29-4 Eye On Psi Chi Summer 2025

From Elvis to Eilish:

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SUMMER 2025 | VOLUME 29 | NUMBER 4

EDITOR Susan Iles

susan.iles@psichi.org

ASSISTANT EDITOR Bradley Cannon bradley.cannon@psichi.org

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Elisabeth Barrett elisabeth.barrett@psichi.org

DESIGNER Janet Reiss janet.reiss@psichi.org

Published by Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. Founded September 4, 1929, at the Ninth International Congress of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Member of the Association of College Honor Societies. Eye on Psi Chi ISSN 1092-0803 (print) and ISSN 2164-9812 (online), is published quarterly by Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. All contents ©2025 by Psi Chi. The publication schedule follows the academic year: fall, winter, spring, and summer. All opinions expressed in signed ar ticles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors and/or Psi Chi.

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PSI CHI Board of Directors

SOCIETY PRESIDENT Susan Becker, PhD president@psichi.org

PAST-PRESIDENT Shawn Charlton, PhD pastpresident@psichi.org

PRESIDENT-ELECT Jason Young, PhD presidentelect@psichi.org

EASTERN REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Ingrid Tulloch, PhD easternvp@psichi.org

MIDWESTERN REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Marcie Coulter-Kern, PhD midwesternvp@psichi.org

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Rona McCall, PhD rockymtnvp@psichi.org

SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT

Tammy Lowery Zacchilli, PhD southeasternvp@psichi.org

SOUTHWESTERN REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Karenna Malavanti, PhD southwesternvp@psichi.org

WESTERN REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Brittany Avila, PhD westernvp@psichi.org

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Marianne Fallon, PhD marianne.fallon@psichi.org ABBREVIATIONS

06 · PSYCHOLOGY IN THE HEADLINES

From Elvis to Eilish: Music as a Reflection of Generational Shifts

30 · GRAD SCHOOL Challenges to Doctoral Education and Degree Completion Tony D. Crespi, PhD, and Michael Amico, PhD

36 · RESEARCH (One Person's) Best Practices for Undergraduate Research Mentors and Mentees Benjamin D. Rosenberg, PhD

Shawn R. Charlton, PhD, and Parker Hamilton

Jocelyn

O900,000+ Lifetime Members Strong

Marianne Fallon, PhD Executive Director

n the afternoon of February 25, 2025, my email pinged with the news that Psi Chi had welcomed our 900,000th member. Reaching a milestone of this magnitude compelled me to reflect on how we arrived at this moment.

Faculty Advisors Are the Blood of Psi Chi

Psi Chi is a collection of chapters at colleges and universities around the globe. Chapters thrive when faculty advisors approve qualified applicants, mentor chapter officers, and support chapter activities. Our current database holds over 4,978 chapter advisors, with the earliest record from 1959. Print materials before that indicate hundreds more advisors. I am overcome with gratitude when considering the time and talent thousands of faculty advisors have given Psi Chi. As I have said before, Psi Chi would not exist without faculty advisors’ commitment to their students’ success.

Members Are the Body of Psi Chi

Members find lifetime value in Psi Chi through being recognized for their academic achievement, sharing their passion for psychology, developing leadership skills through their chapter activity, pursuing opportunities to present and publish their scholarly work and share intellectual insights, and having access to awards, grants, and scholarships. Psi Chi members build community through chapters and professional networks, and we are extending our efforts to strengthen community for alumni members.

Leaders Are the Backbone of Psi Chi

Psi Chi is fortunate to have leaders committed to ensuring the Society’s best possible future. The Board of Directors provides critical support and structure through governance. Although the makeup of the Board of Directors (or National Council, as it was known prior to 2009) has changed over the years, 165 Societyelected members have served with 15 of them devoting over 5 years. Regional Vice-Presidents are also responsible for Psi Chi programming at regional conventions, which directly impact thousands of students and faculty. Directors of our Advisory Committees help us better serve our global partners, ensure that we strive for inclusive excellence, support our chapters, and drive Psi Chi’s purpose to advance the science of psychology

Supporters Are the Breath of Psi Chi

Thousands of people sustain and energize Psi Chi by generously sharing their time and talent as Board members, faculty advisors, committee members, convention speakers, contributors to Psi Chi media, and reviewers for awards, grants, scholarships, convention abstracts, and journal submissions. Our partners, including the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science, broaden Psi Chi’s impact. Hundreds of donors and sponsors have philanthropically supported Psi Chi, allowing us to offer more awards and grants, support more scholarships (Inez Beverly Prosser; Christian Ladd Hall), and provide membership assistance to more academically qualified students.

Headquarters Staff Are the Beating Heart of Psi Chi

In a storybook coincidence, Psi Chi’s new Merchandise and Membership Coordinator, Hunter, processed the 900,000th member on the day he joined our Headquarters team. Psi Chi’s mission-driven Staff—a third of whom have been with us for over 10 years—has expanded to 15 members. Although Psi Chi benefitted from administrative assistance since its inception, Psi Chi welcomed its first Secretary/Treasurer, Lucile Forer, in 1953 (or 54). Our archives, housed at the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology, tell the story of how Executive Secretary and Director Ruth Cousins and Kay Wilson, who served Psi Chi for a combined 44 years from 1959 to 2003, spent countless hours processing members and directly supporting chapters. Subsequent Executive Directors, Virginia Mathie and Martha Zlokovich, expanded Psi Chi’s global reach. Over the years, dozens of Staff members have increased Psi Chi’s impact through supporting chapters and members, maintaining multiple outlets for communication, advancing our technology, championing fiscal sustainability, and strengthening our culture of philanthropy. As the current Executive Director, I could not ask for a more dedicated team. As we celebrate the milestone of 900,000 lifetime members, I am humbled by the thousands of people who have supported Psi Chi through the years, making it one of the largest honor societies in the world. Maybe there is another storybook moment in our future—someone during Psi Chi’s 100th anniversary year in 2029 could become one in a million.

2025 Distinguished Members of Psi Chi

We are excited to congratulate Drs. Regan A. R. Gurung and R. Eric Landrum for their selection as the 2025 Distinguished Members of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology! Together, they were chosen in recognition of their professional achievements in psychology and in the areas of research, service, teaching, and advancing the mission of Psi Chi.

This is truly the highest award available in our organization. In Psi Chi’s entire history, it has only been bestowed upon 49 individuals. Other Psi Chi Distinguished Members include Drs. Albert Bandura, Alice Eagly, Elizabeth Loftus, B. F. Skinner, Philip G. Zimbardo, and more.

View the complete list at https://www.psichi.org/Dist_Members

Regan A. R. Gurung, PhD

Regan A. R. Gurung is Professor of Psychological Science at Oregon State University. He is the 2024 Margaret and Thomas Meehan Honors College

Eminent Mentor, recipient of Oregon State University’s highest teaching award, the Elizabeth P. Ritchie Distinguished Professor Award (2024), and the American Psychological Foundation’s  Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching in Psychology He has had over 130 articles published in peer-reviewed journals and has co-authored/co-edited 15 books. His most recent books are Teach Like A Champ (with Elizabeth Yost Hammer), Study Like A Champ (with John Dunlosky), Transforming Introductory Psychology (with Garth Neufeld), and Thriving in Academia (with Pam Ansburg and Mark Basham). Regan taught at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) before moving to Oregon in 2019.  He has served in many different roles, including Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning, Associate Dean, and Department Chair. He conducts workshops at numerous Teaching and Learning Centers both nationally and internationally. He is founding coeditor of APA’s journal Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, cochaired the APA Introductory Psychology Initiative, and is a past president of Psi Chi and the Society for the Teaching of Psychology.

R. Eric Landrum, PhD

R. Eric Landrum is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at Boise State University. He received his PhD in cognitive psychology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He is a research generalist who broadly addresses improving teaching and learning. Eric has 450+ presentations, more than 25 books/textbooks, and 95 peer-reviewed journal articles published in his career. He has collaborated with 325+ research assistants and taught 16,000+ students over 30 years at Boise State. He is a member of APA and a fellow of Division Two (Society for the Teaching of Psychology/STP). He served as STP Secretary (2009–11) and president (2014). Eric was President of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association from 2016 to 2017 and of Psi Chi from 2017 to 2018. In August 2019, he received the American Psychological Foundation’s Charles L. Brewer Distinguished Teaching of Psychology Award, arguably the highest award for psychology teachers in America. In April 2024, Eric was named a Distinguished Professor at Boise State, the highest award for tenured faculty at the university.

From Elvis to Eilish: Music as a Reflection of Generationl Shifts

Shawn R. Charlton, PhD, and Parker Hamilton University of Central Arkansas

When Elvis Presley first swiveled his hips on national television in the 1950s, parents clutched their pearls while teenagers swooned. Fast forward to today, and those same hip movements might elicit more yawns than gasps from Generation Z. This stark contrast in reactions perfectly illustrates how music serves as a mirror reflecting the ever-evolving landscape of generational differences and psychological experiences.

The Symphony of Generational Discord

Conflicts between generations seem to be part of the human experience, arising from perceived differences in values, experiences, and worldviews shaped by cultural, technological, and societal changes that have a differential impact on those in critical development stages when they occur (Twenge, 2023). Understanding these distinct generational profiles isn’t just academic curiosity—it’s key to bridging divides and fostering empathy across age groups

(Gaidhani et al., 2019). Think of it as trying to get your grandparents to appreciate hip-hop, or convincing your teenage cousin that vinyl records aren’t just “fancy Spotify playlists.”

Each generation’s relationship with music tells a fascinating story of their collective psychology. The Beatles, once considered dangerous radicals by parents in the 1960s, are now often dismissed by younger listeners as “oldies” background music. This shift in perception isn’t just about changing musical tastes—it’s a window into how each generation processes and expresses their unique challenges and identities (Dimock, 2019).

From Rebellion to Recognition

The generational divide often manifests in what might be called the “eternal parental eye-roll” (or, more scientifically, the Strauss-Howe generational theory; Strauss & Howe, 1991).

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince captured this perfectly in their 1988 hit “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” while The Who’s defiant anthem “My Generation” gave voice to youth rebellion in the late 1960s (the challenges in these songs mirror the psychosocial developmental stages proposed by Erickson, 1980). Fast forward to 2000, and Limp Bizkit’s angst-ridden version of “My Generation” spoke to a generation grappling with economic uncertainty and technological upheaval.

Research reveals fascinating psychological patterns across generations. Millennials, sometimes dubbed “Generation Me,” show higher self-esteem and narcissism than their predecessors, but also struggle more with anxiety and depression (Twenge et al., 2008). These aren’t just random traits—they’re the product of specific cultural shifts that have shaped both psychological development and cognitive systems (Schuman & Scott, 1989).

Modern Voices, Timeless Struggles

Today’s artists like Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar continue this tradition of generational expression. Eilish’s “Bury a Friend” dives deep into the anxiety and self-doubt that plague many young people, while Lamar’s “Alright” has become a rallying cry for social justice among Millennials and Gen Z. These artists aren’t just making music—they’re documenting the psychological landscape of their generation.

Understanding the psychohistorical nature of music adds depth to why certain musical themes resonate across different age groups, even as their expressions evolve. Studies show that trauma can be transmitted across generations, potentially through epigenetic mechanisms (Yehuda & Lehrner, 2018). Thus, the impact of generational identity goes beyond mere musical preference and into the very psychology of the generation.

Bridging the Gap Through Harmony

While generational differences exist, they don’t have to create discord. As Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reminded us in “Teach Your Children,” wisdom flows both ways between generations. Here are four proven strategies for using music to bridge the generational divide:

1. Shared Listening Experiences:

Create family or community listening sessions where different generations can share their favorite music. Think of it as a musical show-and-tell that builds empathy and understanding (Crooke et al., 2024).

2. Music as a Communication Tool:

Use music as a universal language to express complex emotions and ideas across age barriers (Hargreaves & North, 2010). Sometimes a shared playlist can say more than words ever could.

3. Music Therapy Techniques:

Incorporate music-based interventions in family settings to address generational gaps and heal historical traumas (Cassola et al., 2024). It’s like group therapy, but with better background music.

4. Technology-Enhanced Music Sharing:

Use digital platforms to introduce younger generations to classic tunes and older folks to new sounds. Think of it as building a musical time machine that connects past and present (Friedman & Schustack, 2005).

Looking Forward

As we continue to witness generational shifts through the lens of music, from Elvis’ hip-shaking to Eilish’s whispered confessions, one thing becomes clear: Music remains a powerful tool for understanding and bridging generational divides (Wydra, 2018). Whether you’re a Baby Boomer who still knows all the words to “Hey Jude” or a Gen Z-er who can rap every verse of “Old Town Road,” music has a way of reminding us that, despite our differences, we’re all just trying to find our rhythm in this ever-changing world.

In the following Headlines, we’ll explore four concepts that illuminate Gen Z’s evolving priorities—from their changing relationship with higher education to their innovative approaches to gaming and communication through humor. These insights offer a window into how generational identities continue to shape and influence our society, providing valuable context for reducing generational conflicts.

References

Cassola, E. G., Santos, L. C. D., Ferreira, M. S. D. C., Correa Barbosa, G., Betini, M., & Domingos, T. D. S. (2024). Systematic review of music therapy and musical interventions for patients with moderate and severe mental disorders. Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 30 (9). https://doi.org/10.1089/jicm.2023.0419

Crooke, A. H. D., Thompson, W. F., Fraser, T., & Davidson, J. (2024). Music, social cohesion, and intercultural understanding: A conceptual framework for intercultural music engagement. Musicae Scientiae, 28 (1), 18–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/10298649231157099

Crosby, D., Stills, S., Nash, G., & Young, N. (1970). Teach your children [Song]. On Déjà vu . Atlantic Records. Dimock, M. (2019). Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins. Pew Research Center, 17 (1), 1–7. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. (1988). Parents just don’t understand [Song]. On He’s the DJ, I’m the rapper Jive Records.

Eilish, B. (2019). Bury a friend [Song]. On When we all fall asleep, where do we go? Darkroom/Interscope Records. Erikson, E. H. (1980). Identity and the Life Cycle. W.W. Norton & Company.

Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2005). Personality: Classic theories and modern research (4th ed.). Pearson. Gaidhani, S., Arora, L., & Sharma, B. K. (2019). Understanding the attitude of Generation Z towards workplace. International Journal of Management, Technology and Engineering, 9 (1), 2804-2812.

Hargreaves, D. J., & North, A. C. (2010). The social and applied psychology of music. Oxford University Press. Lamar, K. (2015). Alright [Song]. On To pimp a butterfly Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath/Interscope Records. Limp Bizkit. (2000). My Generation [Song]. On Chocolate starfish and the hot dog flavored water [Album]. Flip/Interscope Records.

Schuman, H., & Scott, J. (1989). Generations and collective memories. American Sociological Review, 359–381. Strauss, W., & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069 . William Morrow & Company.

The Who. (1965). My Generation [Song]. On My generation Brunswick Records.

Twenge, J. M. (2023). Generations: The real differences between Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, boomers, and silents—and what they mean for America’s future Atria Books.

Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, S. M. (2008). Generational differences in psychological traits and their impact on the workplace. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23 (8), 862–877. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940810904367

Wydra, H. (2018). Generations of memory: Elements of a conceptual framework. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 60 (1), 5–34.

Yehuda, R., & Lehrner, A. (2018). Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: Putative role of epigenetic mechanisms. World Psychiatry, 17 (3), 243–257. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20568

The

Shifting Priorities of Gen Z: Why College Is Losing Its Monopoly on Success

Zoey J. Brown and Donaven C. Pickren University of Central Arkansas

For generations, admission to Harvard symbolized the American dream. However, this year, first-year applications to Harvard dropped by 5.14%, and early enrollment declined by 17% (Sheffey, 2024). Beyond Harvard, overall student interest in college fell from 68% in 2023 to 58% in 2024 (Turner, 2024). A Gallup poll conducted with the Walton Family Foundation (2023) found that, although 85% of Gen Z students recognize the importance of college, only 62% plan to pursue higher education (for comparison, at the same age, 74% of Millennials planned to attend college).

Several potential forces may be driving this shift.

1. Academic Engagement. Just 14% of middle and high school students strongly agreed to a statement asking if they felt challenged in school (Turner, 2024).

2. Affordability. Only 53% of students believe they can finance college, with Black students facing this barrier more acutely (Schwartz, 2023).

3. Rising Tuition. Student debt concerns and FAFSA delays further deter students.

4. Return on Investment. Forty-six percent of Gen Z respondents questioned if college is a valuable investment (Sheffey, 2024).

5. Declining Trust in Higher Education. Thirty-five percent of Gen Z respondents to a national survey in 2022 reported a lack of trust in higher education (Knott, 2022)

As sentiment toward higher education changes, what are members of Gen Z doing instead? Popular alternatives are trade schools, fulltime work, and entrepreneurship. Krawcke (2024) notes that Gen Z is increasingly choosing trade schools due to rising tuition costs and immediate earning potential. Schwartz (2023) highlights how financial independence and job security are key motivators, with many students seeking hands-on training.

Despite these shifts, awareness of alternative career paths remains limited—although 68% frequently hear about college, only 23% are informed about apprenticeships, and 19% about nondegree career options (Turner, 2024). Experts suggest that new technologies and rising salaries in fields like welding, plumbing, and machine tooling are making trade professions more appealing (Johnston, 2024). With programs lasting only months to two years, many trade school graduates secure high-paying jobs, some earning six figures (Hodges, 2024). As Gen Z continues to redefine success, the traditional four-year college model faces increasing competition from alternative education and career pathways.

This shift, although serious in its implications, also reflects a generation unafraid to question long-standing norms and explore new possibilities. Perhaps the dream is no longer confined to ivy-covered walls, but found in welding helmets, coding boot camps, and start-up garages.

References

Hodges, D. Z. (2024). Gen Z chooses trade schools over traditional colleges. Recruiting & Retaining Adult Learners, 26 (11), 7–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/nsr.31210

Johnston, W. (2024, April 22). Gen Z turns to trade schools for job opportunities over college. https://www.npr.org/2024/04/22/1245858737/gen-z-trade-vocational-schools-jobs-college Knott, K. (2022, August 11). Gen Z’s distrust in higher ed Inside Higher Ed.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/08/12/survey-highlights-gen-zs-distrust-higher-ed Krawcke, N. (2024). Gen Z ditching college for trade school. Plumbing & Mechanical, 42 (5), 5–6. https://www.pmmag.com/articles/105494-gen-z-ditching-college-for-trade-school

Schwartz, N. (2023, September 15). Gen Z values college, but affordability concerns remain. Higher Ed Dive https://www.highereddive.com/news/gen-z-values-college-affordability-concerns-gallup/693762/ Sheffey, A. (2024). Gen Z isn’t sure higher education is worth it—and it might be taking a toll on Harvard (US edition ed.). Business Insider, Inc. https://www.businessinsider.com harvard-college-admissions-drop-gen-z-doesnt-value-higher-education-2024-4 Turner, C. (2024, August 29). Teens are losing interest in school, and say they hear about college “a lot.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/08/29/nx-s1-5090895/teens-school-college-poll

Walton Family Foundation. (2024, August). Gen Zers envision a bright future ahead but feel ill-prepared for it, New Gallup Survey finds. https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/about-us/newsroom/ gen-zers-envision-a-bright-future-ahead-but-feel-ill-prepared-for-it-new-gallup-survey-finds

Generation Z at Work: Redefining Productivity and Shattering the Lazy Myth

Judith S. Ramirez and Lauren A. Thompson University of Central Arkansas

Gen Z is often caricatured as lazy and unmotivated in the workplace (Choughari, 2024). With priorities and work styles that differ from previous generations, their approach can make older workers uncomfortable. Although these differences in work values are often viewed as negative, what if we are simply watching the evolution of work in action?

