KENNETH N. LEVY, PH.D.

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Welcome to the Laboratory for Personality, Psychopathology and Psychotherapy Research!

Our research focuses on attachment theory, emotion regulation, personality disorders, and psychotherapy process and outcome. At the most basic level, we examine how mental representations develop, consolidate, and change, especially in the context of close relationships and how they influence personality development. We also examine the role of impaired or distorted representations in regulating affect, and in turn, their influence on the development of psychopathology. To these ends, we study infant-parent relationships, romantic relationships, affect regulation, and psychotherapy process as paradigms for studying how representations develop, perpetuate, and change, as well as influence behavior and psychopathology. Ultimately, we want to understand the psychological mechanisms that influence personality development, elucidate clinical phenomena, and inform clinical strategies.

** I am planning to accept a graduate student for the Fall of 2025.  The deadline for applications for the Penn State graduate program in Clinical Psychology is December 1, 2024. Admission to the Clinical Psychology program requires an application to the Graduate School.  If you are planning on applying to work with me, please contact me by email at klevy@psu.edu with “Prospective Graduate Student” in the subject line prior to submitting your application. **