Vaida D. Thompson

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Vaida D. Thompson
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materFlorida State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
OccupationProfessor at the university of north carolina at chapel hill
AwardsNewman-Proshansky Career Achievement Award
Scientific career
Fields Population psychology, Social psychology
Institutions University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Thesis  (1968)
Doctoral students Joseph Lee Rodgers

Vaida D. Thompson is a population psychologist who was instrumental in establishing the American Psychological Association's Division 34, Population and Environmental Psychology (now known as the Society of Environmental, Population, and Conservation Psychology). [1] She served as the first president of APA Division 34 from 1973 to 1975. [2]

Contents

Thompson was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Population and Environment (1977–1984). [3] In 2013, she received the Newman-Proshansky Career Achievement Award in recognition of her significant contributions to the field of Population Psychology. [4]

Prior to her retirement, Thompson was Professor of Psychology at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of their Social Psychology Program. [5]

Biography

Thompson attended Florida State University where she received a B.S.N Ed. in Nursing Education in 1958 and a M.A. in psychology in 1959. [6] She worked as a research assistant at Duke University Medical Center and at the Institute for Research in Social Science of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she completed her PhD in psychology in 1968. Thompson joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1968 and remained there until her retirement in 2006. [5]

Thompson served on the UNC-CH AIDS task-force educating healthcare providers and training domestic/international HIV/AIDS units. [7] Thompson was a member of the editorial board of Advances in Population: Psychosocial Perspectives. [5]

Research

Thompson and her colleagues conducted research on sexual behavior and self-esteem, [8] examining how physical attractiveness, similarity of attitude, and sex may affect platonic and romantic relationships. [9] Her research group also studied family size and birth order in relation to parent-teen relationships and power dynamics, [10] and associations between family size and the self-esteem and psychological wellbeing of teenagers in the family. [11]

Thompson's research addressed social-psychological factors that contribute to protection from HIV infection. She and her colleagues conducted research with Black college students to find out what precautions they took against HIV/AIDS. [12] Thompson and her collaborators investigated Black–White differences in self-esteem across young adulthood, specifically how individuals of different races view themselves and conceptions of controlling their own lives in early adulthood. [13]

In collaboration with A. Tashakkori, Thompson investigated Iranian adolescents’ attitudes towards modernity, including changes in attitudes related to education, career, marriage, fertility, and female labor-force participation. [14] Other collaborative research examined influences of out-group rejection processes in relation to overt signs of homophobia. [15]

Books

Representative publications

Related Research Articles

Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the relationship between mental states and social situations, studying the social conditions under which thoughts, feelings, and behaviors occur, and how these variables influence social interactions.

Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie define it by saying "The self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, is the positive or negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about it ."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attitude (psychology)</span> Concept linking cognitive processes to behavior

An attitude "is a summary evaluation of an object of thought. An attitude object can be anything a person discriminates or holds in mind." Attitudes include beliefs (cognition), emotional responses (affect) and behavioral tendencies. In the classical definition an attitude is persistent, while in more contemporary conceptualizations, attitudes may vary depending upon situations, context, or moods.

In the psychology of self, one's self-concept is a collection of beliefs about oneself. Generally, self-concept embodies the answer to the question "Who am I?".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfectionism (psychology)</span> Personality trait

Perfectionism, in psychology, is a broad personality trait characterized by a person's concern with striving for flawlessness and perfection and is accompanied by critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others' evaluations. It is best conceptualized as a multidimensional and multilayered personality characteristic, and initially some psychologists thought that there were many positive and negative aspects.

Environmental psychology is a branch of psychology that explores the relationship between humans and the external world. It examines the way in which the natural environment and our built environments shape us as individuals. Environmental psychology emphasizes how humans change the environment and how the environment changes humans' experiences and behaviors. The field defines the term environment broadly, encompassing natural environments, social settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational environments. According to an article on APA Psychnet, environmental psychology is when a person thinks of a plan, travels to a certain place, and follows through with the plan throughout their behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confidence</span> State of trusting that a belief or course of action is correct

Confidence is the state of being clear-headed: either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct, or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Confidence comes from the Latin word fidere which means "to trust". In contrast, arrogance or hubris is a state of unmerited confidence—belief lacking evidence and/or a reason. Overconfidence or presumptuousness is excessive belief in success without regard for potential failure. Confidence can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as those without it may fail because they lack it, and those with it may succeed because they have it rather than because of an innate ability or skill.

Positive illusions are unrealistically favorable attitudes that people have towards themselves or to people that are close to them. Positive illusions are a form of self-deception or self-enhancement that feel good; maintain self-esteem; or avoid discomfort, at least in the short term. There are three general forms: inflated assessment of one's own abilities, unrealistic optimism about the future, and an illusion of control. The term "positive illusions" originates in a 1988 paper by Taylor and Brown. "Taylor and Brown's (1988) model of mental health maintains that certain positive illusions are highly prevalent in normal thought and predictive of criteria traditionally associated with mental health."

According to Alberts, Elkind, and Ginsberg the personal fable "is the corollary to the imaginary audience. Thinking of themselves as the center of attention, the adolescent comes to believe that it is because they are special and unique.” It is found during the formal operational stage in Piagetian theory, along with the imaginary audience. Feelings of invulnerability are also common. The term "personal fable" was first coined by the psychologist David Elkind in his 1967 work Egocentrism in Adolescence.