Gen Z is predicted to revolutionize the workforce (Agarwal et al., 2018). Like the generations before them, Gen Z’s motivations, priorities, and communication styles are products of their unique cultural context (Surugiu et al., 2025) and major technological changes (Twenge, 2023). Members of Gen Z respond strongly to extrinsic rewards—praise, validation, promotions (Madden, 2025)—but with a twist: They prioritize mental health and work–life balance with unprecedented clarity. Their communication style breaks traditional molds, embracing diversity and inclusion in ways that reflect seismic shifts in societal values. The explanation? Each generation is shaped by their defining moments—World War II for Boomers, COVID-19 for Gen Z (Twenge, 2023).

The technological revolution of 2010 fundamentally rewired how Gen Z approaches work. They’re masters of working smarter, not harder, welding technology like a Swiss Army knife to boost efficiency and productivity. Although they enter the workforce with remarkable tech prowess, some worry about their face-to-face communication skills (O’Boyle, 2017). The key difference? Gen Z sees work as work, not life itself. Unlike their predecessors, who often built their social lives around the office water cooler, Gen Z draws clear boundaries. Modern technology enables this efficiency-first approach, supporting reduced hours and remote work options

(Albrychiewicz, 2022). This shift to remote work has unleashed new possibilities for both organizations and employees, particularly in terms of autonomy and flexibility (Ljungquist, 2023).

Work priorities have evolved into something their grandparents might not recognize. Gen Z champions safe, positive work environments while prioritizing home and family life. They’re pioneering real worklife balance, not just talking about it. This boundary-setting has become their mental health superpower, separating work from personal fulfillment. When people find their work genuinely exciting, intrinsic motivation soars (Dwivedula, 2024). Many are transforming passion into paychecks, valuing enjoyment over traditional corporate ladders. This generation places unprecedented value on workplace relationships and positive environments (Hidayat et al., 2024). By championing positivity, inclusivity, and holistic well-being, Gen Z isn’t just adapting to the workplace—they are redefining it.

References

Agarwal, H., & Vaghela, P. (2018, December). Work values of Gen Z: Bridging the gap to the next generation. In National Conference on Innovative Business Management Practices in 21st Century (Vol. 1, p. 26). Faculty of Management Studies, Parul University, Gujarat, India. Albrychiewicz-Słocińska, A. (2022). Motivational aspects of remote working—A Generation Z perspective. Zeszyty Naukowe. Organizacja i Zarządzanie. Politechnika Śląska, (166), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.29119/1641-3466.2022.166.2

Choughari, H. (2024). The impact of Gen-Z in the workplace Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2024/02/05/the-impact-of-gen-z-in-the-workplace/ Dwivedula, R. (2024). Why is generation Z motivated at work? A qualitative exploration. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 44 (3), 38–49. https:// doi.org/10.1002/joe.22273

Hidayat, R. M. D., & Linando, J. A. (2024). The influence of work-life balance & healthy lifestyle on mental health through focus on work in Gen Z employees. Selekta Manajemen: Jurnal Mahasiswa Bisnis & Manajemen, 3 (1), 166–180. https://journal.uii.ac.id/selma/article/view/36638/17380

Ljungquist, S., & Lund, S. (2023). Gen Z @Work: A changing management situation: A qualitative study of Generation Z in a remote working environment from a management perspective [Master's thesis, Jönköping University].

Madden, C. (2025). Unlocking the motivation of Gen Z at work: An empirical approach [Doctoral dissertation, Alphacrucis University College, Australia]. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences.

O’Boyle, C., Atack, J., & Monahan, K. (2017). Generation Z enters the workplace: What to expect from the newest generation of workers. Deloitte Insights. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/technology-and-thefuture-of-work/generation-z-enters-workforce.html

Surugiu, C., Surugiu, M.-R., Grădinaru, C., & Grigore, A.-M. (2025). Factors motivating Generation Z in the workplace: Managerial challenges and insights. Administrative Sciences, 15 (1), 29. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15010029

Twenge, J. (2023). Generations: The real differences between Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, boomers, and silents—and what they mean for America›s future . Atria Books.

Game

Changers: How Gen Z Is Redefining Play

Devonte Richards and Ta’Niya Trotter University of Central Arkansas

Remember when games had endings? Gen Z doesn't. The rise of "forever games"—those seemingly endless online experiences lacking clear resolution—is fundamentally transforming how an entire generation understands play (Young, 2024). These digital playgrounds have expanded the definition of gaming into a rich tapestry of social, creative, and entertainment experiences.

Gen Z has embraced this new paradigm with open arms. They're not just casual players; they're the most active gaming generation in history (Coppens, 2024). How active? Try seven hours per week on average (Brune, 2021). Imagine watching the "Harry Potter" movies every week, but instead of watching Harry's journey, they're creating their own adventures.

But here's where it gets interesting: For Gen Z, gaming isn't just about having fun. Traditional games still deliver those feel-good vibes to both mind and body (Donato et al., 2024), but they've evolved into something more—a digital town square where communities form, friendships flourish, and learning happens. The numbers tell the story: 71% of Gen Z gamers don't just play games; they watch game-related content and streams (Brune, 2021). Take "Ninja," for instance. This gamer turned his Fortnite skills into a career, racking up 2.5 billion views and earning $500,000 monthly by March 2023 (Celebrity Net Worth, 2025).

In addition, neuroscientists have been burning the midnight oil studying how video games affect cognition, brain function, and structure (Gallinat et al., 2019). Decades of research have unveiled a complex picture of gaming's impact on everything from physical health to social behaviors and cognitive development (Alanko, 2023).

But perhaps the most fascinating plot twist is how gaming has infiltrated the classroom. Medical schools are leading the charge, using gamification to transform potentially dry material into engaging challenges that cultivate higher-level thinking

(Bhattacharjee et al., 2024). Surprisingly? It works. Students prefer these gamified approaches to traditional methods, and they are more effective (Ding et al., 2017). Extended reality takes it even further, putting students in the driver's seat of their own learning journey while boosting interaction with teachers (Kuleto et al., 2021). Even financial literacy—traditionally about as exciting as watching paint dry—has gotten the gaming treatment, making money management actually engaging for Gen Z (Dinata et al., 2025).

For Generation Z, gaming isn't just a pastime—it's a lens through which they view the world. It shapes how they connect, learn, and even build careers. Like any powerful tool, it demands respect and balance. But one thing's certain: The game has changed, and Gen Z is writing the new rules.

References

Alanko, D. (2023). The health effects of video games in children and adolescents. American Academy of Pediatrics . https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/44/1/23/190316/ The-Health-Effects-of-Video-Games-in-Children-and?redirectedFrom=fulltex

Bhattacharjee, M., Mahanta, A., Naveen, P., Sinha, A., & Sundareswaran, L. (2024). Making a serious game (gamification) for generation Z medical students to learn, teach, and assess medical Physiology. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 13 (1), 212. https://doi.org/ 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1177_23

Brune, M. (2021). Gen Z gamers: Key insights. New Zoo. https://newzoo.com/resources/blog/gen-z-gamers-key-insights

Celebrity Net Worth. (2025, February 25). Tyler "Ninja" Blevins net worth. https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/rock-stars/tyler-ninja-blevins-net-worth/ Coppens, A. (2024). Why gamification is relevant and how to appeal different generations. Gamification Nation https://gamificationnation.com/blog why-gamification-is-relevant-and-how-to-appeal-to-different-generations/

Ding, D., Guan, C., & Yu, Y. (2017). Game-based learning in tertiary education. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 7 (2), 148–152.

Dinata, H., Lisana, L., & Tanudjaja, G.V. (2025). Playing to learn: Game-based approach to financial literacy for generation Z. Entertainment Computing, 52, 100896. https://repository.ubaya.ac.id/47386/3/Hendra%20Dinata_Playing%20to%20learn.pdf

Donato, P. T., Ignacio, S. R., & Manumbali, Q. A. (2024). Factors affecting the decreasing interest of Filipino people under Generation Z in playing traditional games. ERPA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research. https://eprajournals.com/pdf/fm/jpanel/upload/2024/October/202410-01-018569

Gallinat, J., Kuhn, S., & Mascherek, A. (2019). Effects of computer gaming on cognition, brain structure, and function: A critical reflection on existing literature. PubMed Central https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6829166/

Kuleto, V., P. M., Paun, D., Rankovic, M., Sevic, N. P., Stanescu, M., & Teodorescu, S. (2021). Extended reality in higher education, a responsible innovation approach for Generation Y and Generation Z. Sustainability https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/21/11814#

Young, B. (2024). The rise of ‘forever games’—and why Gen Z is paying for them . Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/the-rise-of-forever-games-and-why-gen-z-is-paying-for-them-13254637

communication tools. It's the original viral content, if you will.

Humor isn't just about getting likes and shares—it's a cornerstone of human connection. Research shows that it plays a crucial role in building and maintaining relationships (Lefcourt, 2001), while also serving as a psychological safety net when emotions get heavy (Ford, 2016). Enter Generation Z, who've mastered the art of being "unserious" in serious times—so much so that they'e earned a reputation for it (Dey, 2025).

But here's the plot twist: Gen Z's seemingly irreverent humor isn't just random. Having grown up with smartphones as digital pacifiers, this generation has experienced a unique humor evolution. They've had front-row seats to global crises and terror through their screens from an unusually young age (Reddy, 2023). Social media hasn't just connected them—it's created a global factory for inside jokes, with memes as its primary export (Aronson, 2022). The result? A brand of humor that older generations might find as comprehensible as their grandparents found rock 'n' roll— absurd, dark, and distinctly Gen Z (Partlow, 2021).

The numbers tell an interesting story: Imagine a generation where less than 11% watches traditional news (Watson, 2022). Although older generations still hold to their newspapers, Gen Z is getting their news between TikTok dances and Instagram reels. This shift hasn't gone unnoticed—governments are now sliding into the conversation with memes (Putri, 2024), and businesses

are trading their suit-and-tie advertising for something more... memeable. Even traditional TV commercials have embraced the absurd, serving up bite-sized pieces of weirdness that would have made Salvador Dalí proud (Kala, 2022).

Before you dismiss this as the death of serious discourse, consider this: Gen Z's apparent frivolity might be more strategic than it appears. Their meme-first approach to communication isn't avoiding deep issues—it's making them more digestible. When the world serves up darkness, Gen Z responds with a side of dark humor. It's not avoidance; it's adaptation. Their brand of healthy humor acts as a spotlight, illuminating global issues while keeping the conversation engaging and, yes, even hopeful (Panella, 2024).

In a world where doom scrolling seems to be the norm, Gen Z has found a way to keep the conversation going in a (somewhat) healthy way. Their humor isn't just coping—it's connecting and communicating.

References

Aronson, P., & Jaffal, I. (2022). Zoom memes for self-quaranteens: Generational humor, identity, and conflict during the pandemic. Emerging Adulthood, 10 (2), 519–533. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968211058513

Dey, A. (2025, January 13). Gen Z is the most ‘unserious generation': Expert explains why they use humor to deal with uncomfortable situations. Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/relationships/gen-z-is-the-most-unserious-generation-expertexplains-why-they-use-humour-to-deal-with-uncomfortable-situations-101736752667306.html

Ford, T. E., Platt, T., Richardson, K., & Tucker, R. (2016). The psychology of humor: Basic research and translation. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 2 (1), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000066

Kala, I. (2022, November). What is in a meme: Analysing the perception of Gen Z to memes and virality in modern marketing. ProQuest. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2775799546?f romopenview=true&pq-origsite=gscholar&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals

Lefcourt, H. M. (2001). Humor: The psychology of living buoyantly. Kluwer Academic Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4287-2

Panella, M. (2024, October 23). Gen Z culture is the perfect blend of humor and heart. The Loyola Phoenix https://loyolaphoenix.com/2024/10/gen-z-culture-is-the-perfect-blend-of-humor-and-heart/ Partlow, C., & Talarczyk, P. (2021). Absurdism and Generation Z humor: The effects of absurdist content on perceived humor levels in Generation Z students. Journal of Student Research, 10 (4). https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v10i4.2011

Putri, S. D., Rahmawati, D. E., & Fridayani, H. D. (2024). Memes for meaningful engagement: Connecting with Gen Z through authentic government communication JGP International Conference. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4783779

Reddy, A. (2023, June 27). The inside-out of Gen Z: Helping through positive psychology. Psychology India Magazine. https://psychology.net.in/the-inside-out-of-gen-z-helping-through-positive-psychology/ Watson, A. (2022, October 17). Gen Z news consumption U.S. 2022. Statista https://www.statista.com/statistics/1124119/gen-z-news-consumption-us/

Going Global Without Leaving the Psychology Classroom

Leslie D. Cramblet Alvarez, PhD, and Casey J. Dinger, EdD University of Denver (CO)

Imagine a child psychology course in which students from the United States and China work together to learn about cross-cultural differences in development across topics like cyber-bullying, the impact of the pandemic on development, play, and corporal punishment. A course in which students first consider these topics based on their own experiences, and then find articles examining them, with samples of children from their home countries. A class where students consider the social policies and/or laws that intersect with these aspects of development and finally, come together to present on these issues and how they vary in their respective countries. This is exactly the experience of Dr. Yan Li (DePaul University) and Dr. Qian Wang’s (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) students when they worked together to embed opportunities to develop global learning and intercultural knowledge in their psychology courses.

Dr. Li worked with her local Curriculum Internationalization unit within the Global Engagement office at DePaul to bring this unique course experience to fruition, engaging in what was referred to locally as a course with a "Global Learning Experience". Indeed, the experience she and her coteaches were able to create was a critical opportunity to learn to work cross-culturally and learn with and from international colleagues, both for the students and the faculty.

Internationalizing the Psychology Curriculum

In psychology there has long been a push for internationalization of the discipline and the curriculum. In fact, up until 2009, Psi Chi was a national honor society, but for the last 15 years has been an international

honor society, growing to 27 international Psi Chi chapters. As we become a more global society, it has been argued that we should better prepare students for this paradigm shift by embedding globalization and cultural awareness in psychology (Buskist et al., 2012). Oftentimes, study abroad experiences are relied upon for the development of what the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) refers to as “intercultural knowledge” and “global learning” (AAC&U, 2024a). But, only a small percentage of U.S. students study abroad each year. So, how can we more intentionally include these opportunities in psychology classes? The international education community has some ideas. Virtual exchange, specifically a practice known as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) allows students to meaningfully engage with international peers in a cotaught learning environment to solve problems collaboratively.

Dr. Li and her international colleague were doing just this.

About COIL

COIL was conceived at the State University of New York (SUNY system) in the mid-1990s, just as the internet and online Learning Management Systems were emerging (LMS; Rubin, 2017). A “COILed” course is one in which two faculty from culturally, geographically, and perhaps, linguistically, distinct universities partner to coteach a module in which students engage cross-culturally to solve a problem.

These courses may be interdisciplinary, or as was the case for Drs. Li and Wang, from the same discipline. They may also span across subdisciplines. At times they are focused on content, others, on language learning. Generally, this collaboration does not last the whole semester

or quarter, rather, a module is typically COILed, minimally lasting 4 weeks. Much depends on the semester or term schedule, and time zones. So, COILed courses are often a combination of synchronous and asynchronous work. Faculty collaborate on shared intercultural or global learning outcomes, and students typically work together outside of the course through virtual communication platforms of their choice. Importantly, students work in small groups to solve a problem that culminates in cowriting a paper, preparing a presentation, collaborating on a research question, or other final projects.

For Students

There hasn’t been a lot of research on the impacts of COIL on psychology students specifically, however, there is some evidence that COIL modules have a positive impact on intercultural competence (Fukkink et al, 2024; Vahed & Rodriguez, 2020; Wood et al., 2022) intercultural communication (Medina & Hestler, 2021), global learning (Medina & Hestler, 2021), and language skills (Liu, 2023). In one of the few articles that explored COIL within psychology students, findings indicated that students who participated in a COILed course in health psychology enjoyed the international collaboration, reported that it was a valuable learning experience, and appreciated the opportunity it afforded to learn about the culture of another people.

The AAC&U recently recognized Virtual Exchange/COIL as a featured initiative and touts this method’s ability to positively impact critical thinking, stimulate creative problem-solving, enhance oral and written communication, and cultivate teamwork and cultural awareness (AAC&U, 2024b).

For Faculty

Benefits from COIL extend beyond the participating students. COILed courses offer growth opportunities for the faculty members engaged in this pedagogy in the form of new skills and insight. The AAC&U points to COIL as a way to promote interdisciplinary innovation and support digital teaching expertise among faculty (2024b). Just as is the case with students, COIL partnerships mean faculty are actively working with international colleagues to make the experience meaningful and successful for all students. In the teaching context, this includes planning and delivering a course module together, which involves a degree of collaboration in course design and coteaching, something many faculty rarely do. It may be no surprise that faculty themselves have the opportunity and impetus to grow their own global mindset and skills by navigating cross-cultural conversations, appropriately adapting and integrating this into their teaching and learning.

Getting Started in COIL

After the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of colleges and universities have established programs for faculty interested in engaging in virtual exchange broadly (which may have varying names depending on your university) or COIL specifically. Faculty are encouraged to reach out to both their international office and center for teaching and learning to inquire about what supports might be available even if there isn’t a dedicated program or staff. In fact, Dr. Li shared with us that the support of her local Global Engagement office was invaluable. It can be more challenging to get started if there are few or no institutional supports, especially in finding time and space to engage with a new teaching strategy, understanding the pedagogy,

finding a partner, and carrying out the nuance of cross-cultural collaborative course design and implementation. However, in addition to advocating for the institution to develop such supports on campus through departments, centers for teaching and learning or international offices, faculty can turn to a wide number of external resources to help with their work. Several universities and organizations have free information sessions for faculty who want to understand the pedagogy or low-cost trainings to help.

The AAC&U, for example has a webpage dedicated to COIL (https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/virtual-exchange-collaborative-online-international-learning), and their global learning conference often has sessions on COIL. Another valuable resource, CoilConnect (https://coilconnect.org/) acts as an online matching service for institutions and individual faculty who are looking for partners to codevelop a specific course. SUNY has COIL standards https://oscqr. suny.edu/coil/coil-standards/ that can help guide and construct quality virtual exchange experiences. To learn more about DePaul’s Global Learning Experience Program, see https://go.depaul.edu/veforyou COIL is an exciting way to go global without leaving the classroom. If you want to find out more about Psi Chi’s international initiatives and opportunities to engage, visit the Global Initiatives Advisory Committee page for resources, the international chapter directory, and details about the advisory committee.

