Tuohy Lecture - Anthony Ahrens, Ph.D. (American University)

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Event Details

Friday, April 1, 2016

3:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Tuohy Chair proudly presents Anthony Ahrens, Ph. D., Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at American University in Washington D.C. Dr. Ahrens' lecture entitled Contemplating Contemplation: A Psychological Perspective on Mindfulness, Gratitude, and Ignatian Spiritual Practices will take place on April 6, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Donahue Auditorium. This event is sponsored by The Walter and Mary Tuohy Chair of Interreligious Studies and it is free and open to the public! Biography: Dr. Anthony Ahrens is Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Masters in Psychology program at American University. His current research examines gratitude and contemplative practices. He is interested in the variety of experiences that are described as gratitude and in the factors that undermine or enhance the experience of gratitude. Dr. Ahrens studies nonjudgmental attention to the present moment but is also beginning to examine the psychology of Catholic contemplative practices. He received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and his doctorate in psychology from Stanford University. He did postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Ahrens’ research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Cancer Institute. He has published 30 refereed journal articles and presented over 70 conference papers. He serves on the editorial board for Journal of Happiness Studies. Contemplating Contemplation: A Psychological Perspective on Mindfulness, Gratitude, and Ignatian Spiritual Practices Psychology has given increased attention to contemplative practices. In this talk we will consider the findings from recent research on mindfulness practices, that is, those designed to draw nonjudgmental attention to the present moment. We will then reflect on what has been learned in the study of gratitude. Finally we will reflect on some of the possible ties of psychology to Ignatian spiritual practices. Psychology has learned by contemplating the contemplative practices focused on attention to the present and on gratitude. What might psychology learn from contemplating the contemplative practices of other traditions, such as the Ignatian? //