Women, Gender & Psychoanalysis

Section III congratulates Ms. Karen Dias on being the 2010 recipient of the Section III Dissertation grant and we look forward to presenting it to her at our upcoming meeting in Chicago.

Ms. Dias’ dissertation is entitled, “First-Generation College Students’ Negotiations of Identity, Social Mobility and Belonging at Elite Colleges Committed to Diversity.”  In her dissertation, Ms. Dias explores the complex subjective experiences of first-generation college and/or economically disadvantaged students.  As a first-generation college student herself, Ms. Dias is passionate about this topic and hopes to contribute further understanding of class identity development, which she believes continues to be under-examine in the field of psychology.  Ms. Dias believes that there is a lack of attention to class in psychological theories of self and identity development, particularly in comparison to attention given to race and gender, and she hopes to focus on this with our grant.

How to Apply for Next Year’s Award:

A $100 grant will be awarded yearly for the support of a dissertation in keeping with the mission of Section III.

“Section III is dedicated to promoting research and theory concerning gender and women’s issues, to increasing the participation of women within the profession, to advancing the psychotherapeutic treatment of women, and to advocating on behalf of women’s issues. The Section has an additional focus on contemporary social issues.”

Any doctoral student whose dissertation proposal has been approved is eligible to apply. The application will consist of three (3) copies of a letter, not to exceed two double-spaced pages, describing the dissertation and its relationship to the interests of the section and proof that the proposal has been approved. (Faxes and emails are not acceptable.)

Applications will be judged on:

1. Relevance of the topic to the Section’s mission,
2. Importance of the contribution to the field, and
3. Likelihood that the dissertation will be completed in a timely fashion.

The winner will be announced at the Section III reception at the Annual Spring Meeting of Division 39 and, upon completion of the dissertation , will be invited to participate in a conversation hour sponsored by the Section.

Applications for the 2010 award must be postmarked by March 1, 2011 and should be addressed to:

Toni Vaughn Heineman, D.M.H.
2481 Clay St., #201
San Francisco, CA 94115