References

American Association of Colleges and Universities. (2024a). Essential learning outcomes. https://www.aacu.org/trending-topics/essential-learning-outcomes American Association of Colleges and Universities. (2024b). Virtual exchange/Collaborative Online International Learning. https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/virtual-exchange-collaborative-online-international-learning

Buskist, W., Zuckerman, K., & Busler, J. N. (2012). Globalization and the teaching of psychology: A call to action. Psychology Teaching and Learning, 11 (3), 306–315. https://doi.org/10.2304/plat.2012.11.3.306

Fukkink, R., Helms, R., Spee, O., Mongelos, A., Bratland, K., & Pederson, R. (2024). Pedagogical dimensions and intercultural learning outcomes of COIL: A review of studies published between 2013–2022. Journal of Studies in International Education, 28 (5), 761–779. https://www.doi.org/10.1177/10283153241262462

Liu, Y. (2023). Overview of the impact of Collaborative Online International Learning on Learners. SHS Web of Conferences, 157. https://www.doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202315704011

Medina, A. L., & Hestler, C. (2021). How a challenge is also a chance: Shaping teacher education through Collaborative Online International Learning. LBzM Ludwigsburger Beitrage zur Medienpadagogik, 21 1–16. https://www.doi.org/10.21240/lbzm/21/08

Rubin, J. (2017). Embedding Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) at higher education institutions: An evolutionary overview with exemplars. Internationalization of Higher Education, 2 27–44. https://studyabroad.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/256/2020/08/Rubin-Embedding-CollaborativeOnline-International-Learning-at-Higher-Education-Institutions.pdf

Vahed, A. & Rodriguez, K. (2020). Enriching students’ engaged learning experiences through the Collaborative Online International Learning project. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 58 (5), 596–605. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2020.1792331

Wood, E. A. Collins, S. L., Mueller, S., Stetten, N. E., & El-Shokry, M. (2022). Transforming perspectives through virtual exchanges: A US-Egypt partnership part 1. Frontiers in Public Health Curriculum, 10 https://www.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.877547

Leslie D. Cramblet Alvarez, PhD, is the Assistant Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and Director of the Office of Teaching and Learning at the University of Denver. She is a Past-President of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association and a former Psi Chi Vice-President for the Rocky Mountain region. She currently works in faculty development full time after 14 years as psychology faculty.

Casey J. Dinger, EdD, is the Executive Director for Internationalization at the University of Denver. He is involved in several internationalization organizations including AIEA, EAIE and COILConnect. With over 14 year’s experience in higher education, Casey’s work focuses on intercultural education, internationalization of the curriculum, and faculty development.

Mind Games and Mean Girls: Psychology Themes in Mean Girls: The Musical

Jill M. Swirsky, PhD Holy Family University

SSometimes mean is what you are

Mean is easier than nice

And though mean can take you far

Maybe this will make you think twice

—Janice, Cautionary Tale

ocial aggression (also known as nonphysical bullying) has always been around, but Mean Girls was the story that really put this high school experience on the map. Mean Girls: The Musical (Jayne & Perez, 2024) is a stage adaptation of the 2004 (Waters) teen comedy film Mean Girls (written by Tina Fey) and based on the book Queen Bees & Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman. After moving from Africa, Cady Heron quickly becomes entangled in the complex social hierarchy of North Shore High School.

She befriends Janice and Damian, who warn her about the most powerful clique, The Plastics, led by the manipulative and self-absorbed Regina George. Cady initially infiltrates the group to get closer to Regina’s ex-boyfriend, Aaron Samuels, but soon becomes swept up in the drama and power struggles of high school life. Throughout the musical, Cady grapples with her own identity and values, and the impact of peer pressure, popularity, and betrayal.

She’s the queen of the beasts, she can smell your fear

In this biosphere, she’s the apex predator

—Janice, Apex Predator

The Social Hierarchy of High School

It is no secret that the high school social hierarchy resembles a ladder: The strong thrive while the weak perish. In Mean Girls: The Musical, the high school hierarchy is often compared to a jungle to underscore the ruthless social dynamics and power struggles among students. Just as animals in the jungle fight for dominance and survival, students at the top of the social ladder, like Regina and The Plastics, assert control through manipulation, exclusion, and bullying (Koski et al., 2015). During the song “Apex Predator,” we see the teenagers at North Shore High engage in animalistic behaviors as they demonstrate the territorial social structure (Jayne & Perez, 2024). Although somewhat exaggerated, this comparison highlights how high school can feel like a survival of the fittest, where those at the top dominate and those at the bottom must navigate the complex web of relationships to avoid becoming prey. The social environment, like the jungle, is harsh, competitive, and deeply rooted in group loyalty, with clear leaders and followers defining the social ecosystem.

You’ll be judged on sight And made to fit So find a clique and stick with it Say, where do you belong?

—Janice & Damian, Where Do You Belong?

Groups and Cliques

Within that social hierarchy, we see different groups, or cliques, emerge. During the song “Where Do You Belong?,” Janice and Damian introduce Cady to her new classmates, pointing out the various groups of students: jocks, band geeks, burnouts, theater kids, grade grubbers… and popular kids (aka The Plastics). Cliques form for many reasons, among them are the security, belonging, and loyalty they can provide (Pickhardt, 2021). This is consistent with science on adolescent development showing both selection (we select friends with similar interests to ourselves) and similarity effects (we become more similar to our friends over time; Lodder et al., 2016) Although dramatized, the cliques shown in Mean Girls: The Musical are somewhat consistent with the typical high school structure. By some twist of fate, Cady catches the eye of Head Plastic, Regina, and is invited to sit with her and her cronies (Karen Smith and Gretchen Wieners). She is reluctant at first but is encouraged by Janice and Damina to infiltrate The Plastics in order to gain intel and exact revenge (more on that later). Cady is briefed on the “rules” of the clique: only one ponytail a week, no sweatpants, and perhaps most famously: “on Wednesdays, we wear pink” (Jayne & Perez, 2024).

So thank you, math, for being there

To bring me joy/And thank you, math ‘Cause now you brought me this cute boy!

—Cady, Stupid With Love

Romantic Relationships

Cady grew up homeschooled in Kenya (a point which is only briefly mentioned and barely seems relevant to the plot… but I digress…). Despite her lack of formal schooling, she is somewhat of a math prodigy. Cady finds herself seated behind Aaron Samuels (Regina’s ex-boyfriend) in her math class and is instantly smitten. To secure Aaron’s attention and affection, Cady pretends to be less intelligent and more superficial than she truly is, faking confusion and deliberately failing quizzes so she can ask Aaron to tutor her. In fact, this is not an uncommon strategy: Adolescent girls may sometimes act “dumb” or downplay their intelligence as a way to attract a romantic partner due to a combination of societal influences, peer pressure, and internalized gender norms. During adolescence, individuals are highly influenced by the desire to fit in and gain social approval, especially from peers and potential romantic interests (Nissim, 2019). The media often reinforces these stereotypes by portraying relationships where the female is depicted as innocent, naïve, or needing to be “rescued” by a male, creating pressure for women and girls to conform to these roles. (Don’t worry—Cady ultimately realizes that hiding her intelligence is a mistake and eventually goes on to lead her school’s Mathlete team to victory).

My name is Regina George

And in case you’re keeping score

Cady may have won the battle

But I will win the war, for

I wanna watch the world burn

—Regina, World Burn

Aggression & Victimization

At the heart of Mean Girls: The Musical is the dark side of adolescent friendships. Let’s begin by taking a closer look at peer victimization and aggression (more commonly known as bullying). Peer aggression often takes two distinct forms. Overt aggression occurs directly between the victim and the perpetrator as a show of dominance. It can include both physical (e.g., fighting, hitting, pushing) and verbal attacks (e.g., hurtful comments, putdowns, teasing, threats; Doyle & Sullivan, 2017). Social aggression occurs indirectly through peer social networks and is intended to damage someone’s social standing. It typically involves behaviors such as rumor spreading, gossip, and exclusion (Cairns et al., 1989). Although overt and social victimization are strongly correlated with one another, they are distinct constructs and are linked to different patterns of adjustment such as internalizing issues (e.g., loneliness, depression) and externalizing behaviors (e.g., delinquency, aggression; Casper & Card, 2017).

We see examples of both overt and social aggression throughout the show. Unsurprisingly, the main perpetrator is Regina herself, although the other characters are far from innocent. Regina uses her social power to manipulate and control those around her, often engaging in cruel behavior like mocking, name-calling, and public humiliation. One of the most notable examples of overt bullying is when Regina creates a "Burn Book," a scrapbook filled with hurtful gossip, insults, and rumors about other students. The book becomes a tool for Regina and her friends to spread malicious stories and tear down classmates, using cruel language and personal attacks to assert their dominance. This type of bullying is highly visible and serves as a way for Regina to maintain her social status, exerting power over others by openly diminishing their self-esteem. But we also see social aggression, primarily in the form of gossip, rumor spreading, and exclusion. For instance, Regina and her clique deliberately isolate Janice and Damian, making them feel invisible or unworthy of belonging. This indirect form of bullying is emotionally damaging, as it undermines individuals’ self-esteem and social standing without overt aggression.

Identity Development

Be somebody new Do a total transformation

Animals or minerals too, or even vegetation

I give you sexy corn

I can be who I want to be and sexy —Karen, Sexy

Girls: The Musical is no exception, identity development is a central theme throughout the show. Erik Erikson's fifth stage of psychosocial development is Identity vs. Role Confusion, which typically occurs during adolescence (ages 12 to 18). In this stage, adolescents explore and develop a sense of self and personal identity. They experiment with different roles, values, and beliefs to form a cohesive and stable sense of who they are. Successful resolution of this stage leads to a strong, clear sense of identity, while failure to do so can result in role confusion, where individuals feel uncertain about their future and their place in the world. This stage is critical for laying the foundation for adulthood and influences future relationships, career choices, and personal goals (Cherry, 2023). During the song “Sexy,” Karen (one of Regina’s cronies) sings about how she loves Halloween because it enables her to take on many different appearances (all of them sexy, but that’s beside the point). The song draws an interesting parallel between Halloween and adolescence—both of which enable teens to “try on” different personas (Jayne & Perez, 2024).

Throughout the show, Cady attempts to navigate her transition from a homeschooled student to a member of a complex social environment. She initially struggles with her sense of self, torn between the values and beliefs instilled in her by her parents and the pressure to conform to high school social norms. We see Cady experiment with different identities, ultimately losing touch with her true self and becoming someone she doesn’t recognize. Although she is in danger of falling into what Erikson called role confusion, Cady ultimately embraces her own identity, realizing that her worth isn't determined by conformity or external approval, but by staying true to who she really is.

And if I eat alone from this moment on

That's just what I'll do 'Cause I'd rather be me, I'd rather be me

I'd rather be me than be with you —Janice, I’d Rather Be Me

Self-Acceptance

Any story about adolescence must grapple with one of the primary developmental tasks of the period: identity development. Mean

We haven’t talked much about Janice or Damian yet, which is surprising as they are my favorite characters. The exemplify self-acceptance, particularly in the face of social pressures and exclusion. Both are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and proudly out, resulting in them being somewhat ostracized from their peers. This is consistent with research showing that factors which set teens apart from their peers puts them at risk for being bullied (Forsberg & Horton, 2022). Rather than trying to conform to the expectations of the popular crowd, they embrace their

individuality with pride. Janice, with her alternative style and sarcastic humor, rejects the superficial values of The Plastics and stays true to her own unique identity. Similarly, Damian, openly flamboyant and unapologetically himself, celebrates his personality and doesn't shy away from expressing who he is, even when others may ridicule him. Their journey underscores the importance of embracing one’s authentic self, regardless of how others perceive them. Unlike Cady, who struggles with fitting in and compromising her values to gain acceptance, Janice and Damian remain grounded in their self-worth and serve as reminders of the strength and freedom that come with self-acceptance. Their confident authenticity offers a stark contrast to the toxic social dynamics at school, illustrating that true belonging comes from accepting oneself, not from trying to fit a prescribed mold.

Plastic don't shine Glitter don't shine Rhinestones don't shine

The way you do

—Cady, I See Stars

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mean Girls: The Musical provides a rich exploration of key psychological themes in adolescent development. The musical also underscores the emotional consequences of bullying, both overt and social, as well as the pressure to conform to beauty standards and societal expectations. Through its vibrant characters and catchy songs, Mean Girls offers a critical lens on the complexities of adolescence, reminding audiences of the importance of self-acceptance and the dangers of sacrificing one’s true self in pursuit of popularity. Ultimately, the musical's psychological themes resonate not only with adolescents but with anyone navigating the challenges of fitting in, finding self-worth, and staying true to one's identity in a complex, and often coldly Plastic, social world.

References

Cairns, R. B., Cairns, B. D., Neckerman, H. J., Ferbuson, L. L., & Gariepy, J. L. (1989). Growth and aggression: Childhood to early adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 25 (2), 320–330. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.25.2.320

Casper, D. M., & Card, N. A. (2017). Overt and relational victimization: A meta‐analytic review of their overlap and associations with social–psychological adjustment. Child Development, 88 (2), 466–483. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12621

Cherry, K. (2023). Identity vs. role confusion in psychosocial development. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/identity-versus-confusion-2795735

Doyle, S. T., & Sullivan, T. N. (2017). Longitudinal relations between peer victimization, emotion dysregulation, and internalizing symptoms among early adolescents. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 3 7(2), 165–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431615594458

Forsberg, C., & Horton, P. (2022). ‘Because I am me': School bullying and the presentation of self in everyday school life. Journal of Youth Studies, 25 (2), 136–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2020.1849584

Jayne, S., & Perez Jr., A. (2024). Mean girls [film]. Paramount Pictures. Koski, J. E., Xie, H., & Olson, I. R. (2015). Understanding social hierarchies: The neural and psychological foundations of status perception. Social Neuroscience, 10 (5), 527–550. https://doi.org/10.1080/17470919.2015.1013223

Lodder, G. M., Scholte, R. H., Cillessen, A. H., & Giletta, M. (2016). Bully victimization: Selection and influence within adolescent friendship networks and cliques. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45 , 132–144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0343-8

Nissim, L. (2019). How to parent the teen struggle to fit in and stand out. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/special-matters/201905how-to-parent-the-teen-struggle-to-fit-in-and-stand-out Pickhardt, C. (2021). Adolescence and the power of social cliques. Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday. com/us/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence/202112/adolescence-and-the-power-of-social-cliques Waters, M. (Director). (2004). Mean girls [Film]. Paramount Pictures. Wiseman, R. (202). Queen bees and wannabes: Helping your daughter survive cliques, gossip, boyfriends, and the new realities of girl world. Three Rivers Press.

Jill Swirsky, PhD, is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Holy Family University in Philadelphia, PA. Her research interests include peer relationships and social dynamics among early adolescents (e.g., aggression, victimization, and popularity) as well as the role of social media behaviors in adolescent development and adjustment. She is also an avid lover of musical theater, fantasy novels, and all things fandom. In her (admittedly extremely limited) free time, Dr. S enjoys binge-watching Netflix with her partner (Mike) and cats (Newt and Copper), crafting, and writing snail-mail letters to her many pen pals. Follow her on LinkedIn or email her at jswirsky@holyfamily.edu

Introducing Psi Chi’s Pop Culture Corner Series

—your very own backstage pass to uncover and apply psychology principles in your favorite films, TV shows, and plays.

Series Editor Dr. Jill M. Swirsky invites you on an unforgettable journey to explore

• mental health diagnoses in Shameless,

• adolescent development in The Sound of Music,

• fear-driven conditions in The Twilight Zone,

• emotional nuances in Frozen, and so much more!

Check out the full series: https://www.psichi.org/page/popculturecorner

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Questions (and Answers)

About the Ever-Evolving World of Psychology Graduate School

Have you ever wondered how AI and recent technological advancements might affect your placement and success in graduate school? In this issue of our “Three Heads ARE Better Than One” series, our three experts tackle some of aspiring graduate students’ most pressing questions about recent changes in admissions and graduate programs. Discover the latest support systems for grad students, take a peek into the perks of pursuing interdisciplinary opportunities, and compare challenges faced today with those faced by previous generations. Is the future of graduate school smarter, faster, and more fascinating than ever? There’s only one way to find out!

In what ways have the admissions processes for psychology-related graduate programs changed over the years?

Turner-Musa: One way in which the admissions process for psychology-related graduate programs changed over the years is by shifting away from standardized testing and more towards experience. Graduate programs are interested in well-rounded students. The interest is in knowing who you are, what you have done, what you can do, and what you want to do.

Radico: This may not reflect a broad change, though it is important to be able to tell a story with your experiences. Why did you choose to gain experience in the areas in which you focused,

Mitch Prinstein, PhD, ABPP University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

Jocelyn Turner-Musa, PhD Morgan State University (MD)

Julie Radico, PsyD, ABPP

Radico Psychological and Consultation Services, LLC

and how do you plan to carry that focus through into your graduate work? Is there a through-line or overarching theme?

Prinstein: Psychology is the study of all human behavior. Most research has sampled only a subset of humans, systematically overrepresenting people from some geographic regions or demographic characteristics. Admissions procedures have increasingly focused on how to recruit a workforce that may have interest in understanding and sampling populations more broadly.

What technological advancements, such as online platforms and AI tools, are currently transforming the landscape of graduate applications and education?

Turner-Musa: Among the technological advancements currently transforming the landscape of graduate applications are things such as online platforms to submit graduate school applications and chat boxes to provide immediate responses to questions an applicant might have. Students are generally provided with updates on the status of their application and sent reminders to complete their application. At my institution, we have a “GradBot” named Brad that is there to help students with questions related to the admissions process and more. We also have a link providing applicants with an opportunity to translate the application process into another language if that’s their preference.

Radico: Just as you are aware of AI, such as ChatGPT, so are admission boards. Be mindful of how you use AI, and if you are using it to help you draft materials, be sure that the work is still very much coming from you and in your own voice. Do not submit anything that was completely written by AI.

Prinstein: Personal statements can be written by generative AI, but this would be strongly ill-advised. No one is reading the statement primarily as a measure of writing skills. Rather, it is meant to be a reflection of your actual interests, personality, and fit. It is questionable whether a computer can express that better than you, and it is certain that a match based on an AI-generated personal statement will make you unhappy, as it is not based on who you truly are.

When you were a student, what were the primary challenges you faced when applying for and attending graduate school, and how do these challenges compare to the challenges faced by current graduate students?

Turner-Musa: This is a great question. I’ll try not to age myself. One of the biggest challenges I faced when applying for graduate school was time. When I was a student, I had to start early because most of the applications had to be mailed (not emailed or submitted online) to the graduate program. So, starting early in the process would ensure that the application was received on time. You also had to make sure your recommenders mailed their letters in a timely manner. This required quite a bit of coordination. Today, students still need to manage their time and make sure that their recommenders have what is needed, but today’s students (and their recommenders) have the benefit of being sent email reminders to complete the application. This is just one example.

Radico: It was somewhat fatiguing navigating and completing all of the different requirements for each program. I found that

I needed to work on the materials when I had a good amount of energy. Protect time in your schedule, not always at the end of the day when you’re exhausted, to work on materials bit by bit. Be mindful to make sure your materials explain how and why you are interested in that specific program, don’t just copy and paste one form letter to many different programs.

Prinstein: Etching my personal statement onto stone tablets using a chisel and then delivering it to the schools I applied to using a horse and carriage was very exhausting and time-consuming. But the most difficult part was that there was no information available to understand what graduate school was like, how to apply, or how to understand differences between programs. Unlike my pre-med and pre-law friends, I was at a complete loss and had to rely heavily on rumors and hunches to get in. It is fantastic that so many resources now exist, including this column from Psi Chi!

Do you believe the expectations for applicants’ research experiences and quality of work have increased, decreased, or remained the same over time?

Turner-Musa: I believe that the expectations for applicants’ research experiences and quality of work have increased over time. As cited earlier, many graduate programs are looking for well-rounded students. The more research and applied experiences you have, the more likely you are to be a competitive applicant. Because of advances in technology, it is also likely that there is increased competition in all markets, and as such, there is a growing emphasis on greater research experience, specialized skills, and work quality.

Radico: I agree that expectations have increased over time. You want to ensure that you are explaining how you are bringing strengths in many different areas, for example, clinical, research, and education.

