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University graduate teaching fellow George Slavich has won the first ever Psi Chi/APS Albert Bandura Graduate Research Award, a national recognition that honors graduate students for research in the field of psychology.
Slavich won the award for his paper entitled "The Role of Life Stress in the Activation of Dysfunctional Attitudes in Depression," which explores the connection between life stresses and depression.
"We found that individuals who experienced severe life stress prior to depression onset exhibited significantly more dysfunctional attitudes about themselves, others and their futures than did their no-stress counterparts," Slavich said in a press release from Psi Chi, a national psychology honor society. "This is an important finding because it suggests that dysfunctional attitudes are not simply a symptom of depression and, moreover, that such attitudes are activated by severe stress."
Slavich has been a GTF at the University since 2001, and he estimates he has taught about 16 different psychology classes; however, he's not teaching now and is instead focusing on his research. As a student of clinical psychology, Slavich also sees clients suffering from depression and eating disorders.
The award, named in honor of renowned psychologist and Stanford University Professor Albert Bandura, is sponsored by Psi Chi and the American Psychological Society.
Slavich said Bandura was an unofficial mentor of his at Stanford University.
"I'm a Stanford alum and I totally looked up to this guy," Slavich said. "It's very special to me because it's celebrating the life of someone I admire greatly. I think I could have won any other award and it wouldn't have been this meaningful."
The Review of General Psychology recently ranked Bandura the fourth most distinguished psychologist of the 20th century and the first among living psychologists.
Slavich will receive an all-expense-paid trip to the APS convention, where he will accept his award, which includes a three-year membership to the society and two engraved plaques, one for Slavich and one for the Department of Psychology, according to a press release from Psi Chi.
In 2003, Slavich was voted Graduate Teaching Fellow of the Year by more than 16,000 University undergraduates, according to the release.
But he said the most meaningful award was the one in honor of Bandura, who is his "intellectual role model." Slavich also said he was completely surprised when he heard he was the winner of the award.
"I think the real shock is to be honored and to have my name in the same sentence as (Bandura's name)," Slavich said.
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