Prof. Dr. Janek Musek
Occupation: Professor Emeritus, University of Ljubljana, SLO
Home address: Požarnice 26d, 1351 Brezovica, SLOVENIA
Working address: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, SLOVENIA

Janek Musek studied psychology (1964-1968), graduated in psychology (1968) and received his doctorate in general psychology (1975), all at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana.
Professionally, he worked as an assistant (since 1970), assistant professor (1977), associate professor or assistant professor (1981), full professor (since 1988) at the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana and as an emeritus professor (since 2015).
The courses he has taught include introduction to psychology, personality and personality psychology, differential psychology, motivation and emotion, cognitive psychology and the history of psychology.
He worked as head of the Department of Psychology (1980-1982), vice-dean of the Faculty of Arts (1984-1986), vice-rector of the University of Ljubljana (1996-1998).
Janek Musek researched and lectured at the Department of Psychology of the University of Ljubjana for more than fifty years. Among others, he also lectured at other universities in Ljubljana (New University), Maribor (University of Maribor, Slovenia; Doba University; Alma Mater University), Vienna (University of Vienna), Graz (University of Graz), Lugano (University of Lugano), Klagenfurt (University of Klagenfurt), Triest (University of Trieste), and Rijeka (University of Rijeka). He cooperated with eminent researches and academicians, among others with Hans Eysenck, Charles Osgood, Milton Rokeach, Vid Pečjak, Demian Kovač, Shalom Schwartz, David Funder, Mary Baker, Göran Hermeren, Philippe Rushton, Jose Figueredo, Van der Linden, Norbert Jaušovec and many others.
He participated in more than twenty research projects at home and abroad, including 11 fundamental research projects of ARIS, mostly as a project or program group leader or as a principal researcher.
The candidate's main areas of research: personality psychology, individual differences, values, cognitive psychology, self-concept, decision-making, positive psychology, history of psychology; more specifically: personality structure, well-being, symbolism, decision-making.
In recent times, he has done a lot of research in the field of organizational psychology, among others in institutions and companies such as Knauf, McLaren, Deloitte, etc. He mainly researched personality traits, organizational values, engagement, commitment and motivation. In addition, he has recently studied the impact of Covid-19 on lifestyle and learning.
The candidate has published around 200 scientific compositions, including 83 articles in international scientific journals, 40 textbooks and 42 scientific monographs. Two scientific monographs were published by the most prestigious publishers in the world, The general factor of personality (Elsevier: Academic Press, 2017) and Personality psychology: A new perspective (Springer, 2024).
The candidate actively participated in numerous national and international scientific conferences and congresses; he was the coordinator or organizer of several national and international scientific congresses.
He was the mentor for 45 doctorates and 55 master's degrees.
Since 2013, Janek Musek has been a consultant to Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU).
Since 2017, he has been a member of the Commission of the Republic of Slovenia for Medical Ethics (KME RS).

Top scientific achievements

Janek Musek has established himself in the world with numerous theoretical and empirical research papers, which are published in the most important domestic and international scientific journals. He is best known in the world as the founder of the general personality factor theory, which is one of the most important psychological theoretical models in recent times. Since its inception in 2007, more than 1,000 scientific articles on the topic of the general personality factor have been published in world literature. The author's next great theory is his theory of values (New Psychological Theory of Values, 2000), which, according to one of the most established experts in values (Hofstede, 2001), is among the most important psychological theories of values in general.

After receiving his doctorate at the University of Ljubljana in 1975, Janek Musek devoted himself to research in several areas of psychology, especially personality psychology, self-image, psychology of values, differential psychology, cognitive psychology, psychology of motivation and emotions, psychology of decision-making and history of psychology. Janek Musek is one of the few psychologists in the world who is the author of influential psychological models and theories. In recent decades, he has become one of the most important and influential researchers of personality structure in the world. His theory of the general factor of personality and the related theory of the pyramidal structure of personality represent one of the ranges in modern conceptions of personality structure. Janek Musek clearly demonstrated that all the most complex and general dimensions of personality (the Big Five) are connected to each other and thus form a single grand dimension called the General Personality Factor. This large dimension is extremely important, it is the personal foundation of our social adaptation and efficiency, coping with stress, well-being and psychological health. Musek's work in the field of personality structure is groundbreaking and is also comprehensively published in numerous scientific articles and two monograph publications published by the prestigious Elsevier Academic Press in 2017 and Springer in 2024.

