Mrs Sharon Good

My previous twenty-five years of work as a careers adviser, apprenticeship broker, school based sign language communicator, college based sign language teacher and transition co-ordinator for disabled students enable me to have a particularly informed view of young people and their needs. This interest is reflected in my role as Closing Our Gap steering group member.

I am working towards the completion of my PhD which focuses on the characterisation of mind-mindedness as a relational or dispositional construct. 

I convene two level 6 Psychology undergraduate modules (Emotion, Cognition and Regulation; and Psychology of the Family) and one postgraduate (masters’ conversion) module (Social and Developmental Psychology). 

My PhD examines mind-mindedness with a view to developing the argument as to whether it is best characterised as a relational or dispositional construct. Mind mindedness is defined as one’s proclivity to reference the thoughts and feelings of others.

Further, when studied in parent-infant dyads it is said to reflect a parent’s perception of their child as an independent being. Mind-mindedness has been extensively researched but its basis in relational qualities or personal traits is debated. High levels of parental mind-mindedness have been identified as conferring a number of benefits for developing children and so a better understanding of observed individual differences in mind-mindedness is warranted.  

This thesis explores relations between mind-mindedness and a range relational and dispositional characteristics in two populations namely parental and adult. Identification of significant related variables will be advantageous with regard to training and support of primary care givers and child related professionals.