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UCT RESEARCH REPORT 2012
Department of Psychology
Research Report 2012
Head of Department: Professor Mark Solms
Departmental Profile
The Department of Psychology has strengths and interests
in various research areas, including social and cultural
issues pertinent to social change in the Southern African
context, basic and applied topics in the brain and cognitive
sciences, and a variety of topics in clinical psychology
theory and practice. Additional strengths include - but
are not limited to - health psychology, gender, intergroup
relations, child development, policy development in mental
health, programme evaluation, and trauma studies.
Departmental Statistics
Permanent and long term contract staff
Professors
5
Associate Professors
1
Senior Lecturers
7
Lecturers
8
Junior Research Fellow
1
Administrative and Clerical Staff
6
Total
28
Research Associate
1
Total
1
Students
Doctoral
42
Master’s
56
Honours
32
Undergraduate
3207
Total
3337
Research Fields and Staff
Permanent Staff
Dr Floretta Boonzaier
My research interests are in critical social psychology (raced,
classed, gendered and sexual subjectivities) and in the
social psychology of gender. My continuing work involves
the examination of gender-based violence through a
critical feminist psychological lens, especially constructions
of masculinity and femininity, social responses to intimate
partner violence in the South African context, sex work/
prostitution in South Africa and broader representations of
gender and sexuality in childhood and young adulthood.
Professor Don Foster
Most areas of social and critical psychology: South Africa
identities (gender / racial/ class); violence and perpetrators
of violence; intergroup relations, history of SA psychology.
Dr Debra Kaminer
The psychological effects of trauma, in particular the
impact of continuous and multiple trauma exposure; and
interventions to enhance youth resilience, civic participation
and empowerment in contexts of adversity and violence.
Dr Shose Kessi
My research interests are in social and critical psychology. I
am interested in issues of identity, representations,
consciousness, community empowerment and social
change. My focus is on qualitative research in general and
participatory action research in particular through the use
of multimedia methods such as Photovoice.
Dr Despina Learmonth
My research areas are based in the area of clinical and
community health psychology, particularly the synthesis
of social and community knowledge with western medical
knowledge to increase health behaviour adherence. I am
also involved in empowerment projects and work with
street-based sex workers and their clients.
Wahbie Long
The history of South African psychology particularly
insofar as it relates to present-day imperatives around
transformation.
Professor Johann Louw
Two major research areas: firstly, in the history of psychology
focusing on: historiography; historical developments in
psychological interventions andpractices; thehistoryof South
African psychology; professionalisation. A second major
area of interest is in programme evaluation: programmes in
drug and alcohol prevention; violence prevention in schools
and information technology in education.
Dr Susan Malcolm-Smith
Main research interest centers on how evolutionarily
conserved emotion systems impact on adaptive social
function and social cognition. Ongoing projects focus
on neuroscientific and neuropsychological investigations
of empathy, attachment, and social function in healthy
normal populations as well as in psychiatric conditions and
developmental disorders.
Ms Anastasia Maw
Psychological trauma and application of trauma theory
in southern African context; working with gender based
violence; training and consultation models in psychology.