Jessica Rourke

Program affiliation: Individualized Programs

Supervisors: Dr. Robert Gifford

Research interests

I am currently wrapping up my Ph.D. in Social-Personality Psychology. My primary research interests lie in the field of forgiveness, primarily forgiveness-seeking. For my Master's thesis I explored the different motives that perpetrators have for seeking forgiveness, as well as the types of behaviours that they engage in to do this. For my Ph.D. dissertation I have developed and am implementing self-forgiveness workshops in the community. My other research interests include gratitude, the need for enemies, and restorative justice. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Awards

2009 - McCall Brothers Graduate Scholarship in Clinical Psychology
2009 - Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation of Canada Scholarship for Women
2006-2009 - Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada: Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral)
2005-2006 - Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada: Canada Graduate Scholarship Program (Master's)
2004-2005 - Ontario Graduate Scholarship
2003 - Dean's Medal for the Faculty of Social Sciences Honours, for the highest graduating cumulative grade average
2003 - Cara Cherfunka Memorial Book Prize, for the highest graduating average in Honours Psychology

Representative publications and presentations

Belicki, K., Rourke, J., & McCarthy, M. (2008). Potential Dangers of Empathy
and Related Conundrums. In, W. Malcom, N. DeCourville, K. Belicki (Eds.), Women’s Reflections on the Complexities of Forgiveness, New York: Routledge Press.

Conference presentations

Rourke J. (August 2010). The Applicability of Enright's Model of Forgiveness:
A Case Study. Poster Presentation, 118th American Psychological Association Annual Convention (refereed), Sandiego, CA.

Rourke, J., Pozzebon, J. (June 2009). Affective change following relaxation
therapies: Massage and Yoga. Poster Presentation, 70th Canadian Psychological Association Annual Convention (refereed), Montreal, Quebec.

Rourke, J., & Gifford, R. (July, 2008). Enemies: Their Purpose in our Lives.
Poster Presentation, 29th International Congress of Psychology Annual Convention (refereed), Berlin, Germany.

Gosse, L., Rourke, J., Belicki, K., Hafer, C. (February, 2008). The ‘Just’
Perpetrator: The role of Belief in a Just World in Response to Imagined Transgressions. Poster Presentation, 9th Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention (refereed), Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Rourke, J., & Belicki, K. (May 2007). Forgiveness-seeking motives and behaviours. Poster
Presentation, 87th Western Psychological Association, Annual Convention (refereed), Vancouver, British Columbia.