Prinstein: Sadly, there seems to be an impression among students that publications and presentations are needed to get into graduate school. In some cases, applicants feel they need many of each type. The problem extends to junior faculty who now produce more papers than would have seemed possible just 10 years ago. This trend is not guided by what is best for science; it is based on a gradually rising tide of expectations and perhaps also the greed of for-profit publishers who are eager to produce more products. Know that within the application process, the existence of publications and presentations often represents the generosity of your undergrad or postbac mentors as much if not more than your own potential to succeed in graduate school, and many get admitted with few to no publications at all.

How have opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration changed in the field of psychology?

Turner-Musa: Over time, psychology and psychologists have come to appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of the discipline and the value of integrating different perspectives. Just think about the subfields of psychology and how they often intersect with different disciplines. In my own research and work with students, I often collaborate with colleagues and students in biology, social work, education, and public health to name a few.

Radico: Almost all medical specialties have psychologists integrated into them now. Psychologists do clinical work, research,

educational work, and more within many different areas, and they are often looking for students to work alongside them. If you look up your local Academic Medical Center and search for faculty in different departments, you will likely find psychologists in family medicine, sleep medicine, oncology, neurology, etc.

Prinstein: Transdisciplinary work has long been discussed as valued, but this remains difficult to accomplish in siloed academic departments. If you have a chance to work across different disciplines, be sure to do so. In your personal statement, make sure you explain to the reader how your work has had impact across fields, as many faculty will be less familiar with concepts, debates, constructs, or conferences and journals outside their discipline, or even outside their subdiscipline of psychology.

How has the support system for graduate students (e.g., mentorship, mental health resources) evolved in recent years?

Turner-Musa: The support system for graduate students has evolved in recent years due in part to social media and greater access to online resources. Students can connect with one another, mentors, and mental health resources via platforms such as GroupMe, Instagram, online mental health sites, and virtually (e.g., Zoom). Graduate programs have also become more keenly aware of the need to support graduate students’ mental health and well-being and offer programming to address these needs.

Radico: In addition to their being more resources in general, there continues to be more support for utilization and open discussion of mental health resources. Psychologists are not immune to stereotypes and biases, and with each passing year, utilization of supports becomes more and more accepted.

Prinstein: There are so many resources and tools now available online to help graduate students fill in the gaps of their training, get needed social support from others, and establish connections with collaborators or study sites across the world. It is nice for students to start making connections outside their graduate programs and establish an identity within the overall field earlier in their careers.

Are there any new ethical considerations that psychology graduate students must be mindful of, especially with the rise of technology and AI?

Turner-Musa: The rise of and use of AI is among the ethical considerations that psychology graduate students must be mindful of. Utilization of tools such as ChatGPT can be beneficial, but graduate students must be careful not to overly rely on such tools and misuse them. This is especially true for students who use these tools for writing research papers or other assignments. Other things to consider are algorithmic bias, efficiency, and accuracy of data collected to develop AI models that may be used in or for research. For more information, check out this article on equity, ethics, and artificial intelligence.

Abrams, Z. (2024). Addressing equity and ethics in artificial intelligence. Monitor on Psychology, 55(3), 24. https://www.apa.org/ monitor/2024/04/addressing-equity-ethics-artificial-intelligence

Radico: Along with the ethical concerns that come with AI and the heightened risk for plagiarism, there’s also a risk to hindering your ability to synthesize and process complex information. You

are likely doing yourself a disservice if you are relying on AI to do your deep thinking for you.

Prinstein: Students should be careful to consider how their own online profiles may be accessed or misinterpreted by potential clients, research collaborators, or study participants. Literally anything online (i.e., even content within “private” profiles) can be copied, manipulated, or distributed to others without your consent.

Can you share any predictions or hopes for the future of psychology graduate education?

Turner-Musa: According to the American Psychological Association’s Center for Workforce Studies, there has been a steady increase in master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology from 2004–2023. Thus, I predict that the future of psychology graduate education is promising.

Radico: The need for psychologists and all mental health clinicians is growing more and more each year. I am hopeful that programs will continue to see this need and to invest in educating the future mental health workforce. Also, I hope that psychology training will continue to be valued and increasingly integrated within all professions.

Prinstein: It is now possible to get accredited training in health service psychology at the master’s level, and in many U.S. states, one can practice—sometimes without supervisions—with just a master’s degree. This is a significant change for the field, and it may lead to the development of more career pathways for those with a master’s, which could substantially change the number of people interested in doctoral training. This would have substantial implications for graduate programs and training at large, which may be exciting.

Jocelyn Turner-Musa, PhD, is a professor and chairperson of the Department of Psychology at Morgan State University (MSU) in Baltimore, MD. She is the Director of student training in the MSU ASCEND Center for Biomedical Research, funded by the National Institutes of Health. She is also a member of the American Psychological Association and is PastPresident of Division 1, The Society for General Psychology. Her research focuses on understanding the role of psychological and social factors on disease management and health promotion. Dr. Turner-Musa has received numerous awards including an American Fellows Award from the American Association of University Women.

Julie Radico, PsyD, ABPP, is a Pennsylvania licensed clinical psychologist, board-certified in clinical health psychology. She has extensive experience in multi-disciplinary patient-centered clinical care, education, research, wellness, and leadership. She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology and master’s degrees (clinical psychology & counseling and clinical health psychology) at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Radico completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the department of Family Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Radico serves in leadership positions for the American Psychological Association, Pennsylvania Psychological Association, American Academy of Clinical Health Psychology, APA Society for Health Psychologists, and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM).

Mitch Prinstein, PhD, ABPP, is the Chief Science Officer of the American Psychological Association and the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers and nine books, including The Portable Mentor: Expert Guide to a Career in Psychology.

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Meet Psi Chi alumni member, Riley Damiano, a Fulbright Student in the Netherlands conducting neuropsychology research at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology. Damiano graduated with a major in neuroscience and a minor in health equity from Rhodes College in May of 2024. Her focus is primarily on how early life adversity impacts children’s cognitive outcomes, specifically in children with cancer. While at Rhodes College, Damiano worked at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis doing neuropsychology research.

Early Inspiration

When Damiano was only 12 years old, she started a nonprofit initiative called The Blue Lollipop Project for pediatric cancer research. In the decade since then, she has interacted with countless families whose children were impacted by pediatric cancer. She recalls, “Not only do these children face the horrific physical side effects of their treatment, but a lot of cognitive and functional challenges as well.” Damiano continued to explain that pediatric cancer diagnoses impact children well into their adulthood. Her original inspiration to create The Blue Lollipop Project came from a little boy named Ty Louis Campbell who lived in the town next to hers, and was diagnosed with an atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (an aggressive type of brain tumor) in 2010. Ty’s mom wrote a daily blog detailing how he was doing and providing updates. Damiano started reading the blog when she was nine and says that she

Exploring the Cognitive Impact of Pediatric Cancer Through Fulbright Research: An Interview With Riley Damiano

Elisabeth Barrett

Psi Chi Headquarters

struggled to understand how and why Ty, who was two years old at diagnosis, could be facing such intense treatments that caused so many side effects. Unfortunately, Ty passed away when he was five years old. Damiano, wanting to honor his memory and his love of blue lollipops while fundraising for research to find better treatment options, founded The Blue Lollipop Project. For every dollar raised, a blue lollipop is sent to a child in a hospital. All the money raised funds pediatric cancer research through the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation, which Ty’s parents founded. Working on the Blue Lollipop Project, Damiano interacted with a lot of families impacted by pediatric cancer, which helped her realize that a pediatric cancer diagnosis results in much more than physical complications, and that these challenges extend far beyond the treatment period. Feeling like she would be able to make a difference by conducting research on how pediatric cancer impacts developmental outcomes, she chose to go to school at Rhodes College because of their strong partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and high-quality neuroscience and health equity programs. In college, Damiano also began looking at how adverse childhood experiences more broadly impact children and their development into adulthood. This includes their functioning and development, both physiologically and functionally. She wrote her undergraduate thesis on the impact of adverse childhood experiences on gray matter and how that may serve as a mechanism for poor cognitive functioning in those children. After graduation, Damiano applied for and was awarded the Fulbright

and is now performing research on psychosocial risk and cognitive functioning in children with brain tumors who are early in their diagnostic journey.

Applying for the Fulbright

Damiano knew throughout her time at Rhodes College she wanted to apply for the Fulbright. Her experience with the application was a long process, starting with figuring out where a lab was that aligned with her interests, and would be open to having her join them as a student for nine months. She chose the Netherlands because of the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology (the Máxima Center), the largest pediatric cancer center in Europe. Damiano highlights how the Máxima Center is a relatively new center with a lot of really innovative and progressive ways of doing research. Damiano described feeling excited during the process and curious about what it would be like compared to her experience at St. Jude. She was particularly curious about how pediatric cancer treatment and healthcare work in a country where health insurance is mandatory, and how that changes the obstacles that families face in the care of their children.

Being a small college, Rhodes College has an intimate and tight-knit community that allowed Damiano to receive an integral amount of support during the process of preparing her application. Many of the professors in the psychology and neuroscience departments were aware of Damiano’s application for the Fulbright and cheered her on along the way, reading her essays and providing feedback.

She recommends asking for help, saying, “Professors and mentors are often excited to hear their students are doing these things. Building personal relationships with your professors, whether at a smaller school or larger institution, is so important.” Damiano attributes her success to the relationships she was able to build with her professors, suggesting to those wanting mentorship to go to professors with questions outside of just “what did you mean by what you said in class?” during normal office hours.

In the long run, these connections became critically helpful, beyond the Fulbright application, but even to help with recommendation letters and more. Damiano suggests students may even consider emailing professors whose work is of interest to them, explaining how there are countless small and mutual connections to be made in the world, especially in the field of psychology. Reaching out to someone with an interest in wanting to get to know more about their research is a great start. “People often enjoy talking about their research, and it also is a great way for students to learn more about the field and get a better concept of what current research looks like,” Damiano says.

For any student wanting to apply to become a Fulbright Student, she says, “Just go for it!” Knowing the application process takes a lot of work and the chance of being awarded the Fulbright is slim can feel unmotivating at times. However, she emphasizes, “Even if I had not received the Fulbright, the application process itself taught me a lot about what I wanted in a future career and why I want to pursue this area. It helped me clarify and better understand what my goals are for myself.”

Life as a Fulbright Student

At the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Damiano works with a PhD student on a project focusing on cognitive functioning in children who are newly diagnosed with brain tumors,

and looking at whether there’s an association between psychosocial risk and cognitive functioning. She commends the research and work culture in the Netherlands for being very open and consisting of a flatter hierarchy. Damiano illustrates how everyone in the lab group sits in one office, promoting collaboration despite whether some people are working on different or complementary projects and studies. She says, “We all sit in this one space and can have conversations and get to know one another as researchers, and also as people.”

As a Fulbright Student at the Máxima Center, Damiano has been keeping her time occupied with getting her data ready for analysis and writing the introduction section of the project’s proposed manuscript. Over the past three and a half months at the Máxima Cent, Damiano has also been developing a research plan to figure out her research questions and the type of statistics they need to run to make their project happen. Once the preparatory work is complete, Damiano and her PhD student supervisor can hit the ground running with their project and analysis.

“Anyone who’s involved in research knows it’s a long process,” Damiano says. “It’s not like I arrived here on the first day and immediately had my results. But the knowledge that all of this really hard work I’ve put in so far is going to come to fruition with this research and doing these analyses, while learning so many new things as a Fulbright Student, feels great. I feel really lucky that my supervisors here have prioritized giving me opportunities to learn new skills and strengthen previous areas of weakness, as well as giving me new experiences.” Damiano looks forward to the opportunity to watch brain surgery in the upcoming months.

Relationship With Psi Chi

Damiano joined Psi Chi during her senior year at Rhodes. Although her time with Psi Chi in undergrad wasn’t extensive, Psi Chi and the resources it offered were on her radar for all four years and she felt thankful to find Psi Chi scholarships to help ease the financial burden while she applied to graduate schools her senior year. The Rhodes College Chapter would hold events, and the faculty advisor was an important motivator for members, cheering on Damiano as she worked through her Fulbright and graduate school applications. As a Psi Chi alumni, Damiano shares feeling very appreciative of being able to stay in touch and make new connections with other members through the Psi Chi Alumni WhatsApp group

Final Advice for Students

Damiano empathizes with students experiencing pressure to decide exactly which area of psychology they want to enter. Rather than stressing to pinpoint one single sector of psychology as quickly as you can, Damiano advises you to use your undergraduate years to explore your interests. “Push yourself to be comfortably uncomfortable in spaces where you can try things out,” she says. “If it doesn’t work out, it is a safe learning opportunity. You’re not going to mess up some large thing that can’t be fixed. Take the chance to learn about different areas in psychology. Find out if your interest lies in clinical, counseling, social, industrial psychology, etc. There are so many different spaces, and if you’re not sure which one you want to enter during undergraduate, it’s okay. You have so much time to develop your passions and goals for your future.”

Your Job Search Game Changer: How AI Can Make Your Search Easier and Help You Get Hired

Diane A. Safer, PhD Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Searching for a job isn’t just a task, it’s practically a fulltime job itself. As a career services professional, I work with busy graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who are already juggling demanding schedules. When it’s time to launch the job hunt, I always remind them that not only will this take time and effort, but there’s also a lot of preparation needed before you begin. From resumés or CVs to cover letters and personal statements, these documents need to highlight your skills and experience and be tailored to fit the role. On top of that, you have to research organizations and companies, determine where and when to apply, and ideally, network to gain valuable insider insights to make you a strong candidate. Fortunately, AI is changing the game, making this daunting process more efficient and manageable than ever.

This article isn’t a review of all the products and platforms that are out there. There are so many and it’s hard to keep up with the pace of innovation. (I use the free versions of ChatGPT and Claude, but there are others such as Perplexity, Microsoft’s CoPilot, Google’s Gemini, and more.) What I aim to do is to give you some ideas about how you can easily use basic AI programs to make your job search process easier and more efficient. My goal is to encourage you to consider utilizing the resources that are readily available to you.

Have you been hesitant to use AI? I get why some people hesitate. It can feel like cheating or like you’re not putting in the work yourself. But here’s the thing: Using AI strategically isn’t about taking shortcuts or replacing your voice. It’s about working smarter by helping you craft stronger applications and refining your messaging to ensure you’re presenting yourself in the best

possible light. The key is knowing how to use it in a way that enhances your applications while keeping it authentically you.

Both Job Seekers and Recruiters Use AI Widely

Using AI saves time for both job seekers and recruiters. For job seekers, AI can be incredibly helpful. Job seekers can use AI to optimize their resumés, make their cover letters more compelling, find jobs, and even prepare for interviews (Rashidi, 2024). A study by software company Capterra found that 58% of job seekers use AI in their job search and that job seekers are “53% more likely to receive a job offer” when AI is part of your job search toolkit (Westfall, 2024).

Recruiters are also using AI. Recruiters use it to write job descriptions (Prescott, 2024), and a new survey from Resume Builder reports that already 82% of recruiters surveyed say that they currently use AI to screen candidates’ resumés (Mohan, 2024). This is very helpful as 75%–88% of people submit applications for positions to which they are unqualified (Nik, 2023). Companies are even starting to rely on AI to conduct interviews, with 24% saying “they currently use AI for the ‘entire interview process’” (Mohan, 2024).

Maximize AI’s Potential

The key to using AI successfully is to understand that the output is only as good as the input. Clarity and detail make the difference. If you’re not getting the results you want from AI, try rewording your request and asking again. You can also ask AI to refine its responses to make them sound more professional, less harsh, more direct, more impactful, or even more like you!

Before you begin to use AI to assist in your job search, there are three things to keep in mind at all times:

1. Privacy and security first: Be aware that AI works by collecting data, and everything you input is data that can be used by you, but also by others. I always recommend that you remove any private information, such as your name, phone number, email and home addresses, any personal links, and even names of companies and institutions where you’ve worked. The goal is to keep your input as generic as possible to safeguard your privacy while still getting the help you need.

2. Make it your own. Although AI can be super helpful, it’s not a crutch—it’s just a starting point. Edit and personalize the wording to truly reflect your experience and sound like you, not a robot. Use concrete examples and data to add credibility and impact. AI can polish up your writing, but don’t forget that your personal story and unique strengths are what set you apart. In the end, your effort and authenticity will really make the difference.

3. Don’t exaggerate: The use of AI in the job search “raises important concerns about applicant credibility and the integrity of hiring practices” (Pargas, 2024). A survey found that 83% of job seekers use AI deceptively, such as inflating or misrepresenting their skills or experience, and “used AI to complete test assignments or skills assessments, potentially masking a lack of relevant skills” (Kelly, 2024). This raises all kinds of concerns about fairness and honesty, and it challenges recruiters’ ability to truly gauge a candidate’s actual qualifications. Misrepresenting your experience can

backfire—interviewers may press for details, or worse, you might land a job you’re unprepared for. Integrity matters, so use AI to enhance your resumé, not to distort it. Make sure everything it generates is true and accurately reflects your abilities.

To use AI effectively in your job search, the key is strategy. The right prompts make all the difference, and it starts with providing AI with the right input. Begin by pasting your resumé and the full job listing to give AI the necessary context for generating tailored and relevant content.

Developing a Stellar Resumé and Targeted Cover Letter

AI can be a great tool for putting together a strong resumé or CV, helping organize your experience, highlighting your skills, and tailoring your application to a specific job. It can also help you draft a targeted cover letter.

Here’s what you can ask AI to do:

• Generate new or refine existing bullets. Provide details about your experience, responsibilities, and accomplishments, and ask AI to create or strengthen resumé bullets. The more specific you are, including providing keywords and industry language, the more relevant and tailored the results will be.

• Edit a cover letter. Want to improve your cover letter? AI can “suggest a more engaging opening line, recommend specific achievements to highlight, and offer advice on how to close your letter effectively” (Fennell, 2024).

• Ask for more options. If AI’s suggestions don’t quite fit, request variations with stronger action verbs or more concise wording. AI can also help correct grammar, improve clarity, and make the wording sound more professional, which is especially useful if English isn’t your first language.

• Identify keywords. Ask AI to break down job descriptions to identify key terms to include in your resumé. Many companies use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to filter applicants before a human ever sees a resumé. If yours lacks the right keywords, the ATS may screen you out. Use AI to make sure your resumé aligns with what hiring teams are looking for.

• Check qualifications. Not sure if you’re qualified for a role? AI can compare your experience to a job description. Ask AI to review your resumé against the job listing to identify gaps in required skills. If gaps exist, you can ask AI to suggest ways to strengthen those areas. If you’re a strong match, ask AI how to highlight your most relevant qualifications (Fennell, 2024).

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

AI can help you present yourself more effectively on LinkedIn. Here are some ideas of what to ask AI to help you stand out:

• Headline. Your headline, that title that sits under your profile picture, is the first thing people see. LinkedIn automatically takes your current job title and company. However, you can ask AI to personalize it to better showcase who you are and what you do so you have a more engaging, targeted headline that better connects with your career goals.

• About section. Rather than simply listing skills and experience, ask AI to craft a compelling narrative that highlights your strengths and career journey. Keep in mind, AI can help, but it’s up to you to piece everything together in a way that really tells your story.

• Experience section. Like resumé bullets, you can ask AI to describe your experience, responsibilities, and contributions in a clearer and more impactful way. You can also ask AI to suggest ways to align with industry trends and recruiter keywords.

• Activity. Struggling to phrase a post or a comment on someone else’s post? Ask AI to fine-tune your message, improve grammar, or adjust the tone to sound polished and professional.

