Dr B Kellezi, Dr J Wakefield, Prof C Stevenson
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Extreme events (e.g., conflict) can have long-lasting effects on those involved. Many survivors develop psychological disorders such as posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety (Fazel, Wheeler, & Danesh, 2005), while others develop a higher level of functioning because of such experiences (Linley & Joseph, 2004). Existing research has investigated individual resilience factors (Prati, & Pietrantoni, 2009), ignoring the role of the wider society and social groups in the way survivors understand and deal with such events (Kellezi & Reicher, 2014). The social groups one belongs to, can define the meaning attributed to extreme life events and the psychological impact in the aftermath (Kellezi, Reicher, & Cassidy, 2009). One aspect that could be important when survivors attribute meaning to their experiences is the positioning of the extreme events within historical and group narratives (Liu & Hilton, 2005). Diverse historical truths associated with intergroup conflict can incite hatred for the outgroup, preserve fear of future conflict, shame and ignore the survivors, or celebrate the perpetrators of injustice. Using a multi-method approach, this PhD program will address the following questions:
· Can the specific positioning of the extreme events in such narratives impact on the way survivors make sense and deal with the experiences?
· In what ways can group-specific narratives and processes predict either suffering or posttraumatic growth?
The Department of Psychology at Nottingham Trent University is a large and thriving group, housing over 60 PGR students and offer extensive training and support. During the current REF period, this support together with the strength of our postgraduate students has enabled PGRs to produce 103 papers, present at well over 80 national/international conferences, win prestigious awards (e.g., Durand Jacobs Award for the best graduate student paper in addictive behaviours, PsyPAG Rising Researcher Award), and progress into research or academic roles either internally or externally.
Specific qualifications/subject areas required of the applicants for this project:
Entrants must have a first/undergraduate Honours degree, with an Upper Second Class or a First Class grade, in Psychology. Entrants with a Lower Second Class grade at first degree must also have a postgraduate Masters Degree at Merit.
This studentship competition is open to applicants who wish to study for a PhD on a full-time basis only. The studentship will pay UK/EU fees (currently set at £4,195 for 2017/18 and are revised annually) and provide a maintenance stipend linked to the RCUK rate (this is revised annually and is currently set at £14,553 for the academic year 2017/18) for up to three years. Applications from non-EU students are welcome, but a successful non-EU candidate would be responsible for paying the difference between non-EU and UK/EU fees. (Fees for 2017/18 are £12,900 for non-EU students and £4,195 for UK/EU students). The studentships will be expected to commence in October 2018.