My key areas of expertise are personality theory and assessment, theoretical psychology, and research methods. I am particularly interested in personality dynamics and pathology, and the possibility of personality change. I have written extensively on psychodynamic theory, dreams, defence mechanisms, as well as editing two volumes on psychoanalysis and philosophy of mind. I have also written on the history of personality psychology in Australia and have edited two books presenting collections of Australian personality research. My research is currently focussing upon a dynamic systems approach to understanding dissociative identity disorder, along with a critique of trait-dimensional approaches to understanding personality pathology.

Awards

• Associate Dean’s Research Award for Contribution to the Research Environment (Faculty of Human Science, Macquarie University, 2013).
• Award for Excellence in Research (Macquarie University, 2007).
• H. Tasman Lovell Memorial Medallion (University of Sydney, 2005).

Current Research Projects

• Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers (2018-2019). Project title: The trauma of not-knowing: Making sense of personality dissociation after experiencing trauma. Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Research Fellowship. Germany.

Research Lab

Personality Dynamics Research Group (Macquarie University).

Personal interests: organic & native gardening, running, bushwalking, native bees & native bee keeping, Deutsch lernen

Personality pathology; Personality dynamics; Personality dissociation & dissociative identity disorder; Personality & health psychology; Personality change; Personality assessment; Defence mechanisms; Attachment theory; Theoretical & Philosophical psychology; Personality & mindfulness; Personality & spirituality; Psychology of religion

• BPhil/MRes Co-ordinator in Psychological Sciences.
• PSYU2234 Theories of Personality
• PSYU3336 Personality & its Disorders
• PSYH4464/PSYM7764 Psychology in Context
• MEDI7001 Research Foundations: Ethics, Integrity & Practice

I supervise across a range of research areas including:

• Personality & its disorders
• Personality dynamics and personality change
• Cross-cultural research examining personality & the self
• Personality & responses to health threats
• Evolutionary psychology & personality
• Psychodynamic research
• Theoretical & philosophical psychology
• Qualitative & quantitative research
• Psychology of science
• Psychology of religion

Current research candidates (primary supervisor)

• Bernard Brown (PhD): On the concept of drive.
• Emily Gray (PhD): Adverse childhood experiences & obsessive-compulsive personality traits.
• Judie Homewood (PhD): The psychology of traitors.
• Tony Mobbs (PhD): Personality atlas.
• Myriam Pitre (PhD): Dynamic systems theory & personality.
• Barbara Sorensen (PhD): Psychodynamics of psychosis.

HDR Completions (as primary supervisor)

• Beatrice Alba (PhD): Status consciousness.
• John Butters (MRes): Attachment theory, mentalisation, & psychotherapy.
• Li Chew (PhD): Direct realist theory & memorial errors.
• Robina Day (MRes): Music, emotions, & personality.
• Emily Gray (MRes): Adverse childhood experiences & obsessive-compulsive personality traits.
• Christine Inkley (MRes): Personality & schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
• Catie Lai (MRes): Interpersonal theory of suicide.
• Catie Lai (PhD): Personality, diet & psychological wellbeing.
• Kathleen Mairet (PhD/Clinical): Schema theory & social anxiety.
• Tim Marsh (PhD): Evolutionary psychology & morality.
• Tony Mobbs (MRes): Personality atlas.
• Trish Nowland (MRes): Latent variable theory & realism.
• Trish Nowland (PhD): Latent variables, models, & theory.
• Myriam Pitre (MRes): Dynamic systems theory & well-being.
• Emma Richardson (PhD): Attachment theory & defenses.
• Natalie Roberts (MRes): Personality & assessing ASMR.
• Natalie Roberts (PhD): ASMR & assessing altered states of consciousness.
• Aidan Runagall-McNaull (MRes): Individual differences in moral decision making.
• Barbara Sorensen (MRes): ISTDP & psychosis.
• Alistair Soutter (MRes): Personality & conservation psychology
• Ben Stiel (DPsych): Wellbeing & evolutionary theory.
• Anthony Winning (MRes): Psychoanalysis & religion.
• Anthony Winning (PhD): The relation between psychology & religion.
• Siham Yahya (PhD): Interfaith & cross-cultural relationships.

In 2013 I was invited to join the Editorial Board for the journal Review of General Psychology. In 2015 I became an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Psychology (Psychoanalysis and Neuropsychoanalysis). I also served as a Section Editor for Springer's The Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences (edited by Virgil Zeigler-Hill and Todd Shackelford). 

Affiliation

International Neuropsychoanalysis Society.