It spans social and developmental psychology and gerontology and uses a wide range of methods, most frequently surveys and laboratory and field experiments.
In 1989 he returned to the University of Kent as Lecturer in Social Psychology, where he then held a senior lectureship (1991), readership (1992) and a personal chair (Professor, 1993).
[3] Abrams' work tackles major societal challenges through the lens of social psychology, characterised by theoretically driven inquiry that combines laboratory experiments, field studies and surveys.
He co-authored the book Social Identifications with his lifelong collaborator Michael A. Hogg[5] Later, Abrams' built a large-scale research programme into the role of prejudice in contemporary societies, covering many different aspects ranging from rape myth acceptance to age discrimination and stereotype threat.
[citation needed] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Abrams led a major review by the British Academy for the UK Government Office For Science to assess the long-term societal impact of COVID-19 in areas such as health and well-being, communities culture and belonging and knowledge, skills and employment.
The review drew from research across the humanities and social sciences, and led to two major reports which detailed the impact, effect and policy opportunities arising from the pandemic.
The review found nine areas of long-term societal impact, seven strategic goals for policy makers, and five core principles for social and economic recovery.