Shelby Levine

McGill University | McGill · Department of Psychology

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a broad theory of psychological growth and wellness that has revolutionized how we think about human motivation and the driving forces behind personality development. SDT focuses on people’s basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and how social environments that support these needs fos...

The current study examined the associations among self-criticism, perceptions of autonomy support, and depression prior to and during the onset of the Covid pandemic. 283 students at a large Canadian university participated in a goal related study, and completed questionnaires assessing personality, autonomy support, and depressive symptoms startin...

Based on self-determination theory (SDT), we examined mediational models connecting autonomy support and self-criticism to negative affect (NA), positive affect (PA), and goal progress (GP) via autonomous and controlled motivation. Separate measures were obtained within eight domains (e.g., academic performance and intimate relationships) for 346 u...

Based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), we examined mediational models connecting autonomy support and self-criticism to negative affect [NA], positive affect [PA], and goal progress [GP] via autonomous and controlled motivation. Separate measures were obtained within eight domains (e.g., academic performance and intimate relationships) for 346 u...

Social distancing (SD) was an effective way of reducing virus transmission during the deadly and highly infectious COVID-19 pandemic. Using a prospective longitudinal design, the present study explored how the Big 5 traits relate to variations in SD in a sample of university students (n= 285), and replicated these findings using informant reports....

Self-determination theory proposes that intrinsic aspirations protect against negative mental health outcomes by satisfying people's basic psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence. The present study investigated this relationship using two four-wave prospective longitudinal studies which followed undergraduate students across th...

Significance Communicating in ways that motivate engagement in social distancing remains a critical global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study tested motivational qualities of messages about social distancing (those that promoted choice and agency vs. those that were forceful and shaming) in 25,718 people in 89 countries...

Humanistic theorists have long emphasized the importance and benefits of death awareness (Yalom, 1980) yet the literature on death education has focused on fear and anxiety. In the present study, 150 undergraduate students taking either a class on death and dying or a comparison class completed a pre and post-questionnaire on attitudes (negative an...

Mental health problems are becoming increasingly prevalent across college campuses. Past research has found that negative affect and frustration of basic psychological needs contribute to the development of depressive symptoms, but there is limited research which compares whether these are antecedents or concomitants of depressive symptoms. The pre...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals missed out on important life events, but it was also a chance for some to engage with new interests or values. This research examined how individuals higher in perfectionism experienced missed and gained events during the pandemic, and how their perceptions of these events influenced their mental healt...

Mental health problems are becoming increasingly prevalent across college campuses. Past research has found that negative affect and frustration of basic psychological needs contribute to the development of depressive symptoms, but there is limited research which compares whether these are antecedents or concomitants of depressive symptoms. The pre...

Little is known about how mental health symptoms develop during the transition to university. Most anxiety and depression research fails to consider how symptom development differs over time across different individuals, and how symptom co-occurrence influences the severity of mental health problems. Students (N = 658) completed online surveys on m...

Many students struggled with the abrupt transition to online classes required by the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research used a self-determination theory framework to examine the role of the Big 5 personality traits in university students' adaptation to online learning, measured by their quality of motivation, subjective well-being, self-effica...

Forming an identity is a critical developmental task that is affected by important people in an individual’s social environment, such as friends and family members. This investigation compared whether autonomy support from different sources (family/peer) given in distinct contexts (personal goals/crises) was associated with identity exploration and...

Little is known about how mental health symptoms develop during the transition to university. Most anxiety and depression research fail to consider how symptom development differs over time across different individuals, and how symptom co-occurrence influences the severity of mental heath problems. Students (N = 658) completed online surveys on men...

The personality trait of self-criticism has been linked to many life difficulties, including psychiatric disorders (Blatt, 2004). One process by which self-criticism gives rise to dysphoria is through stress generation; self-critical individuals interpret and act upon their environments in ways that increase their experiences of hassles and stresso...

Introduction: Individuals who strive autonomously for their goals, and who perceive autonomy supportive environments are more successful during goal pursuit. What dispositional factors predict autonomy flourishing during goal pursuit? Methods: Four longitudinal studies were conducted over an 8-month academic year, and university students (N total =...

Research on risk and resilience variables such as self-criticism and self-compassion typically assumes that they are broad traits reflecting highly cross-situationally consistent dispositions. However, contemporary personality science conceptualizes contextual variability as a universal feature of personality characteristics, complementary to but n...

Introduction: Individuals who strive autonomously for their goals, and who perceive autonomy supportive environments are more successful during goal pursuit. What dispositional factors predict autonomy flourishing during goal pursuit? Methods: Four longitudinal studies were conducted over an 8-month academic year, and university students (Ntotal...

Individuals are more successful when they pursue autonomous goals, but how do such goals develop in young adults? The current investigation suggests that the development of autonomous personal goals is a collaborative process. To test this, we examined whether autonomous motivation and autonomy support would interact in a dynamic reciprocal manner...

Objective The present study used a self-determination theory framework to investigate whether sibling autonomy support enhanced goal progress, need satisfaction, and well-being during emerging adulthood. Background Prior research has demonstrated that autonomy support from parents was significantly more beneficial for emerging adults than similar...

Parents and teachers play an important role in stimulating student motivation. The aim of this study was to examine if both parent and teacher enthusiasm could predict intrinsic motivation toward STEM activities, and if motivation would be associated with improved STEM achievement over one year in a one-year prospective examination of 288 Swedish s...

Individuals are more successful when they pursue autonomous goals, but how do such goals develop in young adults? The current investigation suggests that the development of autonomous personal goals is a collaborative process. To test this, we examined whether autonomous motivation and autonomy support would interact in a dynamic reciprocal manner...

