Jennifer La Guardia

Jennifer La Guardia
Assistant Professor

Clinical Psychology
BA, MA, PhD (University of Rochester)
Clinical Registration
- Licensed Psychologist, New York, USA
- C. Psych., Ontario, Canada
Phone: 519-888-4567 x34844
Fax: 519-746-8631
Office: PAS 3016
email: jlag@uwaterloo.ca

PLEASE NOTE: Dr. La Guardia will not be taking graduate students for 2010-2011 .

Research Interests

My research broadly examines motivation, emotion regulation, and well-being. Specifically, I am interested in how people vary in their emotional experience and expression across their close relationships, and the impact of this variability on personal health and relationship functioning. As a whole, my work is aimed at understanding what intrapersonal processes (e.g., emotional authenticity) and relational supports (e.g., need satisfaction) are necessary to maintain personal health and grow deep and intimate relationships, as well as what processes or relational environments instead lead people to have constricted interpersonal experiences and/or psychopathology. I currently use varied methods (diary, survey, and experimental) to understand these processes across different relational contexts, cultures and time.

The model constructed in my work is significantly influenced by Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000). For more information on work related to this theoretical perspective, please visit http://www.psych.rochester.edu/SDT/.

Publications

Gable, S. L., & La Guardia, J. G. (in press). Positive processes in close relationships across time, partners and context: A multilevel approach. In A. D. Ong & M. Van Dulmen (Eds.), Positive psychology methodology. Oxford University Press.
Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L., Grolnick, W. S., & La Guardia, J. G. (in press). The significance of autonomy and autonomy support in psychological development and psychopathology. To appear in D. Cicchetti In D. Cicchetti & D. J. Cohen (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Theory and methods, 2^nd Edition.
Ryan, R. M., La Guardia, J. G., Butzel, J. S., Chirkov, V., & Kim, Y. (2005). On the interpersonal regulation of emotions: Emotional reliance across gender, relationships and cultures. Personal Relationships, 12, 145-163.
La Guardia, J. G., & Ryff, C. D. (2003). Self-esteem challenges. Commentary on M. Kernis, Challenges in defining optimal self-esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 1, 48-51.
La Guardia, J. G., & Ryan, R. M. (2002). What adolescents need: A self-determination theory perspective on development within families, school, and society. In F. Pajares & T. Urdan (Eds.), Adolescence and Education: Vol. 2 (pp. 193-219). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
La Guardia, J. G., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Personal goals, fundamental psychological needs, and well-being: Self-determination theory and its applications. Revue Québécoise de Psychologie, 21, 283-306.
La Guardia, J. G., Ryan, R. M., Couchman, C. E., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Within-person variation in security of attachment: A self-determination theory perspective on attachment, need fulfillment, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 367-384.
Ryan, R. M., & La Guardia, J. G. (2000). What is being optimized?: Self-determination theory and basic psychological needs. In S. Qualls & R. Abeles (Eds.), Psychology and the Aging Revolution: How We Adapt to Longer Life (pp. 145-172). Washington, DC: APA Books.
Ryan, R. M., & La Guardia, J. G. (1999). Achievement motivation within a pressured society: Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to learn and the politics of school reform. In T. Urdan (Ed.), Advances in Motivation and Achievement: Vol. 11 (pp. 45-85). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Grants

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC): Interpersonal dynamics of emotion: Variability of emotional experience and expression within relationships and effects on healthy functioning
University of Waterloo SSHRC Grant: Relationship of communal styles to emotional authenticity in couples: The function of need fulfilling relational contexts on personal well-being and relational functioning
University of Waterloo Learning Initiatives Fund: Psychology Research Methods in Practice: Linking Research and Learning Technologies

Professional Affiliations

American Psychological Association
Canadian Psychological Association
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
International Association for Relationship Research

Recent Courses Taught

PSY 397: Research Methods in Clinical & Personality Psychology
PSY 629: Psychopathology Across the Lifespan
PSY 625B: Traditional Psychotherapy.


