Lisa G. Aspinwall received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1987 and her Ph.D. from UCLA in 1991. Her research interests include the study of self-regulation (how people plan, control, and revise their own actions) and the role of emotions and expectations in this process.

Specific areas of interest include future-oriented thinking (optimism, proactive coping, preventive behaviors), positive affect, and the processing of negative events and information. Her current research examines these processes in the context of cancer genetic testing and other health-risk communications.

She is a member of the National Cancer Institute's Health Cognitions Working Group, a member of the Steering Committee of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences Program at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the recipient of a research grant from the National Science Foundation, and a winner of the 2000 Templeton Positive Psychology Prize.

Primary Interests:

Emotion, Mood, Affect
Health Psychology
Motivation, Goal Setting
Social Cognition

Emotion, Mood, Affect
Health Psychology

Motivation, Goal Setting
Social Cognition

Books:

Aspinwall, L. G., & Staudinger, U. M. (Eds.). (2003). A psychology of human strengths: Fundamental questions and future directions for a positive psychology. Washington, DC: APA Books.

Journal Articles:

Aspinwall, L. G. (2005). The psychology of future-oriented thinking: From achievement to proactive coping, adaptation, and aging. Motivation and Emotion, 29, 203-235.
Aspinwall, L. G. (1998). Rethinking the role of positive affect in self-regulation. Motivation and Emotion, 22, 1-32.
Aspinwall, L. G., & Leaf, S. L. (2002). In search of the unique aspects of hope: Pinning our hopes on positive emotions, future-oriented thinking, hard times, and other people. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 276-288.
Aspinwall, L. G., Leaf, S. L., Dola, E. R., Kohlmann, W., & Leachman, S. A. (2008). CDKN2A/p16 genetic test reporting improves early detection intentions and practices in high-risk melanoma families. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 17, 1510-1519.
Aspinwall, L. G., Leaf, S. L., Kohlmann, W., Dola, E. R., & Leachman, S. A. (2009). Patterns of photoprotection following CDKN2A/p16 genetic test reporting and counseling. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 60, 745-757.
Aspinwall, L. G., & MacNamara, A. (2005). Taking positive changes seriously: Toward a positive psychology of cancer survivorship and resilience. Cancer, 104(11 Suppl), 2549-2556.
Aspinwall, L. G., Sechrist, G. B., & Jones, P. (2005). Expect the best and prepare for the worst: Anticipatory coping and preparations for Y2K. Motivation and Emotion, 29, 357-388.
Aspinwall, L. G., Taber, J. M., Leaf, S. L., Kohlmann, W., & Leachman, S. A. (2011). Genetic testing for hereditary melanoma and pancreatic cancer: A longitudinal study of psychological outcome. Psycho-Oncology. Electronic publication ahead of print, October 7, 2011.
Aspinwall, L. G., & Taylor, S. E. (1997). A stitch in time: Self-regulation and proactive coping. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 417-436.
Aspinwall, L. G., & Tedeschi, R. G. (2010). Of babies and bathwater: A reply to Coyne and Tennen's views on positive psychology and health. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 39, 27-34.
Aspinwall, L. G., & Tedeschi, R. G. (2010). The value of positive psychology for health psychology: Progress and pitfalls in examining the relation of positive phenomena to health. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 39, 4-15.
Bränström, R., Chang, Y., Kasparian, N., Affleck, P., Tibben, A., Aspinwall, L. G., et al. (2010). Melanoma risk factors, risk perceptions and intentional tanning: An online survey in Europe, Israel, the USA and Australia. European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 19, 216-226.
Bränström, R., Kasparian, N. A., Chang, Y., Affleck, P., Tibben, A., Aspinwall, L. G., et al. (2010,). Predictors of sun protection behaviors and severe sunburn in an international online study. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 19, 2199-210.
Leaf, S. L., Aspinwall, L. G., & Leachman, S. A. (2010). God and agency in the era of molecular medicine: Religious beliefs predict sun-protection behaviors following melanoma genetic test reporting. Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 32, 87-112.
Taber, J. M., Aspinwall, L. G., Kohlmann, W., Dow, R., & Leachman, S. A. (2010). Parental preferences for CDKN2A/p16 genetic testing of minors. Genetics in Medicine, 12, 823-838.

Other Publications:

Aspinwall, L. G. (2011). Future-oriented thinking, proactive coping, and the management of potential threats to health and well-being. In S. Folkman (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health and Coping. New York: Oxford University Press (pp. 334-365).
Aspinwall, L. G., Leaf, S. L., & Leachman, S. A. (2012). Meaning and agency in the context of genetic testing for familial cancer. In P. T. P. Wong (Ed.), The Human Quest for Meaning: Theories, Research, and Applications (2nd ed.). New York: Routlege.
Aspinwall, L. G., Taber, J. M., Kohlmann, W., & Leachman, S. A. (in press). Psychological aspects of hereditary cancer risk counseling and genetic testing. To appear in B. I. Carr & J. Steel (Eds.), Psychological Aspects of Cancer. New York: Springer.

Courses Taught:

Lisa G. Aspinwall
Department of Psychology
University of Utah
380 S. 1530 E., Room 502
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
United States

Phone: (801) 587-9021
Fax: (801) 581-5841