Dr. Or Burstein
School of Education, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
My life before BGU:
I was born in Tel Aviv and graduated from Ironi Alef High School. I earned bachelor’s degrees in history from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in psychology from the Open University of Israel. I went on to complete a master’s degree in clinical psychology at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo and a doctorate in psychology at Bar-Ilan University. I first came to Ben-Gurion University as a postdoctoral fellow funded by a Kreitman scholarship.
Why BGU?
At BGU, I found genuine curiosity and acceptance, along with a willingness to engage as equals. This distinctive atmosphere creates space to think freely, put forward original ideas, and take risks. It is an academic environment that supports personal growth and development as a researcher while encouraging creativity.
My research:
I study resilience in relationships: How connections within families or at school help us regulate emotions, cope with crises, and grow, as well as what happens when those relationships go wrong. I explore how mindfulness, particularly nonjudgmental acceptance, can strengthen healthy patterns of relating, even in situations involving stress and trauma. I also study how dialogical openness, the ability to remain open to others and what they have to say while retaining one’s own voice, can contribute to interpersonal relationships and development.
An insight from my field of research:
Make a point of staying open to what the other person wants to tell you, while continuing to take your own feelings and thoughts seriously.
Something you won’t find on my CV:
I play and dabble in music from time to time, and I’m also a soccer fan. But the thing I’m really good at (in life in general, of course...) is making eggplant with tahini worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Sources of inspiration:
Binyamin Balanero and Fyodor Dostoevsky.
When I grow up...
As a child, I wanted to be Romário. These days, I would settle for being a reasonably decent human being and having the privilege of continuing to create and connect with people.
If I weren’t a researcher, I would work with...
Eggplants.
In brief:
- Summer or winter? Winter
- Careful planning or spontaneity? In the spirit of Nietzsche, both Apollo and Dionysus. To my mind, structure, practice, and discipline do a great deal to make creative freedom possible and expand its scope
- Car or train? Train
- Market or mall? Market
- Three things I would take to a desert island? Three people