Self-enhancement is a type of motivation that works to make people feel good about themselves and to maintain self-esteem. This motive becomes especially prominent in situations of threat, failure or blows to one's self-esteem. Self-enhancement involves a preference for positive over negative self-views. It is one of the three self-evaluation motives along with self-assessment and self-verification . Self-evaluation motives drive the process of self-regulation, that is, how people control and direct their own actions.

Self-concealment is a psychological construct defined as "a predisposition to actively conceal from others personal information that one perceives as distressing or negative". Its opposite is self-disclosure.

Education is recognized as a social determinant of health. Education has also been identified as a social vaccine against contracting HIV. Research suggests a negative linear relationship between educational attainment and HIV infection rate, especially the educational attainment of women and girls.

Nancy Elinor Adler is an American health psychologist. She is the Lisa and John Pritzker Professor of Medical Psychology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and director of UCSF's Center for Health and Community Sciences. Adler is known for her research on health behaviors, health disparities, and social determinants of health.

Toni Falbo is a social psychologist known for her research on power dynamics in relationships, sibling status, and development of only children. She is a professor of Educational Psychology and Faculty Research Affiliate of the Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Bowleg</span> American social psychologist

Lisa Bowleg is an applied social psychologist known for conducting research on intersectionality in social and behavioral science and the relationship between social-contextual factors and stress, resilience, and HIV risk in Black communities.

Scyatta A. Wallace is a developmental psychologist who studies how gender, race, and culture impact health outcomes of urban Black youth. In her community-based research and practice, Wallace emphasizes the importance of cultural competence and the need to diversify the workforce in health and mental health professions to better serve ethnic-minority communities. Wallace is an associate professor of psychology with tenure at St. John's University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debra A. Murphy</span>

Debra A. Murphy is a Professor Emerita at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Psychiatry.

Susan Caroline Kippax is an Australian social psychologist and is Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales.

Suzanne Maman is a social scientist who is trained in public health and serving as a professor in the Department of Human Behavior at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and an associate dean for global health at the University's Gillings School. Maman also serves as UNC faculty director at the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center. Her specific research interests concern HIV/AIDS among women.

Susan Krauss Whitbourne is a developmental clinical psychologist known for her work on personality and identity over the lifespan. She holds the position of professor emerita of psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

References

  1. ↑ Richards, James M. (2000), "A history of Division 34 (Population and Environmental Psychology).", Unification through division: Histories of the divisions of the American Psychological Association, Vol. V., Washington: American Psychological Association, pp. 113–135, doi:10.1037/10356-005, ISBN   1-55798-683-5 , retrieved December 16, 2022
  2. ↑ "APA Historical Database: Selected Entries".
  3. ↑ "Vaida Thompson". vaida-thompson.socialpsychology.org. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Newman-Proshansky Career Achievement Award". www.apadivisions.org. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Vaida D. Thompson". Carolina Population Center. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Vaida D. (2009). "Vaida D. Thompson, Ph.D CV" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2022.
  7. ↑ "About Our Group | Global HIV Prevention and Treatment Clinical Trials Unit". www.med.unc.edu. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  8. ↑ Tashakkori, Abbas; Thompson, Vaida D.; Wade, Joel; Valente, Ernest (January 1, 1990). "Structure and stability of self-esteem in late teens". Personality and Individual Differences. 11 (9): 885–893. doi:10.1016/0191-8869(90)90268-V. ISSN   0191-8869.
  9. ↑ Stroebe, Wolfgang; Insko, Chester A.; Thompson, Vaida D.; Layton, Bruce D. (1971). "Effects of physical attractiveness, attitude similarity, and sex on various aspects of interpersonal attraction". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 18 (1): 79–91. doi:10.1037/h0030710. ISSN   1939-1315. PMID   5550436.
  10. ↑ Tashakkori, Abbas; Thompson, Vaida D.; Yousefi, Farideh (1990). "Adolescent Perceptions of Parental Power: Do Family Size and Ordinal Position of the Child Make a Difference?". International Journal of Psychology. 25 (2): 397–416. doi:10.1080/00207599008247874. ISSN   0020-7594.
  11. ↑ Thompson, Vaida D. (1974). "Family Size: Implicit Policies and Assumed Psychological Outcomes". Journal of Social Issues. 30 (4): 93–124. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb01757.x.
  12. ↑ Tashakkori, Abbas; Thompson, Vaida D. (1992). "Predictors of Intention to Take Precautions Against AIDS Among Black College Students1". Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 22 (9): 736–753. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1992.tb01000.x. ISSN   0021-9029.
  13. ↑ Tashakkori, Abbas; Thompson, Vaida D. (1990). "Race Differences in Self-Perception and Locus of Control during Adolescence and Early Adulthood".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. ↑ Tashakkori, Abbas; Thompson, Vaida D. (January 1, 1988). "Cultural change and attitude change: An assessment of postrevolutionary marriage and family attitudes in Iran". Population Research and Policy Review. 7 (1): 3–27. doi:10.1007/BF00241760. ISSN   1573-7829. S2CID   143665207.
  15. ↑ Agnew, Christopher R.; Thompson, Vaida D.; Smith, Valerie A.; Gramzow, Richard H.; Currey, David P. (1993). "Proximal and Distal Predictors of Homophobia: Framing the Multivariate Roots of Outgroup Rejection1". Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 23 (24): 2013–2042. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1993.tb01077.x. ISSN   0021-9029.
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