	Jennifer La Guardia Assistant Professor Clinical Psychology BA, MA, PhD (University of Rochester) Clinical Registration Licensed Psychologist, New York, USA C. Psych., Ontario, Canada Phone: 519-888-4567 x34844 Fax: 519-746-8631 Office: PAS 3016 email: jlag@uwaterloo.ca PLEASE NOTE: Dr. La Guardia will not be taking graduate students for 2010-2011 .

Research Interests My research broadly examines motivation, emotion regulation, and well-being. Specifically, I am interested in how people vary in their emotional experience and expression across their close relationships, and the impact of this variability on personal health and relationship functioning. As a whole, my work is aimed at understanding what intrapersonal processes (e.g., emotional authenticity) and relational supports (e.g., need satisfaction) are necessary to maintain personal health and grow deep and intimate relationships, as well as what processes or relational environments instead lead people to have constricted interpersonal experiences and/or psychopathology. I currently use varied methods (diary, survey, and experimental) to understand these processes across different relational contexts, cultures and time. The model constructed in my work is significantly influenced by Self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000). For more information on work related to this theoretical perspective, please visit http://www.psych.rochester.edu/SDT/. Publications Gable, S. L., & La Guardia, J. G. (in press). Positive processes in close relationships across time, partners and context: A multilevel approach. In A. D. Ong & M. Van Dulmen (Eds.), Positive psychology methodology. Oxford University Press. Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L., Grolnick, W. S., & La Guardia, J. G. (in press). The significance of autonomy and autonomy support in psychological development and psychopathology. To appear in D. Cicchetti In D. Cicchetti & D. J. Cohen (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Theory and methods, 2^nd Edition. Ryan, R. M., La Guardia, J. G., Butzel, J. S., Chirkov, V., & Kim, Y. (2005). On the interpersonal regulation of emotions: Emotional reliance across gender, relationships and cultures. Personal Relationships, 12, 145-163. La Guardia, J. G., & Ryff, C. D. (2003). Self-esteem challenges. Commentary on M. Kernis, Challenges in defining optimal self-esteem. Psychological Inquiry, 1, 48-51. La Guardia, J. G., & Ryan, R. M. (2002). What adolescents need: A self-determination theory perspective on development within families, school, and society. In F. Pajares & T. Urdan (Eds.), Adolescence and Education: Vol. 2 (pp. 193-219). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing. La Guardia, J. G., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Personal goals, fundamental psychological needs, and well-being: Self-determination theory and its applications. Revue Québécoise de Psychologie, 21, 283-306. La Guardia, J. G., Ryan, R. M., Couchman, C. E., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Within-person variation in security of attachment: A self-determination theory perspective on attachment, need fulfillment, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 367-384. Ryan, R. M., & La Guardia, J. G. (2000). What is being optimized?: Self-determination theory and basic psychological needs. In S. Qualls & R. Abeles (Eds.), Psychology and the Aging Revolution: How We Adapt to Longer Life (pp. 145-172). Washington, DC: APA Books. Ryan, R. M., & La Guardia, J. G. (1999). Achievement motivation within a pressured society: Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to learn and the politics of school reform. In T. Urdan (Ed.), Advances in Motivation and Achievement: Vol. 11 (pp. 45-85). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. Grants Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC): Interpersonal dynamics of emotion: Variability of emotional experience and expression within relationships and effects on healthy functioning University of Waterloo SSHRC Grant: Relationship of communal styles to emotional authenticity in couples: The function of need fulfilling relational contexts on personal well-being and relational functioning University of Waterloo Learning Initiatives Fund: Psychology Research Methods in Practice: Linking Research and Learning Technologies Professional Affiliations American Psychological Association Canadian Psychological Association Society for Personality and Social Psychology International Association for Relationship Research Recent Courses Taught PSY 397: Research Methods in Clinical & Personality Psychology PSY 629: Psychopathology Across the Lifespan PSY 625B: Traditional Psychotherapy.

Department of Psychology