Networking

AI can also support your networking efforts by helping you craft clear, professional messages. Whether you’re reaching out on LinkedIn, emailing a potential mentor, or following up

after a conference, AI can suggest ways to introduce yourself, ask insightful questions, or express gratitude without sounding too formal or robotic. Just remember, networking is about building real relationships, so always add a personal touch to make your messages feel authentic. AI can speed things up, but at the end of the day, the relationships you build and the research you put in will make the connection or land you the job.

Prep and Follow-up for Interviews

Getting ready for an interview? You can upload a job listing to AI and ask it to develop questions most likely to be asked at the interview. Use those questions for interview prep, including mock interviews. And if you are stuck or not sure about how to answer a question, ask the AI program for suggestions.

After the interview, AI can help you draft follow-up emails or thank-you letters. Provide the details to create personalized messages that address specific topics discussed in your interview.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

AI won’t do the job search for you, but it can make the process faster and more manageable. With so much to juggle—applications, networking, academics—using AI strategically can help you work more efficiently without adding stress. And there’s no need to feel guilty about it. Employers are using AI, too. Just remember that AI’s suggestions are a great starting point, but they shouldn’t replace your strategic thinking or personal touch in the job search. The key is to treat AI as a tool, not a shortcut. It can refine your resumé, improve your LinkedIn, and help you craft professional messages, but your input, authenticity, and final edits are what truly make an impact. AI is there to lighten the load, but the job search is still yours to own. When used wisely, AI can be a game-changer in your job search strategy.

References

Fennell, A. (2024, July 04). 5 ways AI can help in your job search Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewfennell/2024/07/04/5-ways-ai-can-help-in-your-job-search/ Kelly, J. (2024, September 24). Recruiters’ jobs just got more difficult—here’s why. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2024/09/24/recruiters-jobs-just-got-more-difficult-heres-why/ Mohan, P. (2024, October 31). 70% of companies will use AI for hiring in 2025, says new study. FastCompany. https://www.fastcompany.com/91220282/70-of-companies-will-use-ai-for-hiring-in-2025-says-new-study Nik, N. (2023, June 1). How artificial intelligence benefits recruiting. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/06/01/how-artificial-intelligence-benefits-recruiting/ Pargas, S. (2024, November 17). AI is supposed to make applying to jobs easier—but it might be creating another problem. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/ ai-making-job-applications-easier-creating-another-problem-rcna179683 Prescott, L. A. (2024, March 24). 44 statistics on AI in recruitment for 2024. SmartRecruiters. https://www.smartrecruiters.com/blog/44-recruitment-statistics-on-ai-for-2024/ Rashidi, S. (2024, September 24). How to use AI to find a job. Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/solrashidi/2024/09/21/how-to-use-ai-to-find-a-job/ Westfall, B. (2024, August 29). Nearly half of job seekers are using AI to cheat—here’s how recruiters can fight back. Capterra. https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-to-stop-job-application-ai-cheating/

Diane A. Safer, PhD, is the inaugural director of career and professional development for graduate students and postdocs and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. A former business professional with more than 20 years of experience in PR firms serving healthcare/biotech companies, Dr. Safer ran her own information consulting company for 10 years before moving to career and professional development. Dr. Safer is actively involved in key professional career organizations, including the Graduate Career Consortium (GCC), where she has cochaired the Mentoring Committee for the past four years, the National Postdoc Association (NPA), and the National Association of College and Employers (NACE). She completed her BA in psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and earned her MA and PhD in social psychology at Columbia University in New York, NY.

Techniques for Reducing Your Anxiety Around the Potential Changes in Our Educational System

Ronald Stolberg, PhD Alliant International University

With the election of President Trump, there has been an upheaval of change. Although change is often good, the amount of ambiguity that has followed the changes has been difficult on most of us to track. As a college or university student, some of the policy changes are likely to impact the entire education system.

An entirely new cabinet, with goals in opposition to the previous administration, has resulted in new rules, laws, mandates, and philosophies pertaining to education as a whole. As a college student, many issues may impact you either now, or even after graduation. Being

on a college campus myself, I interviewed a number of students to understand what they worry about regarding the unknown changes ahead. These are the concerns that came up repeatedly.

• The accessibility of federally funded loans. Will they be more difficult to obtain? Will there be more stipulations, conditions, and paperwork involved? Will the federal government’s changes delay disbursement of existing loans?

• In the future, will there be as many research lab opportunities if federal funding is reduced or removed completely? Research grants are the basis for much of the research labs’ work.

• Similarly, will doctoral programs that rely on the aforementioned research funding to support faculty accept as many students into their programs?

As you can see, there are many unknowns for the future of college and university students. You are not alone if it is causing you some extra stress and worry. Your investment of time, energy, and money is substantial.

In honor of our roots in psychology, the following will provide some insights on ways you may be able to reduce your stress, worry, and anxiety. Feel free to choose and apply a concept or two that resonate with you.

Strategies to Reduce Stress and Worry

Breathing. We breathe all the time, but when we are under stress or anxious our breathing changes, triggering physical changes like increased heart rate, increases in cortisol levels, and even a rise in blood pressure. Being in a heightened state of anxious arousal has some short-term benefits, but the longer it persists, the worse you feel. Chronic stress and anxiety is actually pretty bad physically and mentally for us. Controlling your breathing is the first step in gaining control of your physiology and negative thoughts. Consider trying some of the following breathing tips now, while you are feeling stable. You will find it hard to integrate them under stress if you haven’t practiced first.

• Try a big sigh: Take a deep breath through your nose and exhale purposefully, not being afraid of making a little noise.

• Lengthen your exhale: Inhaling deeply is good, but the magic for stress relief is in the exhale. Exhaling is actually a parasympathetic action, which reduces your heart rate and leads to a better sense of calm and relaxation.

• Belly breathing (AKA Buddha breathing): While breathing

deeply in through your nose, place your concentration on your stomach. Notice how with a deep breath it expands (not the chest, only the belly). Exhale through your mouth while engaging your stomach muscles to push the air out.

• Counting and breathing: There are numerous strategies where you count your time inhaling, holding your breath and exhaling. Some of these include square breathing (inhale, hold, exhale, hold, each for 4 seconds), and the 4-7-8 method (Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds). There are many more breathing exercises where you count; look online, practice some of them, and see which one fits your style.

Mindfulness Strategies. Mindfulness is a term you have probably heard but may not know much about. Essentially, it is the practice of purposefully focusing on the present moment, paying attention to yourself and your surroundings, and doing so in a nonjudgemental way. Practicing mindfulness often includes breathing methods (like we learned above), guided imagery, and acceptance of yourself (more on this below). Research shows that mindfulness helps with stress, anxiety, depressed mood, and can improve attention and sleep.

• Breathing: We have discussed the benefits of breathing already, here are a few other mindfulness activities to consider.

• Allow yourself to enjoy simple pleasures: There is something special about celebrating even the smallest accomplishment. Give yourself credit for the things you do and find ways to bring joy and happiness into your day. Sometimes a very simple thing can put a smile on your face (good cup of coffee, the smell of a blooming flower, a funny joke, etc.).

• Body scan: While laying on your back in a comfortable place, focus your attention deliberately on each part of your body. I like to start at the feet, stretch them, acknowledge them, even wiggle them. Try to focus on only what your body is telling you as you work your way up from the toes to your head. This is sometimes called progressive muscle relation, and it is a great way to get you out of your mind’s worry and focused on your own body.

• Visualization/Awareness Exercises: If you looked on the internet, you could find thousands of visualization exercises, but they all have one thing in common; the goal is to get you to concentrate on whatever visualization prompt you pick, rather than the stressful things you tend to worry about. One of my favorite awareness activities is to get into a comfortable position (sitting is fine) and close your eyes. Pay attention to everything you hear: the birds chirping, wind blowing, cars driving by, machine noises, etc. It is amazing what you can hear when you focus solely on listening. The most common exercise is to simply close your eyes and imagine yourself in your happy place. Everyone’s happy place is different, and this is great. Concentrate on as much detail as you can about what you are visualizing. What is the temperature, the weather, what smells or sounds can you identify? For me it is the waves breaking on warm day on a beach under an umbrella with a box of books at my side.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). If you visit a therapist because your anxiety has become more serious, they often use tools from ACT. In the grand scheme of things, ACT is a relatively new therapy. It was developed in the 1980s by psychologist Steven Hayes and gained widespread acceptance in the 1990s. In its most basic form, ACT is a type of therapy that aims to help people accept what is out of their control and commit instead to actions that enrich their lives. This construct is similar to “radical acceptance” which is a strategy of accepting your life experiences without judgement. ACT encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. The basic tenants are shared below.

• Acceptance: We encourage you to accept that you’ll have a wide range of thoughts or emotions that can be positive, negative, and anything in between.

• Cognitive defusion: Attempt to distance yourself from negative thoughts and beliefs. Try not to give them power over your actions. You should view a thought as a passing event, no more.

• Being present: Learn to focus on the present. Avoid giving into “what ifs” and focus more on what’s happening around you.

• Self-as-context: You see yourself as a whole person with an identity, not just defined by your thoughts or feelings.

• Values: Spend some time thinking about your own values. When you focus on what is at the core of your beliefs, it becomes easier to make decisions.

• Committed action: Make decisions based on your beliefs and values. When you spend the time to reason out your priorities, committing to behavior that supports them is easier.

The future is a bit ambiguous about how the education system as we know it might change. It is common to feel some anxiety about things we have little control over and may impact us in a big way. The strategies shared above are designed for any stress or anxiety and can be used almost anywhere, are pretty easy to learn, and unless you go to therapy, they are all free.

Ronald A. Stolberg, PhD, is a professor and associate program director for the Clinical PsyD doctoral program at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Diego. In addition, he maintains a private practice focusing on family therapy with adolescents and young adults. His favorite work is helping students and their families with the transition from high school to college.

Challenges to Doctoral Education and Degree Completion

Tony D. Crespi, PhD The University of Hartford

Approximately 5 miles from the finish line, Boston Marathon’s Heartbreak Hill can overwhelm even the most gifted of runners. By comparison, the pursuit of a doctoral degree bears similar anguish and unexpected hurdles. Like marathoners, doctoral students may encounter seemingly insurmountable

impediments as they pursue classes, doctoral examinations, a dissertation proposal, as well as the challenge of a dissertation. Fortunately, recognizing physical and psychological challenges ahead can help graduate students and runners alike. Did you know that forty to fifty percent of students may not complete the PhD (Greenless et al., 2018)? The hurdles and

blockades are varied. Faculty resignations can thwart victory. Personal health may falter. Relationships may fall. Ultimately, students may feel that they have failed. Recognize that not all obstacles are controllable. As one marathoner may slow their pace to adjust to bodily challenges, so too may students need to adjust to demands and challenges that arise in

Michael Amico, PhD

Connecticut State Community College Housatonic

pursuit of the degree. A doctoral program is not always linear.

Recently, one PhD student called the first author for advice. Her path had been marked with stumbling blocks, and she was unsure how to present her education. Although her race had not been marked by a tragedy that might befall a runner, her stumbles halted her trajectory much

as a fall might immobilize a runner. As she completed coursework, she learned that her advisor planned to retire! Feeling alone, she withdrew. Years later she enrolled in another program, understanding that the university required credit minimums. At the Boston Marathon, family and supporters cheer on runners, lifting spirits and providing motivation. This is not always true in a doctoral program! Fortunately, in her case, emboldened with perseverance she earned her PhD! Still, she had experienced challenges and self-doubt.

Suggesting she list her PhD alone, we applauded the persistence of this marathon runner. For those who may not complete a PhD and must explore a transfer, a recognition of attrition, a recognition surrounding reasons for withdrawal, and an examination of goals can help negotiate delays while planning a new course.

The Challenges of Doctoral Education

Recognize that only 2% of the population hold a doctoral degree (Wolfe et al., 2023). That said, the median time to a PhD in American graduate schools is 7.3 years with 40–60% failing to graduate (Chrzanowski & Poudyal, 2018). Moreover, completion can be regulated by factors including marital status, field, and funding (Wollast et al., 2018). A deeper examination shows completion rates across disciples somewhat variable while still concerning (Winerman, 2008). Bourke et al. (2004) noted attrition is serious for PhD students.

How, though, does one start a race anew after the anguish of defeat? Coast to coast, students have felt heartache with attrition in PhD programs. Sometimes it can feel like a runner’s stumble as it halts aspirations. Sometimes it may feel like a 180 a runner might take to correct a wrong turn. The insights runners gain from past experiences isn’t always an option in a doctoral program. To a student, the experience can seem devastating. Completion may rely as much on persistence as intellectual gifts. Litalien and Guay (2015) noted that dropping out can impact self-esteem. Sometimes this impact can be short-lived, but other times, damaged self-esteem can linger. Listing a program withdrawal on a resumé may raise questions. Castello et al. (2017) found that too little is known about

students who do not complete programs. Looking at over 700 students, they found a complex blend of factors ranging from health to finances to difficulty balancing work that don’t necessarily facilitate success. Sometimes family demands create conflicts. Sadly, not all challenges are resolvable. Sometimes a geographic relocation is necessary. Preparing to complete a program in psychology—whether a PhD, EdD, or PsyD—requires stamina like a runner and like a marathon, a student needs physical and psychological strength. You can’t train for a big run in a day, and you can’t shove a dissertation into a short training schedule. It’s not fast. It’s not cheap. It’s not easy. Just as training requires a daily regimen, a doctoral program can demand commitment. Regular training is necessary to run well, and a doctorate requires more than a few hours of library research. Long-term planning and a realistic perspective of the required time and effort for completion is an important step in planning success. Likewise, in the same way that an athlete’s strength can rapidly degrade if not engaged in regular training, a doctorate requires ongoing persistence.

Geven et al. (2018) noted that PhD programs struggle to prevent dropping out and poor completion. Students should understand that poor completion has immobilized and thwarted many as completion is not always a student deficit. One PhD stated that his degree took more than a decade, noting that marriage, children, and work contributed to his delay. Although he felt his dissertation chair was supportive, he noted that the isolation of research—like a runner’s solo training—had created a loss in focus. In his case, the degree was not necessary to employment. Rather, his desire for a PhD was more a personal goal than a necessity. A doctorate is not like picking a training outfit or sneakers. Although good sneakers may be important to provide comfort or support, they can be easily replaced. Picking the right doctoral program requires carefully choosing a program based on factors that are important in the short-term, such as classes or mentors, and long-term completion is key to avoid lost resources and time. What are the completion rates?

Although classes can end as easily as a training run, dissertation research may

require more stamina. We know runners need rest breaks, and doctoral students need study breaks. As you contemplate a doctorate plan, your decision on type of program, PhD, EdD, or PsyD, plan timing, plan studying, plan writing, and plan play! No one runs a marathon every day! Training schedules vary. Know that feedback from a dissertation committee is not like a casual evening stroll. Like a good workout, a dissertation will make you sweat! Know too that those who persist to completion will see this feedback as an invaluable learning opportunity. Litalien and Guay (2015) noted that perceived competence is key as well as advisor support. Just as we can handle sweat in different ways, doctoral education has choices.

It’s possible you might not finish the program you began. These cases may help.

CASE STUDY:

A PhD in Educational Psychology Elgar and Klein (2004) noted that PhD completion is concerning.

One woman explained that, after a master’s degree in school psychology, she entered a clinical psychology PhD program. After three years, her spouse

accepted a distant position. Although she contacted programs, she learned of limited transfer options. Feeling frustrated, she accepted a position as a certified school psychologist. Visibly irritated, she explained that each of the programs contacted would not support employment, required a year-long residence, and would only accept minimal credits. She felt this unfair. Thinking it helpful, parallels to transfer policies for undergraduate and master’s programs were explained noting she had chosen to transfer and needed to either return to her university, accept realities, pursue options, or step away from this aspiration. This was tough to process. She explained that she could not return so after three years of full-time study, she could no longer continue full-time. Subsequently, she looked at online programs, finding that only Fielding Graduate University offered an APA-approved PhD using a distributed education model. Annoyed, she enrolled in an online PhD in educational psychology with a combination of online classes and residencies which allowed work. Although not in clinical psychology and not a completion program, this offered a good likelihood of completion in three years. She learned

the program would not grant eligibility for a credential as a licensed psychologist because the program was not in school, clinical, nor counseling psychology but she explained the esteem of a PhD, elevation in pay, and the completion of her goal justified time and expense.

She felt pleased. At the same time, she noted that, by listing her earlier education, several administrators had negatively questioned her lack of completion. Sadly, we discussed this mindset. In fact, we discussed an individual with a doctorate who had withdrawn from a university after completing the coursework for a second doctorate to learn that employers also viewed that withdrawal negatively. We noted that individuals often possess more negative than positive mindsets. Positively, completing her PhD though, she enjoyed a salary raise and felt satisfaction. She also recognized compromises including additional time to completion, a shift in focus, and the loss of a credentialing option as a licensed psychologist. We noted that she could pursue credentialing as a licensed psychologist through a postdoctoral respecialization program or pursue a program as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) or licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT).

What degree shift offers the best promise of completion? Compare options.

Options for Doctoral Completion

Students have multiple options relative to doctoral completion:

1. Pursue a transfer to another university

Students unable to complete a program may explore a transfer. In some cases, universities do not accept a doctoral transfer, and many schools possess credit minimums. Recognizing a transfer to a program in clinical, counseling, or school psychology may be arduous with practicum, internships, as well as acceptance of coursework in assessment and counseling, a shift can be positive. If credentialed as a licensed professional counselor a different path including the University of the Cumberland’s CACREP-approved PhD in counselor education and supervision represents one possibility. Alternatively, Saybrook University in San Francisco and Adams State University in Colorado

also offer online programs in Counselor Education and Supervision. What is the goal? Each person must weigh strengths, weaknesses, and goals.

Trajectories can vary, so look at shaping your narrative. If changing a trajectory, options abound. Alliant International University in California offers several online PhD and PsyD programs, including a PhD in industrial and organizational psychology and a AAMFT-approved PsyD program in marital and family therapy. One individual we spoke with holding an MSW elected a PsyD to avoid a dissertation, but the program was not approved for credentialing as a licensed psychologist. Subsequently, this raised negative questions. Had they elected a PhD, this might have been avoided. Still, with their doctorate, they enjoyed a successful career in administration.

2. Pursue a doctoral completion program

PhD completion programs are a growing option. Fielding Graduate University in California is one illustration of a school with a PhD completion program. This University utilizes a distributed education model with weekend and weeklong residencies and is tailored for adult learners. Their PhD completion track, with up to 40 transfer credits, is offered in human development or organizational development and change. It is viable. It can be valuable. One fellow who reeled after Argosy University was closed shared that this program had offered an opportunity to earn his degree while acknowledging the program was not in clinical psychology.

One conference attendee, reeling from the closure of his program after he completed his coursework toward a PsyD program in clinical psychology, was upset as these options would not lead to a credential as a licensed psychologist. After some time, though, he realized that he needed to balance the challenge of a transfer vs. repeating classes and applied training. He realized the completion option offered a more expedient pathway to a PhD, acknowledging that completion programs offer a different opportunity for students with substantial educational progress toward the doctorate. Sometimes a solution contains a compromise.

Chasing a dream can vary. Students must recognize that any doctoral program

is demanding. Corner et al. (2021) looked at 365 doctoral students, finding that advisors are critical in helping students understand the high demands and realistic expectations of a doctoral education. Coursework, study schedules, finances, relationship challenges, graduate teaching assignments, practicum and internship requirements, comprehensive examinations, human subject reviews for research, and dissertation demands all can create a challenging blend. Whether a first or second program, students must understand and confront challenges to complete the marathon that is doctoral education.

