Dr. Jennifer E. Vitale, Elliott Assistant Professor of Psychology

Professor Jennifer E. Vitale with
Todd A. Harrell '09 and
Peter D. Crowe '09

I CAN NEVER HELP THINKING THAT LEARNING PSYCHOLOGY might best be described as learning that you do not know what you thought you knew. Certainly, in any area of inquiry individuals may have pre-existing ideas, but these ideas are often amplified in the psychology classroom. A student will readily admit that he is no expert on gravity or mitochondria or iridium. Less readily available is the student who is willing to admit that he is not an expert on himself. Not that I can blame him. We all tend to believe that we understand ourselves—our motivations and desires and goals—and to be confronted with the possibility that our perceptions of our “selves” as we understand them are not always accurate, is an uncomfortable experience, at best. Full Story...