Lisanne is the Traineeship coordinator and, the co-teacher of the course “Dynamics of Individual Differences”
How did your journey in teaching begin, and what keeps you passionate about it today?
I started teaching during my PhD in Utrecht, where I taught several work groups on academic writing, gave a few lectures on narrative identity, and supervised master students with their thesis.
What inspired you to pursue a career in research, and what continues to drive your curiosity?
When I was writing my bachelor thesis, my supervisor suggested I look into the IDA Research Master. I really enjoyed the process of doing research (the writing, the analyzing, all of it!) and was very excited to be able to do this for a living. Over time, I also became more confident in what my own research interests are and what the questions are that I want to help answer.
When you study people and human behavior, what aspects fascinate you the most?
I am very interested in how people see themselves and how they integrate their lived life into that sense of self. What I find especially fascinating is how this subjective “truth” can co-exist with and add meaningful insights to a more objective “truth” about who they are.
What do you find most rewarding about being in the classroom with students?
Getting novel perspectives on topics I’ve been thinking about for a long time and getting excited through students’ excitement for these topics!
Looking ahead, what topics or trends in your field are you most excited to explore with students?
I especially hope students find their own interests to pursue! My own interests lie in the direction of identity (and self more broadly) and psychopathology, so I’m always excited when students come to me with ideas related to this topic.
In your view, what makes IDA students stand out from others you’ve taught or worked with?
Their curiosity, their engagement, and their perseverance.
Can you share a collaborative project with an IDA student that was especially meaningful or exciting to you?
There were many! I’ve been very fortunate to supervise several students on topics that are close to my own research interests for master theses, First Year Papers, and extra-curricular projects. As an example of the latter, two (now ex-)IDA students came to me with an idea about a project on identity and trauma, focusing on the construct of “diachronic disunity” — and in true IDA style, taking a very critical, rigorous approach to testing the value of the construct.
What advice would you give future IDA students who want to make the most of the program?
Be proactive about what you want to learn. Many of the opportunities that you need to learn things can be created — either by yourself, by the IDA staff, or by a collaboration between different people.
And don’t put too much pressure on yourself to have things figured out. Being in this program is also about figuring out what you like (and what not), what you find interesting (and what not), and what you are good at (and what not). It’s completely find to do a traineeship, a First Year Paper, or another classroom assignment on a topic that you end up deciding is not for you. The choices you make all contribute to your personal development, even if it’s on a topic that you don’t want to pursue further.
What topics are you currently exploring in your work, and what new areas would you love to dive into in the future?
I’m fascinated by the topic of mental illness identity — meaning: the entwinement of mental illness in identity. I’m currently setting up focus groups to talk with youth with borderline personality disorder about the subjective meaning they attach to their disorder. I would like to dive more deeply into this construct in the future. For instance, how does mental illness identity develop over time and how is it related to outcomes such as treatment effectiveness?
Outside of academia, what do you enjoy doing to recharge or spark creativity?
I like playing board games and video games. I am also an avid reader and enjoy reading fiction when I’m not reading research articles. On a more active note, I like cycling on my race bike (when the weather is good).
Is there anything else you would like to share? This can also be something personal e.g. a motto.
IDA (and life in general I guess) can be very intense and it’s easy to focus on everything you don’t know yet or that you haven’t yet mastered. However, it’s important to sometimes also take a moment to look back and see how far you have come!
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