3. Pursue a master's degree or additional degree

Successful employability with a master’s degree is viable! Bocanegra et al. (2022) reported significant shortages for school psychologists with national data indicating strong employment without doctoral degrees. Elsewhere, with a focus on potential contributions by counselors, Phillips and Tucker (2023) reported mental health provider shortages! The National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (2023) found that 169 million U.S. citizens live in a mental health professional shortage area. By 2036, there will be a shortage of addiction counselors by 125,000, marriage and family therapists by 42,840 providers, school counselors short 60,010 providers, and mental health counselors short 105,950 providers. Clearly, opportunities without a doctoral degree abound, and more than 30 years ago, Trent (1993) reported that agencies and individuals reported good career satisfaction with master’s degrees.

What is the goal of the PhD? Can an MA suffice? Is a doctoral degree and professional credential as a licensed psychologist necessary? At the nondoctoral level, master’s degree programs can offer employment with shortages. A certified school psychologist we met completed the bulk of coursework toward a PhD before personal challenges necessitated withdrawal. With a master’s degree and state certification, they elected to withdraw. Acceptance of life changes was impressive, and they enjoyed a strong career as a master’s level clinician. This unconditional acceptance is not universal as some unable to earn a doctorate feel crushed as if unable to climb Heartbreak Hill in Boston.

For many, there is no need to chase a doctorate. Strobach and Oyen (2021) noted that it is no secret that school psychology shortages are widespread, and many master’s programs can offer a satisfying career choice ranging from a licensed professional counselor or certified school psychologist to nonlicensure careers as an organizational consultant or human resources professional.

Doctoral Education: Questions and Answers

As students weigh programs, an understanding of helpful questions can be instructive. The following questions and answers are a starting point for consideration:

1. Consider goals

Will a transfer or completion program help your goals? If you do not achieve the degree, will aspirations be impacted? Will this be something you resent? Weigh costs. Include fees. If attending a distance program, consider travel and hotel accommodations. Consider employer reimbursement. A distance program PhD we spoke with received substantial reimbursement, whereas another individual was denied reimbursement, because the out-of-state program they attended was viewed as equivalent to a state institution. Ask questions.

2. Consider completion rates and employment

Ask time to completion. Ask factors impeding completion. Ask to speak with students and graduates. Were they satisfied? What propelled each forward? What were impediments? Were faculty available? What does postdegree employment look like? Compare each narrative with your strengths and weaknesses. Weigh the data.

3. Consider credits for degree completion

Is it possible to transfer credits? Whether comparing a completion or transfer option, ask about total credits to completion. A program willing to accept a master’s degree may offer a reasonable opportunity. Some programs in clinical psychology require 3 years of coursework and a year internship, whereas others require 4 years of coursework and internship. Weigh differences. Ask students if they would choose the program now? Ask their thoughts on strengths and weaknesses! Be thorough. Be thoughtful.

4. Consider faculty and student publications and presentations

Psychologists capable of conducting research can be in demand across settings. Know that learning to publish and present research typically requires faculty who are successful in research. Examine their scholarship. Scholarly skills can be critical to teaching or securing grants. It is easier to learn such skills from faculty who hold these skills. Moreover, it is possible to work with faculty on existing projects publishing and presenting findings and learning while enhancing a resumé. Psychologists capable of conducting research will be in demand across many career settings. From length of stay statistics to research on interventions, such skills can be valuable.

5. Consider accreditation and program approvals

Accreditation can be critical. Does the school hold regional accreditation? If an applied area, does the program hold approval from APA, AAMFT, NASP, or CACREP? If interested in licensure, these are critical: APA for a licensed psychologist, AAMFT for a licensed marriage and family therapist, NASP for a certified school psychologist, and CACREP for a licensed professional counselor. Sometimes employability can be dependent on such data.

Conclusions

Chasing a doctoral degree is not without challenge. Universities close. Faculty retire. Loved ones demand a relocation. Financial demands can be challenging. And sometimes health can prevent program completion. With more than a third of PhD students unable to complete the degree, attrition can bring pain akin to the pain of a marathon runner on Heartbreak Hill in the Boston Marathon. In a doctoral marathon, life can necessitate a program withdrawal due to am ailment, injury, or life circumstance. And many feel heartbroken. Unfortunately, for many students who cannot complete a doctoral program, the heartache of withdrawal can impact self-esteem and relationships. Sometimes a loved one may bring up the failure. Hurt, shame, and embarrassment are often tied to noncompletion. With 36% to 50% of students struggling with the completion of a doctorate, the possibilities of PhD

completion programs or a transfer is enticing. Still, students need to realistically understand the footfalls. Some programs require credit minimums. Sometimes it necessitates a change in degree focus. Consider your options. We find that students who are most adept at shifting are the most satisfied. We met one individual with two PhDs! We also met an individual who transferred from an APA-approved PhD program in clinical psychology to a non-APA program in counseling psychology better able to accommodate work. Each individual had differing challenges. Each had persistence. Each earned their degree. Each was successful but realized that success looked differently in the same way success in a marathon is not always determined by the finishing time. Sometimes a personal achievement alone is the pinnacle of success. May you find your best path.

References and Resources

Bocanegra, J., Gubi, A., Zhjang, Y., Clayson, E., Hou, M., & Perihan, C. (2022). Upending the shortage crisis: A national survey of school psychology recruitment. School Psychology, 37 (2), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000486

Bourke, S., Holbrook, A., Lovaty, T., & Farley, P. (2004). Attrition, completion, and completion times of PhD candidates [Conference presentation]. AARE Annual Conference, 28, 2–145.

Castello, M., Pardo, M., Sala-Bubare, A., & Sune-Soler, N. (2017). Why do students consider dropping out of doctoral degrees? Institutional and personal factors. Higher Education, 74 1053–1068.

Chrzanowski, S. M., & Poudyal, R. (2018). Attrition in graduate school versus other health professional programs: Etiology and solutions. Med Science Education, 2 9(1), 329–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-018-00673-2

Corner, S., Pyhalto, K., Peltonen, J., & Lofstrom, E. (2021). Interest, burnout and drop-out intentions among Finnish and Dannish humanities and social sciences Ph.D. students. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 16 , 593–609. https://doi.org/10.28945/4867

Elgar, F. J., & Klein, R. M. (2004). What you don’t know: Graduate deans’ knowledge of doctoral completion rates. Higher Education Policy, 17( 3), 325–336. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300059

Geven, K., Skopekl, J., & Triventi, M. (2018). How to increase PhD completion rates? An impact evaluation of two reforms in a selective graduate school, 1976–2012. Research in Higher Education, 59 529–552. Greenless, M., Joglar, L., & Ningxiang, X. (2018). A meta-study on PhD

program attrition causes. Meta-Research, 118–128. Litalien, D., & Guay, F. (2015). Dropout intentions in PhD studies: A comprehensive model based on interpersonal relationships and motivational resources. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 41 218–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2015.03.004

National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. (2023). HRSA Health Workforce: Behavioral Health Workforce, 2023 https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/ Behavioral-Health-Workforce-Brief-2023.pdf

Phillips, L., & Tucker, S. (2023, May). A closer look at the mental health provider shortage. Counseling Today, 65 25–39. Strobach, K., & Oyen, K. (2021). Now is the time! A review of the progress to address shortages and what we can do. Communique, 50 28–30. Trent, J. T. (1993). Issues and concerns for masters level training and employment. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 49 (4), 586–592. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(199307)49:4%3C586::aidjclp2270490417%3E3.0.co;2-c

Winerman, L. (2008, March). Ten years to a doctorate? Not anymore. GradPSYCH Magazine, 6 (2).

https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2008/03/cover-doctorate Wolfe, Z., Ciampa, K., & DiRienzo, A. (2023, December 19). Supporting firstyear doctoral students. Inside Higher Education. https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/career-advice/2023/12/19/ best-practices-supporting-first-year-phd-students-opinion Wollast, R., Gentiane, B., Nicolas, V. D. L., & Galand, B. (2018). Who are the doctoral students who drop out? Factors associated with rate of doctoral completion in universities. International Journal of Higher Education, 7 (4), 143–156. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v7n4p143

Tony D. Crespi, EdD, ABPP is presently professor of psychology and director of training, school psychology program, the University of Hartford. A licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, professionally certified school psychologist, and professionally certified school counselor, he also holds board certification from the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is a past president of Trainers of School Psychologists and is the author of multiple books and articles.

Michael Amico, PhD, is presently professor of psychology at Connecticut State Community College–Housatonic and is on the Board of the New England Psychological Association. He has published multiple articles and presented at multiple conferences on graduate education and employment including commentary on both traditional and distance education. Although his PhD is in general experimental psychology, he also holds dual master’s degrees in both clinical psychology and counseling.

(ONE PERSON’S)

Best Practices for Undergraduate Research Mentors and Mentees

D. Rosenberg, PhD Dominican University of California

Benjamin

As a faculty member who has taught at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs), mentoring students on the ins and outs of conducting research in psychology is near and dear to my heart. Through trial and (lots of) error, I have developed what, for me at least, are a set of best practices for undergraduate researchers and their mentors. These strategies are far from perfect, and they surely do not represent the only approach to doing this work, but I have found them highly effective in running my Health and Motivation Lab (HAM Lab) at Dominican University of California.

Team Building

A research lab is nothing without the people who comprise it—just like a sports team. Recruiting a diverse and cohesive group is imperative. I view this utterly important task as a two-way street where students approach me about joining my lab, and I actively recruit new students every semester. This bidirectional relationship helps ensure that my lab consists of a heterogeneous mix of students and removes some of the bias that would exist if it was only up to me to recruit students.

The kinds of students I am looking for to work in my lab have a few common characteristics:

1. Interest in Social Psychology. Students who I recruit and retain in my lab are interested in the work I am doing on human motivation and health communication. Importantly, I do not require students to have any experience with research or any prior knowledge of my work to fit this bill; I only care that they express excitement about working on these topics once they hear about what I do.

2. Desire to Learn About Research. My students run the gamut in terms of how much research experience they have prior to coming to the HAM Lab. Some students have completed full projects before; others have barely read a scholarly article. Although some experience is nice, I care much more about students’ desire to learn about the research process. I seek out students who have an understanding that, regardless of their career plans, gaining knowledge about how research works, how to understand research findings, and how to present data are invaluable skills.

3. Diverse Backgrounds. Research consistently shows that diverse teams are more productive and creative than homogenous ones; I take this principle to heart when recruiting students. I intentionally seek out students for my

lab with a wide array of backgrounds and experiences. In the five years I have been running the HAM Lab, students from four different majors have worked with me: psychology (9 students), occupational therapy (2), political science (2), and nursing (1). In addition, I aim to form a team that is diverse in gender, racial/ethnic, location, and experience makeup.

Onboarding

Once I have students in the fold, I take a few concrete actions to help bring them up to speed. These steps are taken to ensure that new students feel comfortable with me, my expectations, and the setup of the lab. I also hope that, by getting to know each student, I can weave them into the lab’s culture and create a sense of cohesion right from the jump.

1. Individual Meetings. First, I meet with each student individually to get to know them a bit better and gauge their interests in my various ongoing projects. This meeting is helpful for me to assess students’ level of research experience coming into the lab. With information on the students’ interests and their experience level, I can more accurately determine which tasks, on which projects, will be a good fit for each student.

It all starts with an idea –observation, experience, research article.

1. Read about HAM Lab projects.

2. Read my previous work (2018, 2020, 2021).

Once you know the idea, you need to design your study and preregister your intended approach on the Open Science Framework (OSF).

1. Create OSF account

2. Add your prereg to HAM lab

Submit IRB application outlining what, exactly, your study will do. Meant to project human subjects' wellbeing.

1. IRB Google form

2. Initial application

Before designing a study, you need background info on the topic area. If the topic is in line with mine, this might require less (e.g., just reading the papers linked in Step 1a).

Creat a survey for your study.

1. Creatae a Qualtrics account.

2. Add measures into new project.

Launch study to collect data. Recruit participants from social media, campus, or MTurk depending on study.

Clean and analyze the data according to OSF prereg. Should be very straightforward. Be sure to record every step.

paper/create poster

Depending on the goal, either

1. Begin to write paper to submit for publication.

2. Create poster to present results at conference (SPSP or WPA).

Figure 1. Example onboarding slide for new undergraduate lab mentees about the research process.

2. Formal Onboarding. For a long time, I would just gradually loop students into the lab by having them come to a meeting and just, well, winging it. After seeing some other colleagues’ approaches, I realized I needed a more formal process for introducing new students to my work, views on science, and expectations. So, through several iterations, I developed a short slidedeck that outlines the five(ish) steps involved in doing research in my lab (see Figure 1). I typically hold these onboarding meetings with all

the new students in a given semester. Together, we walk through these steps and, armed with data from my individual meetings, assign students to projects. As an adjunct to these meetings, I send students a few of my seminal papers that nicely summarize my two lines of work so that, on their own time, they can get a fuller sense of what the lab does.

Autonomy With Ongoing Support

A core principle of my mentoring approach is to provide a lot of freedom

in terms of how students complete their work. I give clear expectations and guidelines and then basically say go do the thing! I find that this autonomy helps increase students’ self-efficacy, especially among those with limited prior research experience. To complement this freedom, I also provide consistent, ongoing support so that students never get too far into the wrong thing before we correct it together.

1. Autonomy: What and How. The choices I give students fall primarily into two categories: what and how. In the onboarding meetings I have with students and after they read the papers I share, they get a clear sense of the what—on which of my two lines of research they want to work. This choice helps create ownership among students; since they have selected the project, they feel invested in it. Along with choosing the project students work on, I give them a lot of freedom in terms of how they complete each task. I provide guidelines for each new task, but afterwards I ask students to seize the task and do it in a way that works for them. This independence could look like completely redesigning a scholarly poster (this happened a few years ago and turned out WAY better than my template!) or finding five potential ways to measure a construct and choosing the one they think is best.

2. Ongoing Support. For this freedom and independence to be effective, I learned the hard way that providing consistent, reliable feedback and support is essential. To this end, I offer students multiple ways to connect with me and their labmates on a consistent basis. Despite having two separate ongoing projects at any given time, all of my students attend the same, biweekly 90-minute lab meeting. I find that this crosspollination serves two purposes. First, I start each meeting by going around and formally checking in with each student—not just about research, but about school, life, anything. This tradition creates an open and caring culture: I truly care about my students’ well-being and want them to care about each other. We make a point of supporting each other in times of need and celebrating life’s wins when

Figure 2. HAM Lab student presenting at the 2024 meeting of the Western Psychological Association.

Figure 3. HAM Lab students presenting at the 2024 meeting of the Western Psychological Association.

they come. Having everyone together helps students get to know each other and create cohesion; I love hearing that my students hang out together outside of our lab. Second, these big group meetings expose everyone to each project and promote creative thinking. Often, as relative outsiders, I find that students have great ideas about each others’ projects. Just recently, a student brilliantly suggested a better measure for a particular construct on a project that was separate from her own.

The lab meetings are far from the only time I see or check in with my students. We communicate primarily on Slack, the workplace chat platform. The HAM Lab has a dedicated Slack channel to discuss all things research and life. I encourage students to use this medium to communicate with me, as it is faster and less formal than email. Having this more immediate vehicle for life- and research-related support has been invaluable for my students and me.

Tangible Outcomes

Finally, I want every student who comes through my lab—whether for one semester or four years—to leave with at least one tangible product as evidence of their time with me. All the research experience in the world is fantastic, but having something to show for that experience is a real-world item that no one can take from my students. Each year, students lead the charge to create poster presentations of our research for the annual meetings of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and Western Psychological Association. We attend these conventions together, with students proudly presenting their work (see Figures 2 and 3).

For Students

The list could go on, but I find these principles help guide the mentorship I offer students in my HAM Lab. For students seeking out research experience, my hope is that seeing what an experienced research mentor is looking for can help allay some fears and encourage you

to put yourself out there. Nowhere on that list does it say “must have two years of experience”—quite the opposite, in fact. If faculty at your school are working on research projects, or even if not, but you have an idea or want to learn more, I always, always suggest asking!

Benjamin D. Rosenberg,

is an associate professor and psychology department cochair at Dominican University of California. Ben is a socialhealth psychologist with expertise in motivation, health behavior, research methods, and statistics. Ben is a passionate instructor and mentor; collaborating with students on research is one of his favorite parts of being a professor. Ben’s favorite classes to teach include Research Methods, Social Psychology, Health Psychology, and Statistics. As the Director of the Health and Motivation Lab, Ben’s research focuses on people’s psychological and behavioral responses to threats to their autonomy or freedom. Ben has authored papers on these topics in journals such as Motivation Science, Social Science & Medicine, and Journal of Health Communication Ben has also written numerous pieces for the broader public for outlets like Scientific American and NPR Ben loves spending time outdoors with his wife, Sarah, kids (Ezra and Moriah), and dog Luna.

PhD,

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What Is Social Pain? And How Does It Compare to Physical Pain?

Interview With Naomi Eisenberger, PhD

By Bradley Cannon Psi Chi Headquarters

Do you have any memories related to rejection or exclusion that will carry with you for the rest of your life? This is more common than you might think.

For example, while in graduate school, Dr. Naomi Eisenberger gave a talk one time to a small group of big names in her field. Most people have public speaking anxiety, and in this case, she was no different. Right before her presentation, she distinctly noticed that she could feel her heart racing and her hands shaking, almost as if she was being held up at gunpoint.

At the time, it struck her as strange to realize that her body was reacting as if she could seriously die in the next hour. Cognitively, she understood that the worst-case scenario was that the group might reject her presentation. And yet, she couldn’t help wondering why her body was having such an extreme response. Didn’t her body understand that she would certainly survive this brief encounter? Thus began her exploration of how the brain responds to experiences of potential or experienced rejection.

Dr. Eisenberger is now a psychology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. She specializes in social and neuroimaging techniques to investigate the profound impact of social relationships on emotional and physical well-being, especially related to feelings of rejection. In this interview, she discusses strategies for decreasing social pain and how social pain compares with physical pain.

Thanks for speaking with me today! To begin, could you describe some scenarios that cause social pain and which one of these scenarios might result in more significant or longer-lasting pain than others?

Social pain is defined as the pain or distressing experience that comes from certain social experiences, such as social rejection, social exclusion, and social loss like losing a loved one or experiencing a relationship breakup. These painful experiences occur when our social relationships are severed. Obviously, the more impactful and longer-lasting experiences are those where the relationship was more significant. Losing a loved one or ending a

long-term relationship tend to be thought of as more socially painful than being snubbed by a stranger or losing a less meaningful relationship.

How do the brain’s responses to social pain compare to responses to actual physical pain?

I’ll answer this question by explaining how we discovered that there seems to be similarity in the way that the brain processes physical and social pain. For a long time, I was really interested in the experience of rejection, because it is such a negative experience. Some of our most long-standing memories are from times in our early childhood where we were left out by others on the school playground or picked last for the team. I wanted to understand why these experiences of rejection or exclusion are so difficult for us, so we conducted a study to investigate what the brain does in response to being excluded. Participants played a virtual ball-tossing game, called Cyberball, with what they thought were two other real people, but the two others were actually virtual players. During the game, the virtual players eventually stopped throwing the ball to the real per-

son, creating an experience of exclusion. We can then see how the participants’ brains reacted as they started to figure out that the two others were excluding them from this game.

When analyzing the data, I was actually sitting next to a graduate school colleague who was analyzing data from a study of physical pain in irritable bowel syndrome patients. We noticed a similarity in the kinds of brain activations we observed in both studies. This sparked our interest in the similarities between physical and social pain.