Adopting a self-determination theory perspective, this 3-wave longitudinal study explores the role of perfectionism in goal pursuit and the experience of depressive symptoms. The findings highlight the role of goal-related autonomy in mediating the opposite effects of self-critical and personal standards perfectionism on goal progress and depressiv...

Objective: Reading is often cited as beneficial for one’s mental health, but the research on this topic is limited. The goal of the present research was to examine whether recreational reading is beneficial for mental health during college, and to determine what motivates recreational reading. Participants: Participants were 231 university students...

Objective: Reading is often cited as beneficial for one’s mental health, but the research on this topic is limited. The goal of the present research was to examine whether recreational reading is beneficial for mental health during college, and to determine what motivates recreational reading. Participants: Participants were 231 university students...

Transitioning to university may be especially difficult for students who expect perfection from themselves. Self-critical perfectionism has consistently been linked to poor mental health. The current study compares a diathesis-stress and a downward-spiral model to determine why self-critical perfectionism is detrimental for mental health during thi...

Transitioning to university may be especially difficult for students who expect perfection from themselves. Self-critical perfectionism has consistently been linked to poor mental health. The current study compares a diathesis-stress and a downward spiral model, to determine why self-critical perfectionism is detrimental for mental health during th...

Transitioning to university may be especially difficult for students who expect perfection from themselves. Self-critical perfectionism has consistently been linked to poor mental health. The current study compares a diathesis-stress and a downward spiral model, to determine why self-critical perfectionism is detrimental for mental health during th...

The purpose of the present research was to examine the predicative ability of both the unique and combined components of grit, trait self-control, and conscientiousness in the context of academic goal pursuit. Participants (n1 = 163, n2 = 551) were asked to complete assessments of each self-regulatory trait and reported their motivation for an acad...

Introduction: The present study examined the influence of personal standards and self-critical perfectionism on depressive and anxiety symptoms over the academic year. Methods: High-school students (N = 174) were surveyed in the late Fall and early Spring, assessing perfectionism in the Fall and mental health across the year in both the Fall and Sp...

The present study examined the influence of personal standards and self-critical perfectionism on depressive and anxiety symptoms over the academic year. High-school students (N=174) were surveyed in the late Fall and early Spring, assessing perfectionism in the Fall and mental health across the year in both the Fall and Spring. Path modelling was...

The purpose of the present research was to examine the predicative ability of both the unique and combined components of grit, trait self-control, and conscientiousness in the context of academic goal pursuit. Participants (n1=163, n2=551) were asked to complete assessments of each self-regulatory trait. They also identified three goals that they p...

This study examined 1) whether perfectionism relates to stress, affect, and vitality similarly at the between-person and domain-specific levels; 2) how much personal standards and evaluative concerns perfectionism vary between domains and how this variability is related to well-being. Students (N=580) selected four important domains and completed s...

This study examined (1) whether perfectionism relates to stress, affect, and vitality similarly at the between-person and domain-specific levels; (2) how much personal standards and evaluative concerns perfectionism vary between domains and how this variability is related to well-being. Students (N = 580) selected four important domains and complet...

In the present study, we examined whether personal standards and self-critical perfectionism differentially related to how people attributed their success and failures in pursuing their personal goals. In two studies (Ns = 185 and 240), participants set three week-long (Study 1) and semester-long (Study 2) goals, and at the end of the week or semes...

In the present study, we examined whether personal standards and self-critical perfectionism differentially related to how people attributed their success and failures in pursuing their personal goals. In two studies (Ns=185 and 240), participants set three week-long (Study 1) and semester-long (Study 2) goals, and at the end of the week or semeste...

Many students aim to have the perfect university experience, but such ambitions can come with academic and social pressures. Perfectionism is a multifaceted trait with adaptive and maladaptive facets. While all perfectionists set high standards for themselves, maladaptive or self-critical (SC) perfectionism involves harsh self-evaluations and self-...

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This research examines how perfectionism influences mental health in high school students grades 7-11 (N=174) longitudinally. Using SEM analysis, we found that students higher in maladaptive perfectionism reported significantly more depression and anxiety four months later, controlling for time 1 mental health. There was no significant relationship...

Does motivation towards the different domains in our lives influence how we internalize and prioritize these domains? Participants (N=309) chose four domains and reported for each domain their motivation (autonomous/controlled), importance, and inclusion of the domain into their identity. Using multilevel modelling, we found that individuals rated...

The transition into the first year of university can be a stressful time for many individuals, and many people are prone to experiencing mental health problems in their first year. Research has shown that self-critical perfectionism is associated with higher levels of depression. Self-critical perfectionism and depression have been associated with...

Does self-critical perfectionism lead to depression during the transition to university? Investigating self-efficacy beliefs and coping strategies as mediators. Honour’s Supervisor Winner of Best Poster Award

Transitioning to university can be difficult for students, which can increase their risk of mental illness. One trait that is highly prevalent in students is perfectionism, which has been previously linked to depression. In the current study, we examined whether self-efficacy and coping strategies mediated the relationship between self-critical per...

Collaborator

Awe is an elusive, yet familiar feeling, which often thrills or chills an individual. Awe is defined by two central appraisals, a perception of vastness and a need for accommodation. Awe can strike when enjoying art, music, nature, space, or even moving life events. With such an overwhelming emotion it is important to determine how awe influences b...

The freshman fifteen is not fiction. The purpose of this research was to propose a mechanism for why students may have large weight fluctuations in first year university. Research has demonstrated a link between extraversion and weight gain, suggesting that those who are more social gain more weight, but this change may be moderated by external fac...