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**Welcome to Lifespan Development, PSYSC613!**
====We will be using this Wiki for the first half of the semester to create a collaborative knowledge of core theories of development. To get started, I would like each of you to briefly post what you hope to learn in this course and how you see it connecting with your area of focus in research and/or in practice. I'll go first.====

As the instructor, I am interested in what aspects of developmental theories you gravitate toward, find most useful and most frustrating. I am interested in what directions you each chose to go from the core materials. In my own research, I focus on identity development processes (Erickson & Marcia) as they relate to women developing their changing sense of self as a woman with a chronic illness.
 * Heather Adams**

I have a 15-month-old daughter, so understanding different theories of how she is developing and how she will continue to develop is something that I am mostly interested in learning. I focus on the military veteran population and currently, I am doing research on the veteran's transition to college.
 * April Krowel**

I'm interested in women's issues, and more specifically prevention and interventions pertaining to violence against women. I'm curious about feminist identity development. As an undergrad I conducted research on identity development and spiritual identity development in college students. I think this semester I would like to learn more about development in young adults and college students since that is the population with which I am currently working.
 * Emily Mastroianni**

I'm interested in working with clients who have recently experienced a trauma, specifically sexual abuse/assault on college campuses. I tend to find myself drawn to humanistic approaches such as existential therapy, but also exploring feminist theory, specifically power development and acknowledgment in both sexes. I would like to gain a better understanding of how one's identity development can relate to their reactions and understanding of the trauma they have experienced.
 * Emily Barnum**

I am interested in the expression of emotion, specifically in individuals from non-Western cultures. I am also interested in international psychology (broadly speaking). My clinical interests are in working with adolescents and international students. During this course, I would like to learn more about development that occurs during the early twenties, since I will be working primarily with college students during my internship. I am also interested in learning more about non-Western models of human development that apply to individuals outside of the U.S.
 * Ashley Hutchison**

I am interested in gender socialization throughout the lifespan. I believe there are particular cognitive and emotional issues attributed to socially constructed ideas of gender. As a single father of a 3 year old daughter I am quite conscious of what it will mean for my daughter to be a woman in the world. I am also interested in the psychosocial stages theorized by Erikson. In this course I would like to develop a deeper understanding of empirical evidence that supports the above theories among others.
 * Korey Paul**

My main area of research interest involves competencies related to working with international populations.I also currently see clients at BSU's college counseling center and plan to do my pre-doctoral internship at a college counseling center, and so I am interested in learning more about this developmental stage. In general, however, I'd like to gain a better understanding of the various developmental theories because I currently have little knowledge of them.
 * Erica Hurley**

I am interested interested in gender socialization as one develops. My area of research focuses on the development of and adherence to societal definitions of masculinity. Previous research suggests that adherence to more traditional definitions of masculinity correlate with more negative attitudes toward women and GLBT individuals. It is my hope that this class will be instrumental in helping me better understand the convergence between human development and adherence to social gender norms. I am hoping to employ this knowledge in my work on my dissertation, in future projects, and in my works with clients.
 * David Adams**

I am interested in how people cope with difficult and traumatic life experiences, including how people may experience growth following trauma; this will be my dissertation research area. I am interested in working with survivors of trauma, including grief and loss, childhood abuse, and sexual violence. I am interested in promoting resilience, awareness, and well-being through prevention and outreach. I am interested in feminist approaches to research and practice. I plan to pursue a career in a university counseling center and thus hope to learn about the developmental issues faced by the college population. I am interested in learning about theories to which I've had little prior exposure.
 * Kathleen Niegocki**

My interests lie in LGBT issues. In regard to development, I'm interested in investigating sexual identity development throughout the lifespan. And also just learning about the various schools of though regarding development.
 * Deborah Miller**

I am interested in the way our society and culture shape and form our gender identity and development. Eventually, I wish to work with veterans who have served in war. I am interested in how our society limits, and at times prohibits, emotional responses from males. Considering a majority of the veterans are males, I would be interested in studying how our societal teaching of gender roles affects soldiers who are trying to recover from the PTSD while readjusting to home after war. In this course, I am interested in learning more about the developmental theories surrounding gender identity.
 * Katie Hosier**

I am interested in trauma, how childhood traumas or neglect impact development, and what are protective factors which can help to alleviate the impact of negative early experiences.
 * Scott Bischoff**

I am very interested in human development across the lifespan, but at this point I particularly enjoy working with young children (in play therapy) and college students. Like Juno, I would like to explore theories which examine the adult population; I have yet to see a discussion of the many changes that adults go through in psychological development! I'm also interested in trauma recovery, dream research, art therapy, international and multicultural relationships, and how human development informs these areas of study.
 * Erin Davis**

My interest areas include work-family balance, parenting self-efficacy, women's/gender issues, couples counseling, personality and career counseling, as well as lifespan development regarding emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationships. I am particularly interested in the development of young adults (I plan to work with college students) and their individuation from their family-of-origin as they move towards independent adulthood (and possibly having families of their own). Erik Erikson's eight stages of development and Social Learning theory are my favorite developmental theories.
 * Desiree Howell**

I am interested in the substance abuse and disability populations. Most recently I have been working on scale development for the assessment of virtue and character strength. Developmentally, many implications ignite at the intersection of these ideas, specifically regarding the acquisition of virtue and character strength in these populations as well as able and non-pathological samples. Today is my birthday so as I reflect on my own personal mental development, at age 29 I am decidedly behind the curve.
 * Phillip Keck**

My ultimate career goal is to work with veterans at a VA hospital. As such, my research interests lie in the areas of attitudes toward seeking psychological help, trauma/PTSD, substance abuse, TBI, and other issues that are common in the veteran population. In terms of development, I am interested in development during adulthood and especially among older adults. I am also interested in sociocultural perspectives on development. I view the military as a culture, and I am interested in how joining that culture as an adult or growing up within that culture (e.g., as a military brat) shapes development.
 * Laura Walker**

I'm interested in working with substance misuse and abuse within adolescent populations. I'm currently interning at the Muncie Reception and Detention Center where my responsibilities include leading psychoeducational group therapy, conducting intake interviews, assessments, guardian interviews, individual brief counseling and case management.
 * Bethany Henderson**

I am primarily interested in emotion. I would like to eventually teach and have a small private practice, that and live in the countryside.
 * Caleb Tipple**