Emma O'Dwyer

Dr Emma O'Dwyer BA, MSc, PhD, SFHEA

Senior Lecturer in Psychology

Dr Emma O’Dwyer joined the School of Human Sciences as a senior lecturer in May 2022. She received her PhD in political psychology from Queen’s University, Belfast, in 2013. After this, she joined Kingston University, London as a post-doctoral researcher and subsequently progressed to senior lecturer. Emma is a political psychologist with specific research interests including how people understand and orient towards issues like foreign policy and military intervention, and political participation, citizenship, and social change.

Emma has significant experience of teaching social psychology and research methods at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She also supervises undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral research in social and political psychology.

Psychology

Recognition
  • Consulting Editor, European Journal of Social Psychology 
  • Ad-hoc reviewer for journals including: Political Psychology, Papers on Social Representations, British Journal of Social Psychology, Journal of Theoretical Social Psychology, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, Disasters, International Journal of Conflict and Violence
  • Member, British Psychological Society’s Covid-19 Community Action and Resilience Workstream (2020-21)
  • Member, International Society of Political Psychology
  • Member, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues

Research / Scholarly interests

Emma’s research examines two related issues: (1) how people understand and orient towards issues like foreign policy and military intervention, and (2) political participation, citizenship, and social change. She has investigated these priorities with reference to a diverse range of issues, e.g., Brexit, drone warfare, and, most recently, Covid-19 mutual aid groups. She frequently draws upon social representations theory in her research, and takes a pragmatic approach to method, which has meant the adoption of diverse methods, including interviews, automatic text analysis, and multi-level modelling.

Key funded projects

  • 2021, Kingston University Senior Research Advancement Fund, Examining the social and political implications of worker cooperatives: A key informant study. £3,357
  • 2020, Kingston University Research Under Lockdown Fund, Assessing the psychological, social, and political impacts of UK Covid-19 mutual aid groups. £3,000
  • 2018, British Psychological Society Undergraduate Research Assistantship Scheme, How do British citizens negotiate their positions towards the use of armed drones? A qualitative study. £1,600
  • 2016, Kingston University First Grants Scheme, Lay thinking on armed drones in the UK, USA, and Turkey. £7,092
  • International Society of Political Psychology, Best Dissertation Prize (2014) - Honourable Mention

Recent publications

Article

Coutinho, Sabrine Mantuan Dos Santos , Souza, Luiz Gustavo Silva, Lemos, Mariana Schubert, Rocha, Laila Lilargem , O'Dwyer, Emma (2024), From cosmological breakthrough to normalised disease: a longitudinal study on the social representations of Covid-19. University Institute of Lisbon, ISCTE/IUL - Department of Social Psychology, London School of Economics Political Science - Johannes Kepler Universität. In: , , , . University Institute of Lisbon, ISCTE/IUL - Department of Social Psychology, London School of Economics Political Science - Johannes Kepler Universität, Papers on Social Representations ISSN: 1021-5573 (Print), 1819-3978 (Online) (doi: https://www.psr.iscte-iul.pt/index.php/PSR/article/view/649).

Vanderslott, Samantha , Joynes-Burgess, Kate, Kadambari, Seilesh, O'Dwyer, Emma , Alidu, Lailah , Vandrevala, Tushna , O'Dwyer, Emma (2024), Examining the role of community champions to promote vaccine uptake in under-served communities in the United Kingdom: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, 5: 100436 . pp. 1-10 2667-3215 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100436).

O'Dwyer, Emma and , Segui, Neus Beascoechea (2023), Stretching the elastic: UK peace activists’ understandings of social change. PsychOpen. In: , , , . PsychOpen, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 11 (1) . pp. 110-125 2195-3325 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.11497).

Silva Souza, Luiz Gustavo and , O'Dwyer, Emma (2022), Animal rights, environment, or health? Effects of argument type and dissonance on the attitudes toward the consumption of animals. Elsevier. In: , , , . Elsevier, Appetite, 176: 106129 ISSN: 0195-6663 (Print), (doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.106129).

O'Dwyer, Emma , Silva Souza, Luiz Gustavo, Beascoechea-Segui, Neus (2022), Rehearsing post‐Covid‐19 citizenship: social representations of UK Covid‐19 mutual aid. Wiley. In: , , , . Wiley, British Journal of Social Psychology, 61 (4) . pp. 1245-1262 ISSN: 0144-6665 (Print), 2044-8309 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12535).

O'Dwyer, Emma , Beascoechea-Segui, Neus, Silva Souza, Luiz Gustavo (2021), The amplifying effect of perceived group politicization: Effects of group perceptions and identification on anxiety and coping self‐efficacy among members of UK COVID‐19 mutual aid groups. Wiley. In: , , , . Wiley, Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 32 (3) . pp. 423-437 ISSN: 1052-9284 (Print), 1099-1298 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2582).

Hanson, Kristin , O'Dwyer, Emma, Lyons, Evanthia (2021), The national divide: a social representations approach to US ideological identity. Wiley - European Association of Experimental Social Psychology. In: , , , . Wiley - European Association of Experimental Social Psychology, European Journal of Social Psychology, 51 (4-5) . pp. 833-846 ISSN: 0046-2772 (Print), 1099-0992 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2791).

