Dr. Jan De Vries

Dr. de Vries is a psychologist who specialises in psychology of health, cognitive dissonance research, stress management, cognitive neuroscience, and social psychology. He holds a PhD in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin and an MSc and BSc from Utrecht University in The Netherlands. Dr. de Vries started his research career in the Netherlands at Utrecht University where he was a researcher in the Theatre, Film and Television Department. The research focussed on emotions in spectators of theatre and film. At that time he also started his research on stress management in performers, which was the topic of his Masters thesis in the Netherlands and later his PhD in Ireland. The research included a survey of performers, semi-structured interviews, design and evaluation of an intervention for performers in training (including follow-up), and led to the design of stress management workshops. He moved to Ireland in 1994 to extend and complete the research started in the Netherlands. While in Ireland he got involved in a variety of projects including a feasibility study for TCD and DIT on setting up of an Arts Therapies programme. This included focus groups. Later he set up, coordinated, and evaluated an extensive programme of dialogue, healing and reconciliation at the Glencree Centre of Reconciliation (Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow). In 2000 he was offered a visiting professorship at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He stayed in the USA for six year combining teaching of a variety of psychology classes with research on dating services. At present he is lecturing in psychology in the School of Nursing and Midwifery in TCD and involved in a variety of research programmes originating in the School. He is a reviewer for Family and Marriage review and was a member of the Stress Management Policy Development group for the Health Service Executive (HSE). This present research activities include the Cognitive Neuroscience of Cognitive Dissonance; Applications of Cognitive Dissonance (to Hand Hygiene and Conflict Management); Psychology Teaching in Nursing; Various Evaluations of Mental Health Programmes and other training programmes; Leadership in Nursing; Accident Proneness and Functional Health Patterns, and Community Integration in People with and Intellectual Disability.

  Applied Psychology   Behavioural Neuroscience   care erosion   Clinical psychology   cognitive dissonance   Cognitive science   CONFLICT   Conflict Management and Resolution   Creative music education   Crisis Counseling   Development, prevention and treatment of mental disease or disorder   Developmental Psychology   Emotional, behavioural and cognitive disorders   Health attitudes and behaviour   Health Communication   Health psychology   Information technology in education   Innovation in learning   Leadership in nursing   Mental health nursing   Mental health promotion   Neuropsychology   Neuroscience and Cognition   Nursing   Peace Psychology   Peace Studies   Performance practice   Psychosomatic Disorders   Rehabilitation   Research issues specifice to any health profession   Social Psychology   Stress   Stress Management   Trauma   Violence Prevention

My primary research focus is on INNER CONFLICT or COGNITIVE DISSONANCE. This has its origin in my work with victims/survivors of 'the Troubles' in Northern Ireland. While this work was rooted in my expertise in stress and trauma, it turned out that an important obstacle to cross-community dialogue was the inner conflict experienced by those involved. This core obstacle to peace making led me to investigate it. Initially, I took a FUNDAMENTAL approach and developed a neuroscience experiment (fMRI) in which dissonance was induced. We found that this generated all-round arousal in the brain preparing to restore peace of mind. Further study focused on APPLICATION of the theory in healthcare, mental health, and the experience of hatred. At present I am PI and Co-Pi in two funded programmes. The first, NETHATE, is interdisciplinary, involving 15 projects in 11 European universities. In my project, the focus is on identifying the role of dissonance in hatred. Using surveys, interviews and fMRI study we are exploring the experience of hate, betrayal and dissonance. The second is the LGBTIreland 2 study, a follow-up of the LGBTIreland study of the mental health in LGBTI communities. As Co-PI my focus is on dissonance in gender identities and their relationship with mental health. Other collaborations, for instance with researchers in the 'Dissonance Spring' group are leading to publications and further application research. New PhD projects applying the theory to intellectual disability, spirituality and survivor stories are being developed. The domains vary, but dissonance is at its core. Over the years, my role as Psychology Subject Leader in SNM dictated that I should develop psychological aspects of research across all nursing disciplines and midwifery. This led to collaborations in a rich array of topics within healthcare and mental health. Currently all projects I am involved in share a focus on dissonance. A short video (1.23 min) on my research can be accessed through this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQOK08wImJ0