The Department of Communication Psychology has been a part of the Institute of Psychology of the Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena since 1997. It emerged from the Chair of Social Psychology founded which was founded in 1987. Since 2008 the department is part of the Institute of Communication Research.

Head of department is Prof. Wolfgang Frindte. Furthermore there are research assistants, postgraduate students, technicians, computer scientists and students, who are partly funded by governmental subsidies, employed at this department.

Within main research topics, following projects are worked on at the Department of Communication Psychology:

1. Macrosocial stress and research on terrorism
2. Interpersonal communication
3. Digital media and violence
4. Intercultural communication

The department focuses its lectures on:

1. Psychological basics of communication
2. Group specific forms of communication
3. Communicative patterns and pathologies
4. Interpersonal and intergroup communication
5. Differential communication psychology

Moreover the department offers a variety of courses in communication and media psychology for students of main and subsidiary subject.  Interactive digital teaching environments are used accompanying to the offered course.

The research group of the department holds a colloquium weekly. Main focuses are the work on theoretical concepts, journal club and qualification papers.