The process of entrepreneurship, starting and running an own business, is an important mechanism in society, affecting job creation, innovation, and social and technological change. Many experts agree that the individual entrepreneur is the most important agent in this process, which highlights the relevance of human psychology for entrepreneurship-related practice, theory, and research. This inaugural lecture attempts to offer a broad overview over our psychological knowledge on core phenomena of entrepreneurship. It will put a special focus on entrepreneurial career decisions, the development of an entrepreneurial mindset, personal motivation, wellbeing, and stress, and the role of human vs. artificial intelligence. The lecture will conclude with a discussion how applied psychology and entrepreneurship research can cross-fertilize, and how current and emerging research frontiers have the potential to transform the field.  

Prof. M. Obschonka, professor of Entrepreneurship: The Psychology of Entrepreneurship.