factors, including health, social, and psychological risks of development (Head: Lenka Lacinová).
- Cognitive development and career orientation: Research on talents and abilities (Leader: Šárka Portešová).
- Psychology of the Internet and New Media (Head: David Šmahel).
- Family relationships (Head: Ivo Plaňava).
- Identity formation during adolescence: Social change, including civic and political participation of adolescents (Head: Petr Macek).
2005 – Prof. Zbyněk Vybíral, Ph.D., became the head of the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences. His research focus was on the negative effects of psychotherapy, subjective dissatisfaction, and other negative experiences related to psychotherapy and critical psychology.
2005-2020 - Development of IVDMR: In addition to the aforementioned research plan, the institute successfully secured numerous important international and domestic research grants, which facilitated staff development, internationalization, and significantly improved research quality.
The research focus areas included:
- Psychosocial development in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood (Petr Macek, Lenka Lacinová, Stanislav Ježek, Jan Širůček, and Jan Šerek).
- Relations between parents and children.
- Identity formation and self-concept.
- Civic and political participation (socialization).
- School, gifted children, care for talents (Šárka Portešová, Ivana Poledňová, Michal Jabůrek, and Ondřej Straka).
- Psychology of the Internet and new media (David Šmahel, Zbyněk Vybíral, Hana Macháčková, Lenka Dědková, Lukas Blinka, Anna Ševčíková, and others).
2017 - Assoc. Prof. Lenka Lacinová, Ph.D., became the head of the Department of Psychology at FSS. Her research interests include emotional attachment across the lifespan, partner relationships, and adolescence and young adulthood.
2020 - The research group of David Šmahel, Hana Macháčková, Lenka Dědková, and others became independent, leading to the establishment of a new research unit at FSS: the Interdisciplinary Research on Internet and Society (IRTIS). The research focus of IVDMR was refined to include:
- Health, Media, and Sexuality (Lukas Blinka, Anna Ševčíková).
- Measurement in Psychology (Stanislav Ježek, Hynek Cígler).
- Gifted Children (Šárka Portešová, Michal Jabůrek, Ondřej Straka).
- Early Development, Parenthood, and Attachment (Lenka Lacinová, Petr Macek).
- Citizenship and Democracy (Jan Šerek, Petr Macek, Lenka Štěpánková, Zuzana Scott, Hana Macháčková).
- Adolescents, Young Adults, and Identity (Petr Macek, Stanislav Ježek, Lenka Lacinová, Dana Seryjová Juhová, Jan Širůček).
2021 - Doc. Anna Ševčíková, Ph.D., became the head of IVDMR. Her research interests include sexual behavior on the Internet, compulsive sexual behavior disorder, risk behavior in adolescents, romantic relationships, aging and partner relationships, and sexuality in older age.
2023 - IVDMR was renamed to the Institute for Psychological Research (INPSY).
2023 - Prof. Zbyněk Vybíral, Ph.D., became the head of the Department of Psychology at FSS. His research interests include the negative effects of psychotherapy and critical psychology.
2024 - The Centre for Psychotherapy Research, led by Prof. Tomáš Řiháček, Ph.D., joined INPSY.
2024 – Assoc. Prof. Jan Šerek, Ph.D., became the new head of INPSY. His research focuses on civic and political socialization and participation, as well as psychological aspects of democracy, legitimacy, and trust.
