Geoffrey Navara
Professor
M.A. (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Ph.D. (University of Guelph)
Office: DNA C129
Phone: 705-748-1011 ext. 7539
Email: geoffnavara@trentu.ca
Research interests:
I have two general streams of research: 1) the impact that cross-cultural interactions have on human development; and, 2) the psychology of religion- specifically how religious orientation impacts motivation and behaviour. Over the years I have had the opportunity to be involved in, and supervise students doing diverse research projects including: the exploration of cultural-bound mental health disorders within certain Canadian immigrant populations; the psychological and relational impact of cross-cultural relocation on individuals and families; the dynamics of parent-child bilateral influence; issues of prejudice and stereotype activation with dominant and immigrant populations; developing a psychological model of people’s construction of evil (specifically the concept of sacrilege); and, the psychological health issues surrounding weight-loss surgery. I have also conducted research exploring the impact of community-based research programs on health in 15 remote First Nations communities in Ontario. In my research, I often utilize a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
Teaching:
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PSYC 2550H-A FA PTBO: Theories of Human Development
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PSYC 4531H-A FA PTBO: Cross Cultural Family Development
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PSYC 2550H-A WI PTBO: Theories of Human Development
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PSYC 3560H-A WI PTBO: Family Development
Selected publications:
Burris, C.T., & Navara, G.S. (in press). What’s my motive?: Thoughts on the state of religious orientation research. In Wulff, D. (Ed.) Handbook of Psychology of Religion.
James, S., Fernandes, M., Navara, G.S., Harris, S., & Foster, D. (2009). Problemas de Nervos: A multivocal symbol of distress for Portuguese immigrants. Transcultural Psychiatry, 46(2), 285-299.
Kuczynski, L., Navara, G.S., & Boiger, M. (2011). The social relational perspective on family acculturation. In Chuang, S.S., & Moreno, R.P. (Eds.). On New Shores: Understanding Immigrant Children in North America. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
Navara, G.S., & Lollis, S. (2009). How the adolescent children of African-Jamaican immigrants living in Canada perceive and negotiate their roles within a matrifocal family. Family Process, 48(3), 441-458.