by Sarah Murphy

Senior psychology and English majors Sarah Smathers and Sophie Sullinger traveled to Brussels, Belgium to present their honors research, “Investigating the Narcissistic Subtypes’ Parasocial Relationships with Fictional TV Characters,” at the 2023 International Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS) from March 9-11, 2023.

The biennial convention connects an international network of scientists and organizations to promote global interdisciplinary research related to psychology. For students, ICPS presents an opportunity to be exposed to a breadth of knowledge across the various subfields of the discipline, meet like-minded academics and gain experience presenting work in a professional setting.

Smathers and Sullinger’s research is centered around narcissism; they want to better understand the links between the narcissism subtypes and parasocial relationships. Parasocial relationships are repeated interactions between a viewer and media persona whom the viewer will never meet.

“The research is notable as the study is looking at a subject that has limited background literature,” said Smathers. “It is really interesting and exciting to conduct an exploratory study on a subject that is ongoing.”

“Every moment of the research that was difficult or stressful was completely worth the effort to stand in front of a poster with our names and the PC logo,” said Sullinger. “The opportunities that PC — and the psychology department especially — have provided me are beyond words. I will be forever grateful for them.”

Smathers and Sullinger’s work stemmed from research conducted by PC associate professor Stephanie Freis, Ph.D., whose studies have historically focused on narcissism. Freis served as faculty advisor on the project, guiding the project design and hypotheses as well as teaching the students how to analyze data and draw conclusions to inform theory.

“Everyone at the conference thought Sarah and Sophie were graduate students due to their performance and knowledge level,” said Freis. “I’m very proud of their accomplishments and grateful to be at an institution that supports these learning experiences.”

Aside from presenting their research, Smathers and Sullinger attended symposiums each day. “There was one symposium that particularly interested me, so I headed there and found it hard to even open the door because there were so many people in the small room to learn,” said Smathers. “It was incredible being around that sort of community, with people so engaged and excited about psychology.”

Both Smathers and Sullinger feel grateful to have individuals like this back home at PC, too.

“Dr. Freis is an incredible resource and mentor,” said Sullinger. “She guided us through every step, from asking questions to analyzing statistics to polishing individual phrases in the paper. My favorite aspect of the research is the collaborative team effort; together we achieved far more than we ever could have solo.”

“I can personally attest to the important role that mentors played in my career and, like many of my colleagues, I want to pass on those same opportunities for students to experience themselves,” said Freis. “Getting involved in research at PC can open many new doors for students.”

For more information about psychology at Presbyterian College, visit the department website.