About EPARG

For more information about the Emotions, Personality and Altruism Research Group,
please see the public EPARG site at www.eparg.org

Current studies are

• Study of Self Disclosure by Therapists. David Stone and Kathy Mulherin.
• Study of Green Guilt and Green Behavior. Manisha Masher Sudindranath and Lynn O'Connor.
• Emotions and Personality. Lynn O'Connor, Thomas Lewis, and Jack Berry.

Dr. Lynn O'Connor
Director, EPARG
The Wright Institute
2728 Durant Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
lynnoc@aol.com
(510) 841-9230

Our research group studies emotions, personality and empathy-based altruism, and their relationship to health and well-being, and to psychopathology. Our work began with the observation that while people's problems are often a direct reflection of their socio-economic conditions, they are sometimes associated with an exaggerated or unrealistic concern about others and with high levels of interpersonal guilt. Building on an evolutionary, feminist, and clinical theory (O'Connor, 1970; 2000; Weiss, 1986; 1993), we assume that altruism towards one's in-group is a fundamental human motivation in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Altruism is designed to hold the family and social group together and is a primary organizing principle in human life.However, when exaggerated or unrealistic, altruistic motivation may contribute to people's problems. In our empirical studies we have investigated conscious and unconscious altruism seen through the lens of interpersonal guilt or worry about harming others, often leading to inhibitions and psychological problems.

As we gathered data from many countries and cultures, we found ourselves puzzled over why we found guilt so often associated with psychopathology, particularly depression, and we began to see the need to study altruism directly, independent of guilt, as well as to continue our investigations of the regulation of guilt and other emotions. Our work has naturally branched into studies of personality, attachment, religion, forgiveness, and virtues (social norms). While we are primarily interested in basic emotion and personality research from an evolutionary perspective, as scientist-practitioners, we are also interested in clinical and practical applications of emotion, personality and altruism research, such as the effects of clinical interventions including psychotherapy, counseling, and medications. Our clinical approach is based on positive relational theory. This theory is a highly integrative approach including contemporary biological, evolutionary and cognitive science, positive psychology, regulation-deregulation theory, feminist or what is now called "social-justice theory" and a relational theory of therapy (Lewis, Amini, & Lannon, 2000; O'Connor, 2000; Weiss, 1986; 1993). Our studies include clinical as well as non-clinical populations.