Our people

Dr Emma Bradshaw

Positive Psychology and Motivation and Behaviour

BPsychSci (Hons)

Emma.Bradshaw@acu.edu.au

After completing a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours, First Class) in 2014, Emma turned her research focus from incremental theories of relationships to the examination of life-goals, or aspirations, and their links with wellbeing. Specifically, Emma’s doctoral thesis examined how patterns of intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations (derived using latent profile analysis) relate to various indices of optimal functioning.
Emma is also exploring several aspects of self-determination theory (SDT) using a variety of cutting-edge statistical methods including genetic algorithms, network representation, social network analysis, and actor-partner interdependence modelling. Emma’s burgeoning program of postdoctoral research builds on evidence that broadening the scope of concern for increasingly distal others is beneficial to one’s own wellbeing, and also explores the contextual and psychological conditions that promote integration and ‘being good’.

Thesis:

• "A configural approach to aspirations."

Current projects involved in:

• Configural approach to aspirations
• Systematic review of intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations and wellbeing 
• Actor-partner interdependence models of aspirations
• Meta-analysis of motivation and prosocial behaviour 
• Genetic algorithms of the Aspiration Index 
• Expansion of the Aspiration Index using network analysis
• New model of enhancement and deficit needs
• Analysis of the primary goods scale