We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territories the University of Victoria stands and the Songhees, Esquimalt and the WSÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.

How do people evaluate their social worth? Why do some people form new relationships easily while others struggle? How do people cope with self-threats like rejection and social stigma? Can people unlearn internalized stigma? Researchers in the Self and Well-Being Lab (SWELL) use social-psychological science to answer these and other important questions about the ways in which important aspects of the self – like self-esteem, self-concept, and identity – shape, and are shaped by, people’s close relationships and the communities to which they belong. SWELL researchers also seek to identify, and help people to overcome, social-psychological barriers to health and well-being.

Danu Anthony Stinson, PhD, is the Lab Director of SWELL and a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Victoria, located on the beautiful Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Dr. Stinson will be considering applications for the September 2025 graduate school cohort.

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