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Richard Bargdill, Ph.D.

bargdill

Teaching Associate Professor
Developmental Psychology
820 W Franklin, rm 106
rwbargdill@vcu.edu
(804) 828-1240

Teaching Associate Professor
Secretary and Membership Chair, APA Division 32 (Humanistic Psychology)

Ph.D. (1998), Duquesne University

Doctoral Program Affiliation

Developmental Psychology

Research Interests

My main research topics are boredom, meaning and creativity and how they interact in order to prevent or promote the ‘good life’.   Boredom seems to be a deficient experience that can become habitual in which a person experiences both a lack of meaning and creativity. We have a tendency to see meaning as a ‘cognitive’ function and overlook the emotional elements of meaning.  Meaning appears to me to be more heart-mind! Meaning is often made after the event- even years later-and the inability to make meaning out of tragic events can, in itself, be experienced as stressful.  Creativity seems to be the ability to take ideas and emotions and transform them into products that both embody and release emotions in one’s self and others. For the last decade I have been on the Executive Board of Division 32: Society for Humanistic Psychology which is part of the American Psychological Association.  I have held a number of roles in the Division including Membership Chair, Member-at-large, Secretary, APA Conference Program Chair and Hospitality Suite Coordinator.

Select Publications

Bargdill, R. W. (2016). Some qualitative differences between Habitual Boredom and Depression. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 1-18. DOI: 10.1177/0022167816637948
Bargdill, R. W., & Broome’, R. (2016). Humanistic contributions for psychology 101: Growth, choice and responsibility. Colorado Springs, CO: University Professors Press.
Bargdill, R. W. (2015). Living the good life: A psychological history. San Diego, CA: Cognella, Inc.
Bargdill, R. W. (2014). An artist’s thought book: intriguing thoughts about the artistic process (2nd Edition). Colorado Springs, CO: University Professors Press.
Bargdill, R. W. (2014). Toward a theory of habitual boredom. Janus Head, 13(2), 93-111.

Recent Courses

  • History of Psychology, undergraduate level
  • Life Span Development, undergraduate level
  • Spotlight: Creativity, undergraduate level