Dr. Ronan Bernas

Professor Office: 3043 - Physical Sciences
Phone: 217-581-6416
Email: rsbernas@eiu.edu

Education & Training

B.S. Management Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University
Committee on Research Methodology and Quantitative Psychology, The University of Chicago
M.A. (Committee on Human Development), The University of Chicago
Ph.D. in Psychology (Committee on Human Development), The University of Chicago

Frequently Taught Courses

Undergraduate Advanced Statistics, Undergraduate Research Methods and Experimental Design, Graduate Advanced Statistics.  Other courses taught in the past:  History of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Theories of Learning.

Research & Creative Interests

(1) Self-construal (how the self is perceived/constructed) and its relationship with well-being;  (2) Mindfulness or mindful awareness and its role in well-being and other psychological processes;  (3) ‘Flourishing’ and other optimal levels of functioning such as wisdom, authenticity, reflexive understanding, dialectical thinking, etc.;  (4) Quiet ego (transcending the ego, ‘no-self’, non-attachment to the self, lack of illusions about the self);  (5) Empirical testing of alternative models of psychological well-being such as the Buddhist philosophical/psychological model;  (6) Happiness and subjective well-being; (7) Religious/spiritual thought and cognitions;  (8) Cultural differences in thinking.