Goucher College’s inaugural Black Heritage Month Black Psychology Lecture will be presented by James M. Jones, professor of psychology and director of the Center for the Study of Diversity at the University of Delaware, on Thursday, February 28, at 7 p.m. in Hyman Forum of the Athenaeum.
In his presentation “The TRIOS Factor: A Psychocultural Theory of Surviving and Thriving in the African Diaspora,” Jones will discuss how time, rhythm, improvisation, orality, and spirituality (TRIOS) impact the psychological elements of a cultural system. He will describe TRIOS theory, supporting research, and implications for African Americans’ psychological wellbeing.
This event is free and open to the public, but tickets must be reserved in advance at www.goucher.edu/tickets or by calling 410-337-6333. For questions about the event, contact Nyasha Grayman-Simpson, assistant professor of psychology, at nyasha.grayman@goucher.edu.
In addition to his professorship at the University of Delaware, Jones served as executive director for public interest and director of the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Psychological Association. He earned a B.A. from Oberlin College, an M.A. from Temple University, and a doctorate in social psychology from Yale University. He has been on the faculty of the Psychology and Social Relations Department at Harvard University and the Psychology Department at Howard University.
In 1972 Jones published Prejudice and Racism, a comprehensive overview of current and classic theory and research on the topic from a variety of disciplines—history, social psychology, sociology, African American studies, anthropology, and cultural studies; a second edition was released in 1997. In 1973, Jones spent a year in Trinidad and Tobago on a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship studying Calypso humor. This work led to the development of the TRIOS model of the psychology of African American culture. He is working on a new book, The Psychology of Diversity: Beyond prejudice and racism, with Jack Dovidio and Deborah Vietze.
Jones is a social psychologist and serves on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Black Psychology, and he is past-president of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. He was awarded the 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues, the 2001 Kurt Lewin Award and the 2009 Distinguished Service Award by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, the 2007 Distinguished Psychologist Award by the Association of Black Psychologists, and the 2011 Lifetime Contribution to Psychology Award by the American Psychological Association.
This event is sponsored by the Isabelle Kellogg Thomas Lectureship Fund and the Psychology Department at Goucher College.