Janek Musek is also the author of the theory of values, which is one of the few integrated theories of values that exist in psychology and social sciences. Based on empirical research, he developed it somehow in the period from 1970 to the present day, and it was published in numerous scientific articles, and synthetically in the scientific monograph "New psychological theory of values" (2000) and in the chapter of the scientific monograph "Towards a comprehensive theory of values (2011). Musek's theory of values identifies the fundamental categories of values and classifies them in a hierarchical structure, where Apollonian and Dionysian values are at the top of the hierarchy, which are divided into more specific categories or dimensions of values at the following levels of the hierarchy. Value dimensions are crucial not only for psychology, but also for ethics and ethical judgment in philosophy. Values are extremely important for individuals and society. All major negative social errors (violence, war, aggression, crime, delinquency, lawlessness, corruption, ecological devastation, terrorism, totalitarianism, exploitation, poverty, hunger, starvation, ignorance, fanaticism) are the result of behavior that contradicts the fundamental values of civilization. Value-appropriate behavior is thus a prerequisite for a stable and successful society. Musek's theory of values covers all important aspects of values: structure, hierarchical organization, development, cross-cultural validity and cross-cultural differences, connections with other important psychological areas and the role of values in our lives. This theory also provides answers to the question of whether behavior that is aligned and consistent with values makes us happier in life or not. The results of Musek's research prove that a life and behavior that is consistent with values actually correlates with a feeling of happiness and psychological well-being. Perhaps it is worth mentioning that Musek's theory of values has long been included in the curriculum of Slovenian secondary schools.

Recently, Janek Musek participated in “International Situations Project” (lead by David Funder and coworkers), one of the most ambitious global psychological research projects ever. The results of the research project are published since 2021 in prestigious world reviews including the topics of personality traits, happiness, situational experiences, optimism, economic well-being and others.

Citations

WoS: 525 (515 clean) (389 for most high-profile work)
Scopus: 620 (60 pure) (444 for the most prominent work)
Orcid/Publons: 344
Google Scholar: 5938 ResearchGate: 1431
In total (rough estimate of all quotes): around 10,000

References (abbreviated)

