Professor Lydia Woodyatt

Professor

College of Education, Psychology and Social Work

place Social Sciences North (384)
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Lydia Woodyatt is Professor in Psychology at Flinders University. She uses psychological science to increase engagement and motivation and to help people work through difficult emotions following failure and transgressions. She conducts research in a wide range of practical contexts: relationships, organisational leadership, workplace conflict, debt management and customer service, military and veteran experiences, child protection, and universities - amongst many others.

Her research applies social psychological theory and empirical approaches to understanding human responses to failure and transgression, contributing to the psychology of justice and moral repair, well-being, psychological needs, emotions, motivation and relationships. She utilizes prospective-longitudinal, intervention, qualitative, dyadic and experimental designs to advance knowledge on these complex psycho-social processes. Woodyatt is the recipient of funding from both the ARC and Industry and was the senior editor of The Handbook of the Psychology of Self-forgiveness (Springer, 2017).

Woodyatt is a multi-award winning teacher and public speaker. She is co-creator of Flinders University's Certificate and Graduate Certificates in Mental Health and Wellbeing (Workplace and Community), and the highly successful online topic The Psychology of Surviving and Thriving, which develops wellbeing and self-management. She is the Teaching Program Director in Psychology at Flinders University and has previously held University leadership roles in the area of Wellbeing and Retention.

She is a member of the Flinders University Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing, the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists, and the International Society of Justice Researchers.

Qualifications

B. Min., Grad. Dip Psych., B.A (Hons), PhD

Honours, awards and grants

Augusta Zadow Award (2023). Improving Health and Safety Outcomes for Women and Young People. Neall, Woodyatt &Takarangi.

Hospital Research Fund Smarty Pants Strategic Research Fund (2021-2024). Veteran Transition and Mental Health.

Westpac Collaborative Research Funding (2023-2024). Staff well-being in the context of debt management.

Australian Research Council Discovery Project (2019-2022). Dynamics of forgiveness and self-forgiveness. Wenzel, Okimoto, Woodyatt & Worthington.

Westpac and Flinders DVC-R Collaborative Seed Funding (2019). Understanding and overcoming defensiveness. Woodyatt & Wenzel.

College of Education, Psychology and Social Work Award for Teaching Innovation and Excellence (2023).

College of Education, Psychology and Social Work Award for Teaching Innovation and Excellence (2019).

College of Education, Psychology and Social Work Award for Teaching Innovation and Excellence (2018).

Vice Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence (2014).

Social and Behavioural Science Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence (2013).

Teaching interests
  • Mental health and Wellbeing
  • Social and Organisational Psychology
  • Emotions
  • Motivation
  • Psychological Needs
  • Psychology of reconciliation and justice (whistleblowing, apologies, defensiveness, needs of vicitms and offenders, forgiveness and self-forgiveness)
Topic coordinator
PSYC2019 Social and Organisational Psychology
WELL1001 Foundations of Mental Health and Wellbeing
WELL8001 Foundation of Mental Health and Wellbeing (Graduate Certificate)
Supervisory interests
Emotions
Justice
Motivation
Psychological wellbeing
Restorative justice
Self-forgiveness
Shame
Social psychology
Higher degree by research supervision
Current
Principal supervisor: Barriers to engaging in Early Intervention for Wellbeing and Mental Health (2), Reducing defensiveness and increasing solidarity-based action for gender equality (1), Cross cultural perspectives on self-forgiveness (1)
Associate supervisor: Persepctive taking and forgiveness/self-forgiveness in dyads (1), Authenticity (1), Online Shaming (1)
Completion
Principal supervisor: Divergent Narrative of Interpersonal Transgressions (1), Shame (1), Life Transitions (1), Relationship Resilience (1)
Associate supervisor: Whistleblowing (1), Self-punishment (1), Distinguishing Hope and Optimism (1), Vision thinking and social change (1), Truth and Justice (1)
Higher degree by research student achievements
Cara Rossi

APS Honours Prize - NOV 2015

Simon Bury

Outstanding Postgraduate Research Award from the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists (SASP) - APR 2017

Farid Anvari

Endeavor Research Fellowship - NOV 2017

Cara Rossi

Oustanding Postgraduate Research Awared from the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists - Runner up - APR 2019

Expert for media contact
Psychology
Psychological Wellbeing of University Students
Transition to University
hope
self-forgiveness
shame
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Media expertise
  • Psychology
Interests
  • Psychological Wellbeing of University Students
  • Transition to University
  • hope
  • self-forgiveness
  • shame