Two neural regions, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula, are well-known to play a role in the affective component of pain. Pain has two separate components that we always experience together. The affective component is the distressing part that makes us want to get away from the painful experience. This is the component we saw in response to social rejection and is common to both social and physical pain. The sensory component gives us information about where the pain sensation is coming from—whether it’s from the arm, leg, inside the body, or from the surface of the skin. We have seen less

evidence that this component is involved in social pain. So I think that is the answer to your question: We do see shared neural regions across physical and social pain, but mainly in the affective component. Can you describe any differences based on gender or culture in the experience of neural processing?

We haven’t looked so much at culture because imaging studies are really expensive, so we tend to run smaller samples. Our imaging studies also haven’t shown a lot of sex differences in neural responses to experiences of social pain. However, in behavioral studies, one of my collaborators, Kip Williams who developed the Cyberball game, has run Cyberball with hundreds of undergraduates. When you start investigating that many people, you do see gender differences, but they are small and this is tricky because now you’re dealing with self-reports. What these behavioral studies show is that women tend to report feeling more distressed by the Cyberball exclusion experience. If this is a real effect, it is kind of a small effect that you can only see with a really large sample. Or, it could also be a reporting bias where women are more willing than men to say that they felt meaningless, invisible, and rejected in response to this silly game.

Some people display more social pain than others. I wondered why do you think that is? And does it reflect the amount of social pain that they actually feel?

It’s a good question. We haven’t looked so much at what is the actual display. If somebody feels hurt, what are the signals that you can pick up on? Does it show on their face? Does it change the way they speak?

What I will say is that there is variability across people in how sensitive they are to social pain. We know that there is variability in how sensitive people are to physical pain. In some of our studies, we looked to see if people who are more or less sensitive to physical pain are also more or less sensitive to social pain. We found some interesting relationships there. If you happen to be more sensitive to physical pain, you also have higher rejection sensitivity. These things seem to go together.

How might your research on social pain inform treatments for conditions like depression or social anxiety?

Because I’m not trained as a clinician, my interest lies is in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying these different kinds of social experiences, rather than in testing treatments. But, from a patient-

oriented perspective, someone dealing with social anxiety may find that simply knowing about these findings is very validating. Your body really does all these crazy things when you are worried about rejection, and there is a good evolutionary, scientific reason for that. The reason is, given how important social ties are for our survival, the brain evolved to treat the possibility of or actually being rejected as a major pain signal that we need to pay attention to, fix, and resolve. Sometimes from a patient perspective, I think it can be really reassuring to know that there is a good reason for those experiences of being really distressed in response to the possibility of rejection.

Once someone is validated and knows that they are actually experiencing something real and even purposeful, can they do anything about it? Can you train yourself to be more resilient against moments of potential or experienced rejection?

For people with social anxiety, exposure is probably one of the best things that you can do. That involves not letting your fear make you avoid situations, but facing them instead. If you do that enough times, you learn that these are actually safe situations. There is also cognitive behavior therapy and a few other things too. For example, there are links between physical and social pain, which allows us to think about it in more creative ways. We know a lot about physical pain and ways to alleviate pain. So, can we use some of those same things to alleviate social pain? Physical pain relies on opioids, which are powerful painkillers in our bodies. I’m not suggesting that anyone take opioid medications, but there are ways to increase opioid levels like exercise, physical touch, and warm social interactions. Thinking about things from that angle, it is interesting to explore potential factors that can reduce physical pain and see if we can translate some of those same things to help people who are dealing with social pain.

In one of our studies, we looked to see if Tylenol, which is typically taken to treat physical pain, could also treat social pain. Again, I don’t typically recommend for people to take drugs to deal with social pain. In the study, we gave people Tylenol

every day for three weeks, and each night, they used a multiple-item scale of hurt feelings to rate how sensitive they felt that day. In one study, we showed that Tylenol reduced people’s level of hurt feelings. Over the course of the three-week period, the Tylenol group became progressively lower on that measure of hurt feelings. In a second study, we showed that participants who had been taking Tylenol also showed less pain-related neural sensitivity to exclusion at the end of the intervention.

Have you seen any evidence that social support mitigates the effects of social pain?

We have examined this in several ways. Generally, we find that individuals with more social support in their lives tend to exhibit less pain-related activity in response to social exclusion, as seen in studies using Cyberball. Even on a more granular level, people who felt more connected over the past 10 days showed reduced pain-related activity. Thus, feeling supported and engaging with social connections seem to protect against experiences of social pain.

On the flip side, we have also demonstrated that social support can reduce physical pain. For instance, simply holding a loved one’s hand or viewing a static image of a loved one can significantly reduce physical pain levels.

I would like to mention one more study that we recently conducted and are still puzzling over. In previous research, we found that hand-holding reduces physical pain. So we wondered: Can hand-holding also reduce social pain? To explore this, we conducted a study where we brought in couples and asked one member of each couple to recount a previous socially painful experience where they felt lonely or left out. We tried to keep them away from relationship breakups because we didn’t want their partner hearing them talk about their previous breakups. On some trials when they were recounting these negative memories, they held their partner’s hand, and on some trials, they didn’t. What we found is in the moment, as a partner was sharing negative experiences while holding their partner’s hand, they didn’t say that they felt any less emotional pain. But when we followed up with them later—either a week later or much later than that—the memories paired with holding a partner’s

hand were remembered as less painful. We are trying to figure out what exactly is going on there, but social support seems to have enduring effects on shaping some of our socially painful memories.

What we think is going on is related to the memory reconsolidation process. Whenever you recall a memory, you make it more labile for change. Memories are not hardened things that are always brought up in the same way. Once you recall a memory, you open it up to being changed. In other words, thinking about the memory makes it more pliable. When you pair a memory with the sensation of holding hands with a partner and being supported, that memory is not quite as upsetting when it gets solidified again. That’s part of what we’re looking into now.

Very interesting! If a student reading this wanted to get involved in research on social pain or make this a career, do you have any suggestions for them?

If you have had research experience and know what you want to do, I think the next step is probably just getting more research experience before applying to graduate school. I always tell my undergraduate students that the best way to do that is to get on listservs from different societies that are of interest to you. Two of the main societies that I call my home are the Society for Affective Science (SAS) and the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society (SANS). SAS has a listserv where they announce conferences, research assistant opportunities, lab manager opportunities, and project manager opportunities.

The first step is getting involved in research at their university. Pull up your psychology faculty website and see if there’s someone who seems interesting to you. Reach out and get in touch with them.

Naomi Eisenberger, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Psychology at UCLA. Her research uses neuroimaging techniques to better understand why social relationships are critical for mental and physical health. Dr. Eisenberger, who received her PhD in 2005, has published nearly 200 papers including articles in top-tier journals (Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature Neuroscience). In addition, her work has been recognized with several early career awards including ones from the American Psychological Association, the American Psychosomatic Society, the Association for Psychological Science, and the International Union of Psychological Science, as well as a mid-career trajectory award from the Society for Affective Science. She is also currently the editor-in-chief for the journal Emotion.

Apply for an Internship

Are you considering applying for an internship? Here are some helpful tips on how to get started, what things to consider, and how you will benefit from an internship.

Searching for an Internship

The easiest way to discover internship opportunities is by utilizing your university’s psychology department. Your professors may have insight on some well-known, credible internships. The psychology department at your school also likely has a website, newsletter, or email list. As a recent student worker for the psychology department, I will say this: Please read what we send out! The sole purpose of the information given by your department is to inform you of resources and opportunities available to you; use it!

As you prepare for graduate school, consider your desired specialization. It is a good idea to get experience with that specialization before you commit to a graduate-level degree that will require hours upon hours of practicum. Therefore, search for an internship role that interests you. You will thrive much better in a work environment if you feel a sense of

purpose to your work. Internships may involve research experience or applied settings. Which of these you choose will depend on what you intend to gain from your internship (e.g., subject expertise vs. real-world experience).

On your internship hunt, it is important to be fully aware of the expectations before applying. Be sure to look out for these three Rs: responsibilities, resources, and requirements.

Responsibilities: How much time will you be required to work in this role?

If you will be receiving college course credits for your internship (always a good idea), check with your academic advisor to clarify how many hours you are required to work during the semester. At my university, 3 college credits for the semester require 160 internship hours (roughly 10 hours per week). Also, be sure to understand any other internship course requirements such as keeping weekly journals, a final paper as a summarized reflection, etc.

For the internship itself, make sure your responsibilities are also properly mapped. It is important to consider how many hours per day and per week will be expected

of you. Some internships offer part-time roles (roughly 20 hours per week), whereas others may have full-time opportunities (40+ hours per week). The internship program I completed last summer required roughly 55 hours per week (11 hours a day) for 10 weeks. Luckily, they were upfront about this large commitment. This factor led to some serious contemplation regarding whether I was willing and capable of meeting these labor demands. Knowing and examining your own expectations is another necessary step in your internship search. Some people (as I saw among my peers) can get a little ahead of themselves out of eagerness to complete an internship. Be honest with yourself about how much time and effort you are willing to commit to an internship, and then hold yourself to those expectations.

Resources: What type of resources will you receive from this role?

Very few internships offer financial compensation such as an hourly wage or a monthly stipend. For those that do, it is not common to find “livable” wages. However, there are certainly some internships out there that will pay you (mine did), so do not let that factor deter you from searching for an internship.

Charisma Morgan Campbell University (NC)

Internships are best for people seeking graduate-level or real-world experience. They are typically used as stepping stones to gain more insight. This type of offer may be extremely rewarding to those who are planning to attend graduate school. Most times, you can request letters of recommendation from your supervisors to submit in your graduate school application or aspired career application. In an internship, you have a chance to display your knowledge and skills in a job-like setting. Therefore, your supervisors may be able to vouch for your ability to apply what you’ve learned thus far in your academic career. Having a recommendation letter from a professional to back up your acclaimed skill set can be extremely useful when applying to future jobs or graduate schools.

Requirements: What kind of previous training is required to perform this role? What kind of training will I receive from this role?

Some internships may be looking for candidates who have previous experiences that complement the role they are offering. For example, internships that require working directly with children may seek undergraduates who have had previous experience with children in a childcare setting because they would have potentially sharpened their skills involving procedure, patience, and teaching. Other internships may state in their job description that you will receive training experience from your role. Some may guarantee certification completion that will support you in other upcoming roles or graduate school applications. I was able to receive HIPAA, FERPA, and several CITI certifications that I was sure to include on my curriculum vitae (CV) before applying to graduate school. Some of these certifications involved information security, while others were directly related to behavioral research in clinical settings. These kinds of trainings may help you stand out to graduate school faculty or to job recruiters.

Dead Ends Direct Progress

In an ideal scenario, your internship would confirm your career choice and possibly lead to a job offer. On the other hand, an internship experience may lead you to shift your career choice or even dismiss it entirely. Through both possible outcomes, you still will have made progress toward your future. Consider it like a process of elimination to find the best answer. An internship is not always about confirming your place in a particular specialty or profession, it is also about finding out if you do not belong there. In other words, disconfirm-

ing information is still valuable information. If your internship does not provide you with the experience you were expecting, that does not mean that you wasted your time. Rather than entering a program seeking to confirm an expectation, consider going in completely open-minded, accepting the good and the bad things that are sure to come your way. Some things may teach you valuable information through exposure you could not have expected. My personal internship experience led me to question certain aspects about the program, which in turn taught me how to think for myself in an analytical manner. This internship indirectly challenged, and consequently improved, my critical thinking skills as a researcher. Considering my work as a future psychologist, I sought to confront these questions by examining them further. I will apply and build upon the skills I learned during my internship throughout the rest of my academic and professional career.

Many internships will provide you with an environment to apply your skills and excel at what you are good at. Although it is nice to expose your strengths, it is just as important to learn where you need improvement. I gained a deeper understanding of not only my capabilities, but also the limitations to them. Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses is extremely important to understand what you can take on. Finding a good fit is especially relevant to the student who is soon to be entering graduate school or even the workforce.

Present Opportunities…

Finding an opportunity to excel is a great thing. However, creating a space where you can excel in an area that does not readily provide it for you establishes an impressively abundant skill set. This, in turn, facilitates personal and professional growth. Being able to turn a seemingly negative situation into a positive one by reframing your mindset sharpens your mental fortitude, indirectly training you for future experiences. The resilience and adaptation skills you sharpen in the process will be useful in the future. An internship is certain to provide you with these learning opportunities, one way or another. Sometimes, the best way to learn what we want to do is by experiencing what we do not want to do. If we never step outside of our comfort zone, then we will never know what possibilities exist. As an undergraduate student, the endless possibilities of opportunity are out there for the taking. The best thing you can do for yourself is to give yourself a chance to grow through an internship. The

experiences you place yourself in now shape who you will become as you forge your path. My personal internship experience facilitated mental and emotional development. By placing myself several states away from my home, I had the opportunity to learn about, and adapt to, a new culture. Personally, I learned that I am capable of greater resilience and more patience than I could have ever imagined. I also learned how much I take others’ kindness for granted back home in my small southern town. To adapt and then successfully function in another environment can teach you incredible things about yourself and present you with opportunities that you had potentially never considered before.

… Pave Future Possibilities

If I were to conduct research in my graduate program to develop a new treatment, I would be able to take what I learned from my internship experience (the good and the bad) to help formulate something new. There is a need for more innovation and new approaches in psychology every day. Being in a position as an undergraduate student among professional psychologists, it is easy to be placed in a “lesser than thou” mindset; to accept what is told to you without questioning it because, well, “Who am I to question them?” Although it is necessary to have respect for others, it does not mean that you are restricted from your own autonomy and independent thinking. Disagreements in science have led to the most revolutionary ideas that we still learn about in our college courses today. It is our responsibility as future psychologists to be the new generation of innovators with alternative perspectives and fresh contributions. An internship will provide you with the space to begin that journey.

Career development is a process. Carving your path is a process. Many undergraduates feel that they need to have “the” answer to what their future holds. However, the only thing you need to be is adaptable. It is your responsibility as a young adult to take advantage of opportunities, and an internship is just that. Use it to pave the next step of your professional path. An internship will reveal your internal self, and help you craft your professional self.

Through

research

Charisma Morgan is currently an undergraduate student at Campbell University in her senior year studying psychology. She is from a small, rural town in North Carolina. Her special interests include personality, development, and abnormal psychology.

her internship and

opportunities, Charisma has been inspired to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology and become a clinical psychologist.

Chapter Activities Submission Guidelines

With more than 1,100 chapters, Psi Chi members can make a significant impact in their communities. Reviewing Chapter Activities in Eye on Psi Chi is a great way to find inspirational ideas for your chapter and keep in touch with your chapter after you graduate.

Activities are listed in the following categories:

• COMMUNITY SERVICE

• CONVENTION/CONFERENCE

• FUND-RAISING

• INDUCTION CEREMONY

• MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT

• RECRUITMENT

• SOCIAL EVENT

Share your chapter’s accomplishments with others in the next issue of Eye on Psi Chi! Chapter officers and advisors are encouraged to visit https://www.psichi.org/page/eye_activity

Submission deadlines*

Fall: June 30

Winter: September 30

Spring: December 15

Summer: February 28

*Reports received (postmarked) after the deadline will appear in the next issue

Psi Chi

EAST

New York University INDUCTION CEREMONY: The chapter’s induction ceremony in December 2024 was a formal yet celebratory event welcoming 29 new members. The ceremony honored students who demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to the field of psychology. The event opened with welcoming remarks, followed by a speech from Dr. Andrew Hilford (advisor), who

spoke about the significance of Psi Chi in fostering academic and professional growth. Jiya Jain (president) also addressed the inductees, offering words of encouragement and emphasizing the importance of community within the society. Following the speeches, each inductee was formally presented with their certificate, marking their official entry into the honor society. To celebrate, attendees enjoyed refreshments, including pizza, cupcakes from Baked by Melissa, and sparkling apple cider. The evening concluded with a networking

session where inductees connected with faculty, alumni, and fellow members, fostering a strong sense of camaraderie and accomplishment.

SOCIAL EVENT: The chapter’s Midterm Destressor in October 2024 was a relaxing and engaging event designed to help students unwind during the stressful midterm season. Hosted by the chapter executive board, the event provided a much-needed break from studying, allowing attendees to recharge in a supportive and

induction ceremony.

(Below) New York University Psi Chi’s event coordinator officers at the Midterm Destressor Event.

of Eye on

(Right) The newly inducted members of New York University Psi Chi with Dr. Andrew Hilford (advisor) at the December 2024

fun environment. Students enjoyed a variety of stress-relief activities, including mindfulness exercises, coloring stations, and a DIY self-care corner with face masks and fidget toys. There were also snacks and refreshments, including cookies and coffee, to keep energy levels up.

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: The chapter panel with Dr. Ian Reed on clinical psychology in September 2024 was a virtual event, offering students valuable insights into the field of clinical psychology. Dr. Reed, a clinical

associate professor at NYU, shared his expertise on mental health treatment, therapy approaches, graduate school pathways, and career opportunities in clinical psychology. The remote format allowed for an engaging Q&A session, where attendees asked Dr. Reed about the realities of working in clinical psychology, challenges in the field, and essential skills for aspiring psychologists. He also provided guidance on applying to graduate programs, emphasizing the importance of research experience, clinical exposure, and professional development.

Saint Elizabeth University (NJ)

SOCIAL EVENT: On February 11, the chapter hosted a social event centered around self-love and self-care, recognizing the stress that often comes with being a student. Students had the opportunity to create bracelets featuring positive messages and were given a selection of stickers, including sensory stickers and those with affirmations. Snacks and light refreshments were also available. The event was designed to give students a chance to unwind, practice self-care, and embrace the values we uphold as future psychologists.

Saint Joseph’s University (PA)

SOCIAL EVENT: On February 20, the chapter hosted the annual Networking Night. This event was held for all students in psychology or related fields and served as a way to connect students with faculty and professionals in the field of psychology. The event hosted a wide range of organizations, from clinical research to disability services. It was a wonderful event with many engaging conversations and mentoring opportunities.

William James College (MA)

COMMUNITY SERVICE: During an inaugural week of service, Psi Chi members participated in the Metrowest

members participated in Cards for Kids by creating homemade cards with words of encouragement for children and families in hospitals.

MIDWEST

Augustana College (IL)

CONVENTION/CONFERENCE: The 2024 Psi Chi officers and chapter sponsor attended the Midwestern Psychological Convention in Chicago, Illinois. They had a great time and learned a lot from other members! Each officer brought

experience in unique topics across all of psychology that enhances the mentorship and advice that they can share with their members and college community members.

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: The chapter hosted Misty Dais, MT-BC, a music therapist and guest speaker from Quad City Music Therapy, a local clinic in Moline, IL. Misty spoke with Psi Chi and Augustana College community members about the power of music in making connections and behavioral impact in children and adults with special needs.

SOCIAL EVENT: The chapter sponsored a Halloween trivia night open to the entire campus. Prizes were purchased by the chapter vice-president and secretary prior to the event. The president hosted several rounds of trivia: psychology, neuroscience, and pop culture. These rounds were all enjoyed by attendees! Those who participated by wearing a costume were recognized, and those who won were awarded a Halloween basket. The chapter aimed to promote a social event that incorporated topics related to Psi Chi and Halloween.

Carthage College (WI)

SOCIAL EVENT: The chapter continued hosting their “Prosocial Project” events. During these events, roughly 800 meals were prepared and distributed to local shelters and food pantries. Each meal included a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a banana, chips, cookies, and a water bottle. Multiple other academic organizations joined Psi Chi to assemble the meals in under 40 minutes. The event had a great turnout, and everyone left feeling de-stressed!