1. Musek, J. (1985). Narava in determinante zavestnega odločanja (The nature and determinants of conscious decision making). Ljubljana: Research Institute of Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
2. Musek, J. (1990). Symbols, culture and people. Ljubljana: Research Institute of Faculty of Arts and Sciences. (includes a comprehensive chapter of color symbolism)
3. Musek, J. (1992). Dimensions of personality and value orientations. In: L. Marjanovic-Umek and D. Zagar (Eds.). Department of psychology : 40 years : collection of scientific papers. Ljubljana: Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, pp. 11-27.
4. Musek, J. (1993). The universe of human values: A structural and developmental hierarchy. Studia Psychologica, Vol. 35, No. 4-5, pp. 321-326.
5. Musek, J. (1994). Values and Value Orientations in the Background of European Cultural Traditions. Anthropos (Ljublj.), 26, International issue, pp. 272-280.
6. Musek, J. (1996). The impact of transitional changes on value systems in Postcommunist Europe : the implications for the higer education reform processes. In: Perspectives in higer education reform : based upon the sixth annual conference held in prague, Czech Republic, November 3-6, 1996
7. Kobal, D., Musek, J. (1996). Self-concept, personality styles and academic achievement : their inter-relationship. In: D. Piciga, (Ed.) Cognition, learning & instruction, (The School Field, Vol. 7, no. 3/4). Ljubljana: The Slovene Society of Research in the School Field, pp. 61-77.
8. Musek, J. (1997). Personality stereotypes : psychological comprehension of stereotypes. In: B. Jezernik and R. Muršic (Eds.). Prejudices and stereotypes in the social sciences and humanities, (Etnološka stičišča, 5; 7), (Razprave Filozofske fakultete). Ljubljana: Znanstveni inštitut Filozofske fakultete, 1997, pp. 15-26,
9. Musek, J. (1997). Scientific image of personality. Ljubljana: Educy.
10. Musek, J. (1998). Political and religious adherence in relation to individual values. Stud. psychol., 40, 1/2, pp. 47-59.
11. Musek, J. (1999). Psychological models and theories of personality. Ljubljana: Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
12. Musek, J. (2000). The new psychological theory of values. Ljubljana: Institute of Personality Psychology & Educy.
13. Kobal, D., Musek, J. (2001). Self-concept and academic achievement : Slovenia and France. Pers. individ. differ.. [Print ed.], 2001, vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 887-899.
14. Marušič, A., Musek, J., Gudjonsson, G. H. (2001). Injury proneness and personality. Nord. j. psychiatry, 2001, vol. 55, no. 3, str. 157-161,
15. Musek, J., Pergar-Kuščer, M., & Bekeš, A. (2001). The universality of the basic structure of value categories. Jpn. soc. (Tsukuba), 2000, vol. 4, str. 45-64.
16. Musek, J. (2003). History of psychology. Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana.
17. Musek, J. (2005). Psihološke in kognitivne študije osebnosti (Psychological and cognitive studies of personality). Ljubljana: Znanstveni inštitut Filozofske fakultete (Scientific Institute of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Ljubljana), 2005. 253 pp.
18. Musek, J. (2007). A general factor of personality: Evidence for the Big One in the five-factor model. Journal of Research in Personality, 41, 1213-1233.
19. Musil, B., Rus, V. S., & Musek, J. (2009). The Rokeach Value Survey in comparative study of Japanese and Slovenian students : towards the underlying structure. Stud. psychol., 2009, vol. 51, no. 153-68.
20. Kobal Grum, D. & Musek, J. (2009). Perspektive motivacije (Perspectives of motivation). 1. natis. Ljubljana: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, 2009. 316 pp.
21. Avsec, A., & Musek, J. (2010). Self-discrepancies in agentic and communal personality traits as predictirs of well-being. Stud. psychol., 2010, vol. 52, no. 2, 117-131.
22. Musek, J. (2010). Psihologija življenja (Psychology of life) : [monografija (scientific monography)]. 1. izd. Vnanje Gorice: Inštitut za psihologijo osebnosti, 2010 (585 pp.).
23. Musek, J. (2011). Veliki faktor osebnosti (The Big Comprehensive Factor of Personality). Anthropos (Ljubljana), 3-4 (223-224), 131-152.
24. Musek, J. (2011). Towards a comprehensive theory of values. In: CHADEE, Derek (Ed.), KOSTIĆ, Aleksandra (Ed.). Social psychological dynamics. Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, 2011, str. 243-268.
25. Musek J., Polic M. (2014) Personal Well-Being. In: Michalos A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2148
26. Musek, J. (2015). Osebnost, vrednote in psihično blagostanje, (Razprave FF). 1. izd. V Ljubljani: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete, 2015. 242 str.
27. Musek, J. (2015). Psihološki temelji družbe prihodnosti. 1. izd. Ljubljana: Inštitut za etiko in vrednote Jože Trontelj, 2014. 240 str
28. Musek, J. (2017). The general factor of personality. London: Elsevier: Academic Press, cop. 2017. XI, 318 pp.
29. Musek, J. (2017). The general factor of personality : ten years after. Psihologijske teme, ISSN 1332-0742, 2017, vol. 26, no. 1, 61-87.
30. Musek, J. (2017). Values related to the religious adherence. Psihologijske teme, ISSN 1332-0742, 2017, vol. 26, no. 2, str. 61-87.
31. Bürger Lazar, M. & Musek, J.. ( 2020). Well‐being in parents of children with cancer: The impact of parental personality, coping, and the child's quality of life. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12653
32. Lee, D. I., Gardiner, G., Baranski, E., Funder, D. C.,... Musek, J., et al.. (2020). Situational Experience around the World: A Replication and Extension in 62 Countries. Journal of Personality, 2020; DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12558
33. Musek, J. (2024). Personality psychology : a new perspective. Cham: Springer, cop. 2024. XIV, 404 str., ilustr. ISBN 978-3-031-55307-3. [COBISS.SI-ID 192416515]
34. Baranski, E., Gardiner, G., Shaman, N., Shagen, J., Lee, D., Members of the International Situations Project, & Funder, D. (2024). Personality and Religiosity in Context: Exploring Variations Across Countries and Religious Affiliations. Journal of Research in Personality.