AV抖阴

Health Education and Human Sciences | Lion VoicesOctober 30, 2024

Dr. James Benjamin's Passion for Psychology

Written By: Ian Silvester

Since arriving at the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith in 2010, Dr. James Benjamin, an associate professor of psychology, has never felt more at home. In fact, Fort Smith has been where he calls home, the longest of any one place in his entire life.

Benjamin has lived on both coasts and in Hawaii, Texas, and the Midwest, totaling nearly a dozen cities across nine states. During Benjamin鈥檚 formative years, his dad, a master-level physicist, worked in the aerospace industry with experimental airplanes. As contracts expired, the family packed up and headed to the next job. Instead of dwelling on the frequent changes, Benjamin said he enjoyed it because 鈥渢here鈥檚 always something interesting anytime you land someplace new.鈥�

It's been an enjoyment he has carried with him everywhere he鈥檚 been and something he encourages all students to remember.

Benjamin鈥檚 family spent a few years near Sacramento, California, while he was in high school. There, he discovered his passion for psychology.

鈥淭he thing that hooked me was when we got to the chapter on social psychology, and we started going through the Milgram (Shock) Experiment,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t captured my imagination, and I wanted to know more because it helped answer a question: Why do people hurt each other.鈥�

With no qualms about trying something new, Benjamin took his newfound interest in psychology to California State University, Fullerton, and ran with it. He earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree as a double major in psychology and philosophy there. He continued his education there, receiving his master鈥檚 degree in experimental psychology with an emphasis in industrial-organizational psychology.

Yet, he still wanted to know more about the psychology of why people hurt each other. Since he was comfortable moving, Benjamin packed up and headed east to the University of Missouri.

鈥淭he big draw there for me was that they had a couple of aggression researchers,鈥� he explained. 鈥淥ne of the things that you learn very quickly in social psychology, especially in the 1990s, is that the really interesting programs were all up in the Midwest.鈥�

Benjamin graduated from the University of Missouri with his Ph.D. in social psychology, specifically looking into aggression.

In his 25 years as a full-time instructor since then, Benjamin has dived into the research and data of social psychology, or as he jokes, 鈥渁ll the nerdy stuff that most people say isn鈥檛 fun.鈥�

After about a decade of teaching at Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Benjamin, his wife of 28 years, and their three children moved to Fort Smith after he accepted his position at AV抖阴.

鈥淲hen I saw the job posting for (his current role), I thought, 鈥楲et鈥檚 give it a shot; see what happens.鈥� I fell in love with the city immediately,鈥� Benjamin said.

Having saved the best move for last, Benjamin loves being right where he needs to be. At AV抖阴, he has found an institution that supports his research and encourages collaborative study between professors and students.

Benjamin has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on his own. However, his work with students stands out the most.

鈥淚鈥檓 the proudest of two papers I co-authored with students from here. There was an attitudes-toward-torture paper. One of my students took the lead in running the study and designing the materials that we published in a Hungarian journal. Another student and I looked at weapon-prohibited image signage, where we looked at images where you see a gun or knife with a strikeout and saw if those would also prime aggressive thoughts,鈥� he said.

In the spring of 2024, he received the Lucille Speakman Legacy Endowment Award, established to empower AV抖阴 faculty members to fund self-guided travel, international study, curricula development, and research to improve their classroom teaching. He plans to use the grant to travel to Budapest, Hungary, to attend the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science conference in 2025.

Despite the accolades, Benjamin feels that his most significant impact as a professor at AV抖阴 is his ability to use his life experiences to encourage students to be bold.

He enjoys explaining to students that 鈥渆xperiences allow you to stretch out.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 a big fan of telling students to check out what鈥檚 interesting,鈥� he said.

Benjamin often shares how he took a haiku class during college as an example of taking a chance on an idea you like. Years later, he finds himself still writing haiku as a form of self-expression and meditation.

鈥淚 want to see students explore ideas and concepts outside their field or comfort zone,鈥� Benjamin explained. 鈥淵ou won鈥檛 regret it if you do it.鈥�

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• Tags:
• Psychology
• College of Health Education and Human Sciences