Grant opportunity: New Frontiers in the Psychology of Character

Dear Colleagues,

We are very pleased to announce that Wake Forest University is now welcoming proposals for the “New Frontiers in the Psychology of Character” funding initiative. With the help of a generous grant from The John Templeton Foundation, this $1.5 million dollar initiative is intended to support empirical work in psychology on the existence and nature of character and the relationship between character traits and beliefs, desires, identities, emotions, behavior, and situations. Proposals can request between $50,000 and $200,000 for projects not to exceed two years in duration. We hope to make between 6-10 awards.

We envision applicants from personality, social, and developmental psychology in particular, but possibly other disciplines as well, who are interested in the ability of people to achieve moral behavior. Interdisciplinary teams of researchers (including psychologists, philosophers, and theologians) are encouraged, but team-based proposals are not required. We aim to support young researchers working on the psychology of character, who often have new and interesting ideas but who have not yet benefited from traditional funding sources. Thus, we would give preference to proposals from PIs who are within ten years of receiving their Ph.D.

Letters of Intent are due by November 29^th, 2010. Notification will be made by January 15^th, 2011, with submission of full proposals no later than March 28^th, 2011. Final award decisions will be issued by June 1^st, 2011 for research to begin on August 1^st, 2011 (and no later than September 1, 2011).

For additional details and background, guidelines, etc., please see the document available at http://www.thecharacterproject.com/documents/Psychology_RFP.pdf. All questions should be directed to CharacterPsychology@wfu.edu or The Character Project, Department of Philosophy, P.O. Box 7332, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109. More information about the Character Project in general is available at http://www.thecharacterproject.com/

Best,

Mike Furr & Will Fleeson, Department of Psychology

Christian Miller, Department of Philosophy

Wake Forest University

Personality/Quant job at Washington University in St. Louis

Hi all,

Please see the job ad below for a personality/quant position at Wash U.

Thanks!

Simine

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS, Department of Psychology is seeking candidates for an Assistant Professor position in the area of personality psychology with strong quantitative skills, to teach psychology or related courses, conduct research, publish in peer-reviewed journals, advise students and participate in faculty meetings. A primary teaching responsibility for the candidate will be in the graduate statistics curriculum in the psychology department. Any area of personality psychology will be considered, though preference will be given to candidates with a strong quantitative background. The primary qualification for this position is a doctorate and a demonstrated excellence in research and teaching. We especially encourage applications from women and members of minority groups.

Please email a curriculum vitae, reprints, a short statement of research interests and teaching experience, and three letters of reference to Cheri B. Casanova at cbcasano@wustl.edu. The Search Committee will begin the formal review process Nov. 1, 2010; applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Washington University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Employment eligibility verification is required upon hire.

Special issue for Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research

Reintegrating Erikson: A Theoretical and Empirical Synthesis of Eriksonian Identity Models

Special Issue for Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research

Guest Editor: Moin Syed, University of Minnesota

Contemporary theory and research on identity development draws heavily from two core facets of Erik Erikson’s (1968) theoretical writings. On the one hand, an abundance of research has probed Erikson’s proposal that adolescents and young adults typically go through a period of intense explorations of potential identity alternatives on the way to solidifying a coherent and satisfactory identity (e.g., identity status model, identity styles; see Schwartz, 2001 for a review). Another body of research has focused on Erikson’s proposal that a fundamental aspect of identity development is for individuals to feel a sense of temporal continuity and coherence, in which their past endeavors, current concerns, and future prospects are successfully integrated to provide meaning and direction in life (e.g., narrative life-history model).

Despite their shared theoretical origins, there is a notable lack of theory and research on how various operationalizations of Erikson’s theory may be interrelated. The purpose of this Special Issue is to reintegrate varying facets of Eriksonian theory and research on identity. To advance this goal, manuscripts submitted for the Special Issue must attempt to integrate two or more approaches to identity that are based on Erikson’s theory. Empirical manuscripts that use quantitative or qualitative methods will be equally valued, and submissions using mixed-methods are particularly welcome. Theoretical and review articles will also be considered.

