Dr Oliver Robinson

Associate Professor in Psychology University of Greenwich

  • Greenwich England

His research focuses on the relation between life transitions, crises and changes in personality and mental health.

Contact

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Areas of Expertise

Well-Being
Transitions
Mid Life Crisis
Life Change
Later-life Crisis

Biography

Dr Oliver Robinson is a specialist in adult development psychology, based in the School of Human Sciences at the University of Greenwich. His research focuses on the relation between life transitions, crises and changes in personality and mental health. He has especially explored early-life crisis, mid-life crisis, later-life crisis and how people cope with transitioning at major periods of life changes. This includes those entering retirement and graduates entering employment for the first time.

Oliver’s other work includes the causes and extent of wellbeing, flourishing and authenticity in different adult age groups and cultures; and the developmental challenges of the first decade of adult life, often referred to as emerging adulthood. He is President of the European Society for Research and Adult Development. He is the author of Development through Adulthood, a textbook that is used across the UK, Europe and the USA.

Media Mentions

In search of the quarter-life crisis

BBC World Service  online

2020-04-21

We’ll speak to experts about the evidence for whether it actually exists, including a pscyhologist who calls the quarter-life crisis a ‘global phenomenon’. Is this true, or are millennials just moaning and trying to find a new label for problems every generation has faced? We’ll dig in to the reasons people are feeling in crisis, and hear words of wisdom from those who have overcome it.

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More than half of millennials going through 'quarter-life crisis', research finds

Independent  online

2018-03-13

The study, carried out by First Direct bank and psychologist Dr Oliver Robinson, aimed to look at how people can use a crisis as a spark for change, but in the process discovered a huge number of 25 to 35-year-olds are struggling to cope amid financial, career and personal pressures.

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More than half of millennials aged 25 to 35 claim to be suffering from a 'quarter-life crisis' over job and money woes

Daily Mail  online

2018-03-13

The study was carried out by first direct bank, which teamed up with psychologist, Dr Oliver Robinson to look at how people can use a crisis as a spark for change.

Dr Robinson, who focuses on how identity, well-being and mental health are affected by major life transitions, crises and ageing processes during adulthood, said: 'There's two sides to a quarter-life crisis.

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Multimedia Appearances

Social

Accomplishments

BPS undergraduate research assistantship award winner

2018
Awarded by the British Psychological Society

Inspirational Teacher of the Year. Winner. Student Led Teaching Awards

2017
Voted for by Students. Awarded by the Students Union, University of Greenwich

Supervisor of the Year Shortlist. Student Led Teaching Awards

2016
Awarded by the Students Union, University of Greenwich

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Education

Birkbeck College, University of London

Ph.D.

Psychology

2008

University of Nottingham

M.Sc.

Organisational Psychology

2001

University of Edinburgh

M.A.

Psychology

2000

Articles

Wellbeing, developmental crisis and residential status in the year after graduating from higher education: a 12-month longitudinal study

Journal of Adult Development

2020

Graduating from higher education is characterized by a complex set of changes, including the transition into employment as well as residential changes and identity shifts. We explored how wellbeing and depressive symptoms are associated with retrospective appraisals of developmental crisis in the year after leaving university, and the impact of living with parents following graduation.

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Rethinking adult development: Introduction to the special issue

American Psychologist

2020

This is the introduction for the special issue of American Psychologist titled “Rethinking Adult Development: New Ideas for New Times.” It highlights the main themes of the special issue and discusses the implications of current trends for future directions. Entry to adult family and work roles now comes later than ever before.

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Personality change goals and plans as predictors of longitudinal trait change in young adults: A replication with an Iranian sample

Journal of Research in Personality

2020

Goals and plans for changing one’s personality traits have been found to be commonly held, particularly in young adults. Evidence for whether such goals and plans can predict actual trait change is mixed.

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