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Brian McVicar | bmcvicar@mlive.com

The Grand Rapids Press

on October 20, 2012 at 9:29 PM, updated October 20, 2012 at 9:49 PM

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids Community College will kickoff its psychology speaker series Thursday, Oct. 25 with a presentation on how studying the human mind can help voters better understand candidates running for public office.

David Winter, Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, will begin his discussion, titled “Can Political Psychology Help Us Know What We're Getting When We Vote?” at 1 p.m. in room 168 of the Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center.

“The timing of this topic could not be better,” said Frank Conner, head of the GRCC’s psychology department. “Dr. Winter will provide an in-depth perspective on the general problem of measuring psychological characteristics of leaders ‘at a distance.’”

Here’s a list of the other lectures in the series:

• "Monday, December 3 - Anger: Just One Letter Away From Danger!
Judith Jankowski, Ed.S., GRCC Professor of Psychology. Jankowski will explore the anger response mechanism, anger management styles, as well as providing an emphasis on healthy ways for successful anger management."

• "Thursday, February 14 - Our Connection To Something Bigger: The Archetypes of C.G. Jung. Sandra Portko, Ph.D., GVSU Professor of Psychology. Portko will present a lecture on archetypes as introduced by the Swiss psychologist Carl. G. Jung."

• "Wednesday, April 3 - Mental Toughness: The X-Factor in Sport and Life
Edmund O’Connor, Ph.D., Fellow and Certified Consultant - Performance Excellence Center at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. In this applied and practical session, attendees will develop the psychological edge to be better and more consistent than their opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident and in-control under pressure."

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