“I became very curious about how systematic and systemic inequalities shape how people behave, feel, and change”: Dr. Carmen Poulin’s Research in the Lived Experiences of Marginalised Groups

(Photo provided by Carmen Poulin)

“When we notice inequality, discrimination, or an unfair situation emerging for a particular group of people, it is usually a sign that we need to examine what is going on.” ~ Carmen Poulin

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*In the following article, TS refers to The Synapse and CP refers to Carmen Poulin

TS: Could you briefly introduce yourself and what brought you to UNB?

CP: My name is Carmen Poulin. I am a professor in Psychology, and in Gender & Women Studies. I completed my undergraduate degrees at UNB in Psychology and Biology, and went on to do my Master’s and PhD at Queen’s university. I then went on to work at the Pinel Institute in Montréal as a clinical researcher before returning to UNB as a faculty member. In the last several years, I also occupy the position of Associate Dean (Research & Graduate Studies) in the Faculty of Arts.

TS: What is your research area, and how did you settle on this area?

CP: For many years, my research interests were situated at the intersection of psychology and physiology. I wanted to find out what physiological measures we could use to identify what was going on psychologically … instead of having to ask participants. At that time, it seemed to me that the most important thing in research was to eliminate biases, which I equated to the “subjective” self. I wanted my findings to be “objective”. I thought that if I could measure something considered “objective”, like physiological changes (e.g., neurons firing, blood pressure, temperature changes, etc.), I would be able to shed light on what was truly happening both physiologically and psychologically. Toward the end of my PhD research, however, I entered what I have come to refer to as my epistemological crisis. Basically, I felt that by trying to strip away the “subjective” from my research, I had taken away what might be the most critical element for understanding human nature.

During my studies, I was also an avid reader of feminist literature. Even before starting university, I defined myself as a feminist, and feminism shaped the development of my critical lens. Progressively, I became very curious about how systematic and systemic inequalities shape how people behave, feel, and change over time. Gradually, I realized that many of the questions I wanted to ask in my research could not be answered in a satisfactory manner using the “objective” measures I had been using and I grew more and more dissatisfied, frustrated, and even disillusioned with the potential of research. However, I did not stop reading about different methodologies and collaborating with different researchers.

Eventually, all this experience and reflection led to my collaboration with Dr. Lynne Gouliquer, a sociologist, and to our development of the Psychosocial Ethnography of the Common Place (P-SEC) methodology. P-SEC is an interdisciplinary, qualitative approach to study the experience of marginalised groups who function within a certain ideological and material environment.

TS: How do you come up with research ideas, and gauge when an idea is worthwhile to pursue?

CP: When we notice inequality, discrimination, or an unfair situation emerging for a particular group of people, it is usually a sign that we need to examine what is going on. It is the perfect time for a trip into the (virtual) library stalks to find out what research has been done to document and analyse what the situation is all about. If no one has explored it, it is a clear invitation for research. In my experience, there is always too little time to follow all the interesting research ideas that present themselves.

TS: What do you consider traits of a strong student and student researcher?

CP: To me, being curious is the most important trait. If you are curious enough, you will do the research necessary to find the answer to your question. Of course, you also need to develop critical thinking skills to discern what sort of information you are willing to trust, rigorous training to determine how you can find answers to your research question, a good dose of determination, and some hard work. It is that simple.

TS: Why did you choose to study psychology, and at what point did you know you wanted to pursue it (e.g., high school, university, etc.)?

CP: This is going to be a bizarre answer but here we go: I chose to go into psychology during my last two years of high school. I come from a family of seven children and there was an unwritten rule that we should all be working in different fields. No one had picked psychology by the time I had to make my choice regarding what I would be doing with my life, so I ended up in psychology (and biology). This was not easy because I’m the baby of my family so by then, many options had been taken ;-). However, every one of us ended up teaching in our respective domain at some point of our careers.

TS: Is there any discipline you seriously considered other than psychology?

CP: Yes, I considered becoming a surgeon. I did not want to do family medicine, but fixing something broken, whether it was a car or a human being, appealed to me. My father and my mother could fix and recycle everything and anything and turn them into beautiful functioning items, which was so inspirational. In fact, we all have skills in fixing stuff, whether it is a broken coffee maker or a sock needing to be mended. Becoming a surgeon made sense in this context and during my MA, my research involved many surgical procedures.

TS: Have you conducted research in psychology that overlapped or involved collaboration with another field?

CP: Yes, as I mentioned earlier, I collaborate with Lynne Gouliquer who is a sociologist. Together, we have collaborated with colleagues and students in various fields including social work, law, biology, history, etc. I love to work with people who have been trained to look at a problem from a different disciplinary perspective; I find it enriching. It is a dynamic and interesting way to acquire new insights.

TS: Do you have a favourite psychological film/book/song/artwork/etc.? If so, which, and what do you like about it?

CP: I don’t know that I have a favourite. I like many different works of arts, not necessarily because of something psychologically revealing. However, there is one film which I found particularly disturbing and brilliant and that was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest based on the novel by Ken Kesey. I also think the novel The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood, is scarily intelligent and depressing, and who could remain indifferent when looking at the paintings of The Scream by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch?

TS: Is there anything else you wish to share about yourself as a psych professor and researcher?

CP: Choosing to become a professor and researcher, and at UNB in particular, is the result of many influences and experiences. Yet, one person did have a dramatic impact on whom I came to be as a psychologist and as a critical thinker. That was Dr. H. H. Mikaelian. Some students used to find him demanding and uncaring, but not me. He was the best mentor I could ever have dreamed of, and that was such a gift to me. Dr. Mikaelian knew just how to challenge me through listening to me and arguing with me. He made me feel like I could think for myself and allowed me to practise my critical thinking skills with him. He was never condescending even though I’m sure that, at times, the ideas I was putting forward made little sense. But having someone who can do this for you is so precious. It does not mean telling you that you have done a great job when you have not, but it does mean believing in you and knowing how to instil confidence so that you can see yourself taking intellectual risks. It is my wish that every student can find the right person who can do this for them. Ψ

Created for The Synapse by Incé Husain.