HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 27, 2016 – Dr. Christopher Lootens, assistant professor of psychology at High Point University, attended the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in Chicago, where he presented research and accepted a new leadership role as the president of the ABCT Special Interest Group for Teaching Clinical Psychology.
“This honor presents a great opportunity to further showcase some of the innovative teaching strategies I use at HPU, in addition to learning about what other effective instructors are doing in clinically oriented psychology courses at similar institutions,” Lootens says. “This is a group of faculty members who are truly dedicated to enriching the experiences of undergraduate students at liberal arts schools, and I am excited to help enhance our presence within ABCT over the next year.”
Lootens presented a poster titled “Cognitive and Behavioral Elements of Impulsivity in Psychopathy.” This project showed that lack of premeditation – failing to think through consequences of actions – and urgency – acting on negative emotions – are the elements of impulsivity that are most predictive of psychopathic tendencies.
Lootens also joined HPU alumna Emilie Held, a 2015 graduate who is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at Quinnipiac University, in presenting a poster titled “Stigma and Mental Illness: The Roles of Personality and Insight.” This research found that people who self-report lower levels of compassion, kindness and open-mindedness exhibit more explicit stigma regarding mental illness. In addition, people higher in conscientiousness and compassion show less explicit stigma and have more insight about their level of stigma.