MEETING SPEAKER EVENT: The chapter held its annual alumni panel and former psychology students shared their experiences, career paths, and advice. Panelists discussed the challenges they faced during their graduate school experiences and participated in a Q&A! It was very insightful for the current psychology students!

INDUCTION CEREMONY: This past semester, we inducted 14 new members into Psi Chi!

DePaul University (IL)

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: The chapter’s January event aimed to promote understanding of homelessness. A research assistant from DePaul’s Homelessness Advocacy, Research, and Collaboration (HARC) lab presented on the root causes of homelessness and common misconceptions about it, as well as the role of psychologists in eliminating homelessness. The event encouraged students to put their knowledge into action; at the end of the event, attendees packed care kits (including

socks, hand warmers, personal care items, and snacks) to share with people experiencing homelessness in Chicago.

SOCIAL EVENT: Despite a snowstorm that forced members to meet on Zoom, the chapter’s Psi Chi Valentine’s Day event was a huge success! The chapter kicked things off by creating Valentine’s cards that were later delivered to older adults living in an assisted living center. Then, members played a Valentine’s-themed Kahoot, testing their trivia knowledge about Valentine’s Day. Finally, members played “Guess the Love Song,” where

(Above left) The 2024 Augustana College (IL) Psi Chi officers and their chapter sponsor (left to right): Megan Markiewicz, Bethany Abrams, Sam Vasich, Riley Scrivner, and Dr. Daniel Corts (not pictured: Rachel Blankenship).

(Above right) Misty Dais, MT-BC, leading meeting attendees in a musical exercise hosted by Augustana College (IL).

(Left) The 2025 Augustana College (IL) Psi Chi officers dressed up for the Halloween meeting (left to right): Iratze Aceves, Sam Vasich, Ava Jackson, Elaina Stroh, and Naomi Kinfu.

participants listened to short clips of popular love songs and tried to identify them first. Despite having to shift to a virtual format, there was a great turnout, and members had a lot of fun!

University of Missouri, Columbia COMMUNITY SERVICE: During the 2025 spring semester, the chapter created cards for Letters of Love. Letters of Love is a program that sends handmade cards across the world to children with a terminal illness. The cards had different kinds of themes but all in the

scope of being uplifting and spreading love. The chapter collaborated with another campus organization and chapter members made over 30 cards! INDUCTION CEREMONY: At the end of the 2024 fall semester on December 3, the chapter celebrated 46 new Psi Chi inductees. The chapter president, vice-president, and secretary conducted the induction ceremony. The chapter celebrated the induction with cupcakes, a movie, and lots of conversation. They even set up a photo booth station!

(Right) Rollins University (FL) Chapter at the Out of the Darkness Walk, supporting the AFSP.

(Below) Rollins University (FL) Chapter’s “So, You’re Graduating … Now What?” Q&A style event with faculty from the psychology department.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN

Colorado State University, Pueblo MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: Nancy Hall visited the chapter to provide valuable insight about the history of psychiatric treatment in Colorado! Pueblo is home to the Colorado Mental Health Institution (previously called the Colorado State Insane Asylum), which opened in 1879. At one point, this was

the region’s largest mental health facility with over 3 miles of tunnels!

SOUTHEAST

Bridgewater College (VA) COMMUNITY SERVICE: The chapter hosted an awareness event on World Mental Health Day. During this event, they spread awareness of what mental health is and different psychological disorders that can impact a person’s mental health. They handed out goodie bags with fidget toys to college community

members, which also helped to decrease the stigma of talking about mental health. Then, they handed out supplementary flyers about mental health to encourage conversation about mental health and further spread awareness of the topic.

Rollins University (FL)

COMMUNITY SERVICE: The chapter had the incredible opportunity to volunteer with Paws for Prevention at the Out of the Darkness Walk, supporting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). In addition to

assisting with the event, members participated in the walk, showing their commitment to mental health awareness. The chapter also contributed to the cause by fundraising for Paws for Prevention, helping to support their mission. Through their involvement, members not only raised awareness, but also strengthened their dedication to advocate for suicide prevention and mental wellbeing in the community.

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: The chapter hosted a Q&A style event

called “So, You’re Graduating... Now What?” featuring a panel of psychology professors. The discussion provided students with valuable insights into life after graduation, covering topics like career paths, graduate school, and transitioning into the workforce. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and gain advice directly from faculty members, helping them feel more prepared for their future. The event fostered meaningful conversations and offered guidance to students navigating their next steps beyond Rollins.

University of Mary Washington (VA) SOCIAL EVENT: The chapter collaborated with University of Mary Washington’s psychology department representatives to cohost a study session as the first event of the spring. Snacks, hot cocoa, and coffee were provided at the study session. Students in the psychology department were able to connect with each other and build community over their shared interests.

INDUCTION CEREMONY: Twelve new members were welcomed into the

(Above left) The officers of the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez Chapter hosting a pizza and soda sale on campus.

(Above right) A visitor engages in the Rorschach inkblot activity at University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez’s information table.

(Left) The members of the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez Chapter socializing and painting at an event.

chapter this February! The officers visited psychology classrooms to recognize students who were eligible for membership. The new inductees were given celebratory mugs filled with candy and official Psi Chi pencils in honor of their academic accomplishments. The chapter invited Dr. W. David Stahlman, an esteemed professor from the University of Mary Washington’s Department of Psychological Science, to speak to the new inductees at the induction ceremony. Current members of the

chapter participated in the reenactment of the Platonic Myth play, a fun UMW Psi Chi induction tradition.

University of Mount Olive (NC)

INDUCTION CEREMONY: The chapter hosted an induction and is excited to have added seven new inductees to Psi Chi this semester!

University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez

FUNDRAISER: On January 28, the chapter had a fundraising event where the officers sold pizza and soda on

campus. This initiative is part of the chapter’s ongoing efforts to raise funds for the induction ceremony and support other activities throughout the academic year. Additionally, the event offered the campus community a convenient spot to grab a bite to eat while supporting a great cause.

RECRUITMENT: On February 6, the chapter participated in the Arts & Sciences Associations Fair at the university campus. This event provided an opportunity for the chapter officers to promote, recruit, and raise awareness

about the association. At the event, the chapter had an information table that introduced visitors to key concepts of personality such as its components, common psychopathologies, psychological schools of thought, and more. As part of the experience, visitors were invited to take The Big Five Personality Test or create their own Rorschach inkblots, making for an interactive and memorable experience for all who stopped by.

SOCIAL EVENT: On February 20, the chapter hosted a social event at the

Top) Yerevan State University (Armenia) Psi Chi members helped to host the previous biennial YSU Conference on Psychology.

(Middle right) University of Central Oklahoma officers and faculty advisor.

(Right) Bella Gaughan, Nancy Hall, Charlotte Kneuper, Teegan Minjarez, Allie Hasui, and Dr. Walker surrounding Colorado State University Pueblo Chapter president Sofia Marquina in an authentic straight jacket!

(

campus art museum, where members and their guests had the chance to unwind and be creative. While enjoying delicious refreshments and pastries, the attendees were able to express themselves through painting all in a relaxed atmosphere. The event offered a wonderful opportunity for members to connect, let their imaginations soar, and take a break from the stresses of everyday life.

West Liberty University (WV) FUNDRAISER: In February 2025, the chapter decided to hold a fundraiser

to support a charity. After conducting a chapter-wide vote, they chose The Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation to receive their donation. For this fundraiser, members created chocolate brains and sold them in the West Liberty University student union during Valentine’s Day week. A total of $426 was raised and donated.

COMMUNITY SERVICE: In November 2024, chapter members organized a clothing drive for Street Moms, a local homeless organization. The chapter chose this organization

because homelessness and poverty are prevalent in Wheeling, WV, as with many other cities in the state. The chapter members wanted to help meet the needs of local individuals and adequately prepare them for the cold winter months to come.

SOCIAL EVENT: On September 4, 2024, the chapter collaborated with the West Liberty Psychology Club to promote the organization and raise awareness across the entire campus during West Liberty’s Organization Fair. This event provides all clubs, honor societies,

sororities, and fraternities on campus the chance to showcase what they offer to draw interest and recruit new members.

Yerevan State University (Armenia) MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: In spring 2025, chapter members worked to help Yerevan State University prepare for its Tenth biennial YSU International Conference on Psychology this October 10–12, 2025. The call for papers is due in July 2025. Details appear at: https://psyarm.com/.

(Left) Pictured left to right: Jordan Davis (treasurer), Kaelyn Oliver (philanthropy chair), Ann Lemley (president), and Page Gross (member) working together to create chocolate brains. This photo was posted on social media to advertise West Liberty University (WV) Chapter’s plans.

(Center left) Pictured left to right: Kaelyn Oliver (philanthropy chair), Abby Templeton (member), Ann Lemley (president), and Kayla Hall (secretary) worked the West Liberty (WV) Organization Fair.

(Center right) Ann Lemley (president) is pictured with the clothes West Liberty University (WV) Psi Chi gathered to donate to Street Moms.

SOUTHWEST

Houston Christian University (TX)

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: The chapter hosted a panel for Black History Month. Two professors at Houston Christian University, Dr. Matiko Austin (clinical psychology), and Dr. Andrea Johnson (counselor education and supervision) provided education and insight on developing emotional intelligence and empathy when navigating difficult conversations centered on race and ethnicity and the value of cultural

diversity in the field of psychology. Three flyers were created that effectively highlighted African American psychologist before the official flyer for the event was released. Members organized the space to include decorations, posters, a snack table, a panelist table, and several seats for the audience.

Ozyegin University (Turkey)

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT:

Dr. Elizabeth Loftus was hosted for an insightful Q&A event regarding

her research on misinformation effect and false memories, her experiences about providing expert testimony, and consultation for legal teams. The session explored how the phrasing of a situation and the techniques that are used can demonstrate the fragile nature of human memory and, thereby, influence the ways in which people remember and interpret information. This webinar helped participants understand that memory is not a perfect recording of events, but is rather reconstructed continuously. Therefore, the memory may not be as reliable as many think.

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: On October 16, Dr. Daniel Schacter gave an enlightening webinar on “Adaptive Constructive Processes in Memory and Imagination,” followed by an elaborate Q&A. He presented how previous findings on memory have led to his research today, mentioning various brain-imaging studies and adaptive constructive memory research. Two recent research studies that tested the Constructive Episodic Simulation Hypothesis were discussed. Hippocampal-based episodic recombination during future imagining

(Top) Audience who attended Houston Christian University (TX) Psi Chi’s BHM event.

(Middle) Black History Month Houston Christian University (TX) Psi Chi panel volunteers.

(Below) Dr. Matiko Austin and Dr. Andrea Johnson at Houston Christian University (TX) Psi Chi event.

and memory misattribution errors related to episodic recombination processes were presented in detail.  MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: The BreathBody-Mind Workshop with clinical psychologist/breath therapist Sude Kilic was a fantastic break between the midterms. During the event, 40 participants had time to relax and focus on their breath with specific breathing techniques such as 4-4-2 Technique. After the event, participants shared their feedback, stating that dedicating 30-40 minutes to themselves during a stressful time was healing.

Stephen F. Austin State University (TX)

COMMUNITY SERVICE: The chapter hosted a campus-wide card-making event where students created heartfelt Valentine’s Day cards for senior citizens. On Valentine’s Day, members volunteered to personally deliver the cards to residents at Magnolia Court Assisted Living & Memory Care and the Alzheimer’s Day Center, bringing joy and connection to the older adult community.

FUNDRAISER: In a unique fundraising effort, Psi Chi members crafted and sold

handmade self-care products, including candles, wax melts, body scrubs, lip balms, and salves. This event not only raised funds for the chapter but also encouraged mindfulness and wellbeing within the community through thoughtfully made, high-quality products.

INDUCTION CEREMONY: Psi Chi welcomed 12 new members and six junior members during the spring induction ceremony. The event featured a meaningful speech from the chapter advisor, highlighting the significance of academic excellence and service

in psychology. Attendees enjoyed a catered dinner as they celebrated the achievements of the inductees and the growth of the chapter.

Texas

A&M

University–Kingsville

INDUCTION CEREMONY: The chapter celebrated a successful post-COVID return. After a 5 year hiatus, the largest inductee class in chapter history was welcomed in spring 2024. The newly elected leadership board and faculty sponsor, Dr. Kelli Thompson, invited special guest speakers Dr. Cynthia

(Above): Psi Chi Ozyegin University (Turkey) members and students together after the Breath, Body, Mind workshop.

(Far left): Ozyegin University (Turkey) poster of the Q&A with Elizabeth Loftus event.

(Left) Ozyegin University (Turkey) poster of the Adaptive and Constructive Processes in Memory and Imagination with Daniel Schachter event.

Alvarado-Stinson and Dr. Maria ValezHernandez to officiate. The room was packed to capacity with friends and family who wished to share in the pride of these students’ accomplishments. The chapter’s return and increased presence on campus this past year has clearly been successful in motivating students to work hard and join!

CONVENTION/CONFERENCE: The chapter set goals to increase student research engagement in fall 2024. This included guest speakers and professional

development meetings focused around conference submissions throughout the semester. These efforts paid off as the TAMUK Chapter proudly had 10 student presentations accepted to the 2025 Southwestern Psychological Association Convention in Little Rock, AR. This included a range of first-time poster, paper, and symposia presentations from graduate and undergraduate students, making this a unique peer-mentoring experience. This demonstrates how students can learn research engagement in a very short time with intentional goals such as these!

Texas State University MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: The chapter held a Graduate School Workshop. Because the university has many firstgeneration students, the chapter thought it imperative to hold an event to address students’ many questions about graduate school programs. The overview discussion, given by career advisor Nikky Bissonnette, covered differences between master’s, PhD, and PsyD programs. The mock interviews allowed students to sit down with a graduate student who posed as a mock interviewer. Recently experiencing the

interview process, the grad students were perfect candidates for mock interviewers (asked updated questions and gave more accurate advice). The stations covered information about financial aid, statements of purpose, the GRE, and conducting faculty research.

University of Central Oklahoma MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: The chapter hosted the Career Opportunities in Psychology event in fall 2024, exposing students to different career paths and off-campus recruiters. Representatives

(Right) Stephen F. Austin State University (TX) 2024–25 induction.

(Below left): Magnolia Court Valentines from Stephen F. Austin State University (TX) Psi Chi members.

(Below right) Stephen F. Austin State University (TX) Handmade Self-Care Fundraiser.

from mental and behavioral health clinics shared job opportunities, discussed emotional resilience in client-facing roles, and provided insight into working with children with developmental disorders. Also, UCO’s School Psychology Student Association (SSPA) highlighted assessment skills. Interactive activities, including feelgood boards and financial planning advice, promoted self-reflection and preparedness. Psi Chi ensured students gained the knowledge and resilience needed for psychology careers.

WEST

University of Hawai’i at Mānoa COMMUNITY SERVICE: In October 2024, the chapter volunteered at Ka Papa Lo'i O Kānewai (The Taro Patch of Kānewai), which holds community work days every first Saturday of the month. Chapter members, alongside volunteers, are split up into groups with a team leader to learn the history as well as maintain the lo'i patch by stepping on leaves to enrich the mud,

and strengthening soil mounds. By volunteering, the chapter was able to help give back to the 'āina (land), which is beneficial to the local community who are always in need of helping hands.

FUNDRAISER: In December 2024, the chapter hosted its final fundraiser for the fall 2024 semester in collaboration with the local Hawaiian business, Ju-Mui. Known for its signature ice pops with a flavor-infused li hing mui (dried plum) seed at the center, Ju-Mui provides unique flavors like lychee, lilikoi (passion

fruit), and ube coconut. The chapter sold prepackaged six-packs featuring these flavors, along with individual strawberry-flavored pops and stickers on campus, selling out within two hours. Partnering with local businesses strengthens community ties, benefiting both students and the local economy.

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: In February 2025, the chapter held its first general meeting of the spring semester, where members handmade Valentine’s Day cards for their loved ones. Officers also passed out Valentine’s Day candy and outlined

(Above) The Texas A&M University–Kingsville Chapter celebrated a successful post-COVID return with the spring 2024 inductee class and guest speakers from the Dean's Office and Office for Student Success!

(Left) Leadership efforts from the Texas A&M University–Kingsville Chapter paid off this past fall semester as the chapter had 10 student presentations accepted to the upcoming SWPA Convention.

the semester’s agenda, which included expanded opportunities for volunteering, fundraising, and social events. The meeting not only provided important information but also fostered creative engagement, further strengthening the chapter’s sense of community.

University of Victoria (Canada)

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: The chapter’s annual “How to Get Into Honours” event focused on providing resources for students who are interested in the honours program.

Dr. David A. Medler (PhD from the University of Alberta, associate chair

and associate teaching professor in psychology at the University of Victoria, expertise in Cognition and Brain sciences) gave detailed explanations on topics like the application process, finding supervisors, and held a Q&A period at the end to answer any lingering questions. Overall, this event helped students understand what to expect in getting an honours distinction.

SOCIAL EVENT: In partnership with University of Victoria’s Psychology Undergraduate Society (PUGS), the chapter put on a biweekly Study Café to help psychology students with any questions they may have about their

(Right) University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Chapter members and officers volunteering at Ka Papa Loʻi O Kānewai, helping maintain the loʻi patch and give back to the ʻāina during October 2024.

(Below left) University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Chapter members and officers gathered for a group photo after the first spring 2025 Valentine’s Day-themed general meeting on campus.

(Below right) University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Chapter officers fundraising during the fall 2024 semester in collaboration with local popsicle business Ju-Mui, selling ice pops and stickers on campus.

course work. Study Cafés are an active part of the University of Victoria’s Chapter to help tutor psychology undergraduates and teach them how to search through databases or other miscellaneous wisdom gained through experience. This event gave students a place to study with peer tutors ready whenever they are needed to help clarify any concepts they may be unsure of, while offering relaxing music, snacks, and drinks to consume in their studies.

COMMUNITY SERVICE: The chapter annually collects donations during the month of November to support women impacted by homelessness

in Victoria. During the last day of classes, the psychology community got together to assemble and wrap the donations in shoeboxes while bonding over hot chocolate and other assorted refreshments.

MEETING/SPEAKER EVENT: On February 13, 2025, the chapter hosted their annual “How To Get Into Research” event, where current research undergraduate students at UVic could share their experiences in the topic as well as answer any questions that attendees may have. With snacks to encourage attendance, this event aimed to ignite a passion for research within undergraduates.

(Top left) University of Victoria (Canada) psychology students showing off the wrapped donations collected for women impacted by homelessness.

(Top right) University of Victoria (Canada) Chapter of Psi Chi hosted their annual “How To Get Into Research” event to inspire undergraduates to get into research (undergraduate panelists from left to right): Izzy Davies-Stevenson (research assistant), Taleesha Hall (work study student), Miki McGhee (honours student), Sena Hall (research assistant), and Alexa Semmelmann (research assistant).

(Second row left) Students studying at the Study Café, cohosted by the University of Victoria’s (Canada) Chapter of Psi Chi and Psychology Undergraduate Society.

(Second row right) An informational session where psychology students got to learn about the University of Victoria’s (Canada) honour program from Dr. David A. Medler.

(Third row) Carthage College (WI) psych members who helped with the Prosocial Project posing with some meals they made.

(Bottom) Carthage College's Psi Chi Inductees.

SENIORS!

Did you know Psi Chi offers graduation regalia like our new Single Honor Cords, which feature a special charm on one tassel? Honor Stoles, Medallions, Lapel Pins, and Certificate Holders are also available. Order today!