Kyra Kulik-Johnson
Senior Lecturer in Psychology
Personality psychologist interested in family systems theory and sports psychology */
I am interested in the influence of the family system on our personality development and subsequent relationship satisfaction. I also enjoy examining the psychology of the typical sports fan. Why does losing to the Yankees break our hearts?
Though I teach Personality Theory, Social Psychology and Adolescent Psychology, my favorite class to teach is Psychology 101 because I can introduce students to this fascinating field. Each semester, my goal is to connect course material to students’ lives and to create a vibrant learning environment for all of my students. I relish the opportunity to teach at Wellesley College and to be a part of the Psychology Department. I feel lucky to work with such great students and faculty.
I am a frequent participant at NITOP (National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology) which led to my helping develop and chair the Zimmerman Teaching Fellows program. The goal of the program is to enhance student engagement by providing students with a potentially transformative opportunity to serve as mentors. Zimmerman Fellows assist instructors with a variety of course-related activities including managing small group discussions, running review sessions, holding weekly office hours and ultimately being responsible for teaching one class session. I enjoy helping these students develop their leadership skills as they learn about the art of teaching.
When I’m not teaching, I like to spend time with my husband Don, my three sons (Drew, Matt and Dylan), my Golden Retriever Cassidy and my cat Zooey. We are all avid Boston sports fans and especially love watching the Red Sox and Patriots win!
Education
- B.A., Boston College
- M.Ed., Harvard University
- Ph.D., Boston College
Current and upcoming courses
Introduction to Psychology
PSYC101
An introduction to some of the major subfields of psychology, such as developmental, personality, clinical, physiological, cognitive, cultural, and social psychology. Students will explore various theoretical perspectives and research methods used by psychologists to study the origins and variations in human behavior.
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Personality
PSYC212
A comparison of major ways of conceiving and studying personality, including the work of Freud, Jung, behaviorists, humanists, and social learning theorists. Introduction to major debates and research findings in contemporary personality psychology.