Nic M. Weststrate, PhD
Associate Professor
Educational Psychology
Faculty Affiliate, Community and Applied Developmental Psychology
Member, Center for Research on Health & Aging
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Contact
Building & Room:
3521 ETMSW
Address:
1040 W. Harrison St.
Office Phone:
Email:
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About
Dr. Nic M. Weststrate’s interdisciplinary research program investigates psychosocial development across the adult lifespan. His research examines human development at the intersection of personal, social, cultural, and historical forces. He is primarily interested in Eriksonian developmental constructs, including personal and collective identity, generativity, integrity, and, especially, the development, manifestation, and transmission of wisdom. In recent research, Nic has been exploring the influence of intergenerational storytelling on psychosocial development. He is currently examining this within the context of families and the LGBTQ+ communities. In Nic’s community-engaged research, he partners with the Senior Services Program at the Center on Halsted and Pride Action Tank of the AIDS Foundation Chicago.
Courses Taught
EPSY 100 - Introduction to Human Development and Learning
EPSY 242 - Introduction to Sexuality Development Across the Lifespan
EPSY 257 - Adult Development & Aging in Contemporary Society
EPSY 340 - Self & Identity Development Across the Lifespan
Selected Grants
The Spencer Foundation, Generating Queers: The Transformative Work of LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogues, Co-Principal Investigator
RRF Foundation for Aging, Storytelling as a Pathway to Intergenerational Social Connectedness for LGBTQ+ Younger and Older Adults, Co-Principal Investigator
UIC Award for Creative Activity, Queers Share This: Disseminating the LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project, Principal Investigator
UIC Student Affairs Faculty Research Fellow Program, Brick by Brick: LGBTQ2SIA+ Campus Climate Study, Principal Investigator
Selected Publications
McLean, K. C., Moriarty, N., Starling, K., & Weststrate, N. M. (2024). Letters from queer elders: Transmitting intergenerational wisdom in LGBTQ+ communities. Journal of Homosexuality. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2024.2326482
Weststrate, N. M., & McLean, K. C. (2024). Protests, panic, policies, and parades: Memory for cultural-historical events and psychosocial identity in the LGBTQ+ community. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 11(1), 90-104. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000582
Weststrate, N. M., Turner, K., & McLean, K. C. (2024). Intergenerational storytelling as a developmental resource in LGBTQ+ communities. Journal of Homosexuality, 71(7), 1626-1651. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2202295
Dong, M., Weststrate, N. M., & Fournier, M. A. (2023). Thirty years of psychological wisdom research: What we know about the correlates of an ancient concept. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(4) 778-811. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221114096
Morris, K., Greteman, A. J., & Weststrate, N. M. (2023). Rainbows and mud: Experiments in LGBTQ+ intergenerational care. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 49(1), 183-207. https://doi.org/10.1086/725841
Weststrate, N. M., & McLean, K. C. (2023). “You’ve gotta give them hope”: A structural psychobiography of Harvey Milk (1930-1978). Journal of Personality, 91(1), 105-119. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12744
Glück, J., & Weststrate, N. M. (2022). The wisdom researchers and the elephant: Toward an integrative theory of wise behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 26 (4), 342-374. https://doi.org/10.1177/10888683221094650
Morris, K., Greteman, A. J., & Weststrate, N. M. (2022). Embracing queer heartache: On LGBTQ+ intergenerational dialogues. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 35 (9), 928-942. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2022.2035459
Weststrate, N. M., Jayawickreme, E., & Wrzus, C. (2021). Advancing a three-tier personality framework for posttraumatic growth. European Journal of Personality, 36 (4), 704-725. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070211062327
Grossmann, I., Weststrate, N. M., Ardelt, M., Brienza, J. P., Dong, M., Ferrari, M., Fournier, M. A., Hu, C. S., Nusbaum, H. C., & Vervaeke, J. (2020). The science of wisdom in a polarized world: Knowns and unknowns. Psychological Inquiry, 31, 103-133. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2020.1750917
Publication Aggregators
Notable Honors
2023, Emerging Faculty Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award, UIC
2022, Faculty Fellow of the Year, UIC Honors College
Education
2017, PhD, University of Toronto, Developmental Psychology and Education
2011, MA, University of Toronto, Developmental Psychology and Education
2007, HBSc, University of Toronto, Psychology and Philosophy
Professional Memberships
American Educational Research Association
American Society on Aging
Association for Research in Personality
Gerontological Society of America
Society for Personality and Social Psychology