Hanson, Kristin , O'Dwyer, Emma, Chaudhuri, Sharmistha, Silva Souza, Luiz Gustavo , Vandrevala, Tushna (2021), Mitigating the identity and health threat of COVID-19: perspectives of middle-class South Asians living in the UK. SAGE Publications. In: , , , . SAGE Publications, Journal of Health Psychology, 27 (9) . pp. 2147-2160 ISSN: 1359-1053 (Print), 1461-7277 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053211027626).

Silva Souza, Luiz Gustavo , O'Dwyer, Emma, Mantuan dos Santos Coutinho, Sabrine, Chaudhuri, Sharmistha , Lilargem Rocha, Laila , Pessanha de Souza, Luciane (2021), Social representations and ideology: theories of common sense among middle-class Brazilians and their ideological implications. PsychOpen/Leibniz Institute for Psychology Information. In: , , , . PsychOpen/Leibniz Institute for Psychology Information, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 9 (1) 2195-3325 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.6069).

Vandrevala, Tushna and , O'Dwyer, Emma (2020), Perceptions and experiences of live-in carers: why acknowledging versus neglecting personal identity matters for job satisfaction and wellbeing. Cambridge University Press. In: , , , . Cambridge University Press, Ageing and Society, 42 (1) . pp. 72-88 ISSN: 1469-1779 (Print), 0144-686X (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x20000744).

O'Dwyer, Emma and , (2020), COVID-19 mutual aid groups have the potential to increase intergroup solidarity – but can they actually do so?. London School of Economics (LSE). In: , , , . London School of Economics (LSE), LSE British Politics and Policy blog (doi: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/covid19-mutual-aid-solidarity/).

O'Dwyer, Emma and , (2020), Reading the public: political action and its relationship to constructions of political disagreement and opinion climate in the context of Brexit. Wiley - International Society of Political Psychology. In: , , , . Wiley - International Society of Political Psychology, Political Psychology, 41 (5) . pp. 945-960 ISSN: 0162-895X (Print), 1467-9221 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12658).

O'Dwyer, Emma and , Coymak, Ahmet (2019), Basic human values and their contexts: a multilevel analysis of support for the use of armed drones in the United States, United Kingdom, and Turkey. Wiley - International Society of Political Psychology. In: , , , . Wiley - International Society of Political Psychology, Political Psychology, 41 (2) . pp. 249-264 ISSN: 0162-895X (Print), 1467-9221 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12621).

Hanson, Kristin , O'Dwyer, Emma, Lyons, Evanthia (2019), The individual and the nation: a qualitative analysis of US liberal and conservative identity content. PsychOpen - Leibniz Institute for Psychology Information. In: , , , . PsychOpen - Leibniz Institute for Psychology Information, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 7 (1) . pp. 2195-3325 2195-3325 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v7i1.1062).

Hanson, Kristin and , O'Dwyer, Emma (2018), Patriotism and nationalism, left and right: a Q-methodology study of American national identity. Wiley - International Society of Political Psychology. In: , , , . Wiley - International Society of Political Psychology, Political Psychology, 40 (4) . pp. 777-795 ISSN: 0162-895X (Print), 1467-9221 (Online) (doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12561).

Book section

O'Dwyer, Emma and , Silva Souza, Luiz Gustavo (2022), Psychological, social, and political implications of UK Covid-19 mutual aid groups. Routledge - Taylor & Francis. In: , , In: Emma O'Dwyer, Luiz Gustavo Silva Souza (eds.), Psychosocial perspectives on community responses to Covid-19: Networks of trust and social change. Routledge - Taylor & Francis, Milton Park, Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK (1st) . ISBN: 9781032295060 (doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003301905) NB Item availability restricted.

Silva Souza, Luiz Gustavo and , O'Dwyer, Emma (2022), Social distance and social connection: a psychosocial approach to the community responses to Covid-19. Routledge. In: , , In: Emma O'Dwyer, Luiz Gustavo Silva Souza (eds.), Psychosocial perspectives on community responses to Covid-19: Networks of trust and social change. Routledge, Milton Park, Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK (1st) . pp. 1-12 . ISBN: 9781032295060; 9781003301905 (doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003301905) NB Item availability restricted.

O'Dwyer, Emma and , (2018), Foreign policy and identity. Wiley-Blackwell. In: , , In: Christopher J. Hewer, Evanthia Lyons (eds.), Political psychology: a social psychological approach. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, U.K. (1st) . pp. 189-206 . ISBN: 9781118982396; 9781118982372; 9781118929339 ; 9781118982365 (doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118982365).

Cohrs, J. Christopher and , O'Dwyer, Emma (2016), 'In the minds of men': Representations of war and military interventions. Oxford University Press. In: , , In: Phillip L. Hammack Jr. (ed.), Oxford Handbook of Social Psychology and Social Justice. Oxford University Press, New York (1st) . pp. 331-352 . ISBN: 9780199938735; 9780190667443; 0190667443; (doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199938735.001.0001).

Edited book

O'Dwyer, Emma and , Silva Souza, Luiz Gustavo (2022), Psychosocial perspectives on community responses to Covid-19: networks of trust and social change. Routledge - Taylor & Francis. In: , , , . Routledge - Taylor & Francis, Milton Park, Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK (1st) . ISBN: 9781032295060; 9781003301905 (doi: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003301905).

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