Peter M. Gollwitzer has worked in academic institutions in the US and in Germany (various universities and the Max Planck Institute for Psychological Research), heading different interdisciplinary research groups.
The common theme of his research is the effective self-regulation of thought, feelings, and action. His research methods reach from conducting laboratory studies using cognitive task paradigms and taking neuro-physiological and behavioral measures, to performing field experiments and intervention studies with clinical samples (e.g., children with ADHD, stroke patients, individuals suffering from addictions or anxiety disorders).
Gollwitzer has developed various models of self-regulation: the Theory of Symbolic Self Completion (with Robert A. Wicklund), the Rubicon Model of Action Phases (with Heinz Heckhausen) and its off-spring the Mindset Theory of Action Phases, the Auto-Motive Model of Automatic Goal Striving (with John A. Bargh), and the Theory of If-Then Planning (with Paschal Sheeran).
(1) Self-regulation of Goal Pursuit
(2) Self and Identity
(3) Emotions