As a Ph.D. student in psychology, I am passionate about social and clinical psychology. The research ideas that I have developed with Dre Catherine Amiot involve the self in the context of intergroup relations. The first branch of my research program is concerned with the impact of a group’s power on the individual well-being of its group members.  More specifically, I am examining whether the power a group has over the decisions concerning its own environment, resources and destiny (intragroup power) has a stronger effect on group members’ individual well-being compared to the power a group has over the decisions concerning the environment, resources and destiny of outgroups (extragroup power).  The second branch of my research program focuses on mediating processes that could explain the links between group power and individual well-being (e.g., intergroup emotions and appraisal of collective coping options). These research ideas are inspired by existing social issues, such as the sociopolitical situation of First Nation Peoples, Tibetans and the independence interests of Québécois.

I began my PsyD and PhD in social psychology in September 2008. I conducted an honours thesis during the 2007-2008 school year about the links between motivations to identify as Quebecois, ingroup bias and identity threat. My doctoral thesis will examine the influence of multiple group identities on the endorsement of diverse group norms. Broadly, I wish to investigate the individual and group variables that contribute to the endorsement of more prosocial group norms (ex.: environmentalist behaviours) versus antisocial group norms (ex.: delinquency behaviours).

I am pursuing my doctorate in experimental psychology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, where my areas of study are social and cultural psychology, as well as self and identity psychology.  During my undergraduate studies at Concordia University, I received training in the areas of developmental psychology and in the psychosocial process of visual impairment; it was through a combination of my course work within these research settings that I became fascinated with the research process, and with the development of the self and its identities.  After my degree, I volunteered in Dr. Andrew Ryder’s Culture, Health and Personality laboratory at Concordia, where my interests in the area of cultural psychology took shape.  At present, under the supervision of Dr. Catherine Amiot at UQÀM, I am able to bridge my enthusiasm for identity development with my passion for culture.  My current research activities focus on the integration of multiple cultural identities for individuals who identify with more than one culture; this topic has roots in my own personal experience as a person with a multicultural heritage. I am also investigating the role of motivation in identification with social groups and its impact on intraindividual and interpersonal consequences.  Moreover, I am currently involved in the development of a dynamic acculturation measure through my collaboration with Dr. Ryder and the Culture, Health and Personality Lab at Concordia.  Some of my other research interests include multiculturalism, intercultural relationships, as well as cross-cultural and subcultural studies.

I have a passion for cultures and travels. I have been around quite a bit (Asia, Europe…) and plan on continuing my exploration of the world in years to come. This passion shows in my research interests, which I pair up with interpersonal and intergroup dynamics. The relational variable in psychology has always been my main interest. I’m down to my last year for my undergraduate program during which I am working on my honours thesis. I’m leading my own research in collaboration with Maya Yampolsky at LRSI about the influence of conditional social support provided by peers and family to multicultural individuals on the integration of their multiple cultural identities. I wish to continue on to a graduate program in experimental social psychology as of next year.

Bio available soon in English.