Interested authors are highly encouraged to submit a letter of intent including an abstract of the manuscript (100-200 words) to the Guest Editor by September 1, 2010. The deadline for final submissions to the Special Issue will be January 31, 2011. Letters of intent and submission should be e-mailed to the Guest Editor, Moin Syed, at moin@umn.edu. Please follow all submission guidelines as outlined in Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research (available at www.informaworld.com).

SPSP Conference: January 27-29, San Antonio, TX

The annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology will be Jan 27-29 in San Antonio, TX. Submissions open June 14 and close July 20. Personality has been well-represented at this conference in the past and we hope many ARP members will consider submitting a symposium or poster and keep up our high profile! See http://www.spspmeeting.org/ for more information.

ARP’s next Meeting: June 16-19 2011 in Riverside, California

If you were not at the first stand-alone meeting of ARP, in Evanston, Illinois in July of last year, then ask somebody who was. You will hear great things. Exciting research was presented by the best people in the field in a well-organized series of symposia and posters but the most important action, as always, occurred in the hallways, bars and restaurants as colleagues got together and exchanged ideas informally. Next year we plan to build on that success at our second biannual meeting in Riverside, California, on Thursday, June 16 to Saturday, June 18, 2011. Sessions will run all day on Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th and will include symposia, plenary speakers, and plenty of room for posters. Mark your calendar now.

Riverside is one of the old cities of Southern California, with historic architecture including the stunning Mission Inn, which is one of our conference hotels. The other hotel is the downtown Marriott, a modern high-rise across the street from the Convention Center, which will be our primary venue. (If you decide to make your reservations early, phone the hotels -- do not make your reservation over the internet -- and be sure to mention ARP for a special rate.)

A survey taken after the Evanston meeting showed that while attendees were thrilled overall, they wished there had been more opportunities for informal social interaction. In response, the Riverside meeting will include an opening poolside reception at the Marriott on Thursday evening, a second reception on Friday evening in the convention center, and coffee breaks and lunches on Friday and Saturday. All this will be included in the registration fee. In addition, an optional gala dinner Saturday night will be held in one of the spectacular historic rooms in the Mission Inn.

Riverside is only 15 miles from Ontario International Airport (not to be confused with the Ontario in Canada), and both hotels will offer free shuttle service to conference attendees. Los Angeles International Airport is about 1 hr, 15 minutes away – fortunately, according to a recent survey, Los Angeles is one of the least expensive places in the world to rent a car, and the hotels are providing free parking.

Come early or stay late, if you can, and bring the family. Riverside is only a half-hour drive from Disneyland, a half-hour from the desert (and Palm Springs), and an hour from the beach. It can be hot in Riverside in June, but the area is also known for its “June Gloom” that can bring a high fog that cools things down and does not lift until noon. Watch your in-box for further information, soon, about hotels, registration, and participating in the program. This is a meeting you don’t want to miss.

Third Biennial Symposium on Personality and Social Psychology

The Third Biennial Symposium on Personality and Social Psychology will be held in Warsaw, Poland, on September 22-25, 2010. The symposium will highlight recent multidisciplinary advances that have influenced psychological science. Additional information can be found at http://www.bspsp.edu.pl/.

Personality: Theories and Applications (2nd ed.)

Robert Hogan, President of Hogan Assessment Systems, and Robert Smither, Professor of Psychology at Rollins College, have published the second edition of their textbook, entitled Personality: Theories and Applications (2008, Hogan Press). Additional information can be found at http://www.hoganassessments.com/store/personality-theories-and-applications.

Comings and Goings, June 2010

Lee Anna Clark (Ph.D. 1982, University of Minnesota) from professor at the University of Iowa to professor at Notre Dame University.

Laura P. Naumann (Ph.D. 2009, University of California, Berkeley), from postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Riverside to assistant professor at Sonoma State University.

Erik E. Noftle (Ph.D. 2007, University of California, Davis) from assistant professor at Linfield College to assistant professor at Willamette University.

David Watson (Ph.D. 1982, University of Minnesota) from professor at the University of Iowa to professor at Notre Dame University.