Dr Meenakshi Menon

BA (Delhi), MA, PhD (Florida Atlantic)
Lecturer

My research interests are broadly focused on social and personality development during preadolescence. I am involved in two areas of research during this developmental period: children’s relationship styles and gender identity development.

I am interested in investigating the causes, consequences, and correlates of individual differences in children’s close skewed relationship styles (characterized by an imbalance of autonomy-relatedness). Some of the questions addressed by my research are: Why is it that some children form "preoccupied", or "avoidant" relationship styles? Do these styles bear implications for children’s identity development, or for their adjustment?

Another set of studies deals with gender identity development during preadolescence. Using Egan and Perry’s (2001) model of multidimensional gender identity, I investigate questions such as: What are the social-cognitive correlates of gender identity? Does gender identity have implications for children’s adjustment? How do children incorporate sex-typed attributes into their own repertoire of behaviours? What is the role played by gender identity in this gender self-socialisation process?

I am currently working on a project that is designed to examine the conjoint influences of child-parent and child-peer relationships on children’s psychosocial well-being and gender identity. Some of the questions to be addressed by this research are: Does children’s relationship style with mother match with their relationship style with friend? Do peer relationship styles buffer or exacerbate the negative effects of children’s skewed styles of relating to the mother? Does a secure configuration of the elements of children’s gender identity protect against the negative consequences of an imbalanced relationship style?

 

Grants and Awards

British Academy, Small Research Grant, 2009. Parental and Peer Influences on Preadolescents’ Adjustment. (£7419). Dr. Meenakshi Menon (P. I.).

President’s Faculty Research and Development Grant, Nova Southeastern University, 2009-2011. Maternal Influences on Preadolescent Adjustment: A Cross Cultural Exploration. ($9879). Dr. Madhavi Menon (P. I.), Josie Augustin, Dr. Meenakshi Menon, and Aleta Vasumitra.

Pump-Priming Funds, Research and Enterprise Support, University of Surrey, 2009. Gender Identity, Attachment Security, and Adjustment in Preadolescents. (£3932). Dr. Meenakshi Menon (P. I.).

Overseas Conference Grant, Research and Enterprise Support, University of Surrey, 2009.(£1200).

Travel Grant, Research and Enterprise Support, University of Surrey, 2008. Gender Socialisation in Britain and India. (£712). Dr. Meenakshi Menon (P. I.) and Dr. Preeti Pant.

Graduate Fellowship for Academic Excellence, Florida Atlantic University, 2006-2007. ($5000)

Merit Scholarship, University of Delhi, South Campus, 2004.

 

Publications

Menon, M., Spatta, B. C., Tobin, D.D., Menon, M., Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D.G. (under review). Do preadolescents’ close relationship styles affect how they perceive their parents? Journal of Family Psychology.

Menon, M., Menon, M., Tobin, D.D., Spatta, B. C., Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D.G. (under review). Perceived maternal support moderates influences of gender identity on preadolescents’ well-being. Child Development.

Tobin, D. D., Menon, M., Menon, M., Spatta, B. C., Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D. G. (revise/resubmit). The intrapsychics of gender: A model of self-socialization. Psychological Review.

Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Corby, B. C., Menon, M., Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D. G. (2007). The developmental costs of high self-esteem for antisocial children. Child Development, 78, 1627-1639.

Menon, M., & Pant, P. (2007). Body image and adjustment in Indian women. Psychological Studies, 52, 332-338.

 

Presentations

Menon, M., Spatta, B. C., Tobin, D. D., Menon, M., & Perry, D. G. (2009, August). Categories of insecure attachment in middle childhood. Poster presented at the XIV European Conference on Developmental Psychology, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Evans, R. B., Menon, M., Menon, M., & Perry, D. G. (2009, April). Gender identity and gender stereotypes as interacting influences on children’s adjustment. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver, CO.

Menon, M., Evans, R. B., Menon, M., & Perry, D. G. (2009, April). Sexist ideology and narcissism as interacting influences on preadolescents' adjustment. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver, CO.

Menon, M., Menon, M., Evans, R. B., & Perry, D. G. (2009, April). Does attachment style predict preadolescents’ perceptions of parenting? Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver, CO.

Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Spatta, B. C., Menon, M., Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D. G. (2009, April). Does high self-esteem encourage antisocial behavior?  In S. Thomaes (Chair), Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most aggressive of them all: On maladaptive favorable self-regard and youth aggression. Pecha Kucha Group Session conducted at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver, CO.

Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Corby, B. C., Menon, M., Hodges, E. V. E., & Perry, D. G. (2008, July). The developmental costs of high self-esteem for antisocial children. In B. J. Bushman & S. Thomaes (Chairs), Developmental perspectives on the link between self-views and aggression. Symposium conducted at the world meeting of the International Society for Research on Aggression, Budapest, Hungary.

Menon, M., Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Collins, R. L., Perle, J. G., & Perry, D. G. (2008, March). Macho ideology and gender identity as interacting influences on self-efficacy for macho behavior. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Adolescence, Chicago, IL.

Menon, M. (2007, April). Body image dissatisfaction in Indian women. Poster presented at Research Week 2007, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

Menon, M., Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Corby, B. C., & Perry, D. G. (2007, April). Parental rejection and insecure attachment: Untangling the direction of influence. Poster presented at Research Week 2007, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

Menon, M., Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Perle, J. G., & Perry, D. G. (2007, April). High self-esteem promotes the rationalization of antisocial conduct. Poster presented at Research Week 2007, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

Tobin, D. D., Menon, M., Menon, M., Perle, J. G., & Perry, D. G. (2007, April). Attachment and gender identity in middle childhood. Poster presented at Research Week 2007, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

Menon, M., Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Perle, J. G., & Perry, D. G. (2007, March). High self-esteem promotes the rationalization of antisocial conduct. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, MA.

Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Menon, M., Perle, J. G., & Perry, D. G. (2007, March). Self-socialization of gender. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, MA.

Tobin, D. D., Menon, M., Menon, M., Perle, J. G., & Perry, D. G. (2007, March). Attachment and gender identity in middle childhood. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, MA.

Menon, M., Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Corby, B. C., & Perry, D. G. (2006, June). Parental rejection and insecure attachment: Untangling the direction of influence. Poster presented at the first International Congress on Interpersonal Acceptance and Rejection, Istanbul, Turkey.

Menon, M., & Perry, D. G. (2006, April). The self-socialization of gender. Poster presented at the Graduate Research Symposium, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

Tobin, D.D., Menon, M., Menon, M., Corby, B. C., & Perry, D. G. (2006, April). Social-cognitive correlates of gender identity. Poster presented at the Gender Conference, San Francisco, CA.

Corby, B. C., Cusimano, A. M., Kabbas, D. R., Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Hodges, E. V. E, & Perry, D. G. (2005a, April). Adjustment correlates of gender identity in three ethnic groups. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Atlanta, GA.

Corby, B. C., Cusimano, A. M., Kabbas, D. R., Menon, M., Tobin, D. D., Hodges, E. V. E, & Perry, D. G. (2005b, April). Links between gender identity and adjustment in three ethnic groups. Poster presented at the Graduate Research Symposium, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.

 

Invited Talks

Looking beyond: Career options in psychology. Department of Psychology, Gargi College, University of Delhi, 2008.

Does perceived attachment security moderate the effects of gender identity on preadolescents’ adjustment? Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, 2008.

Attachment in preadolescence: Consequence or cause of children’s perceptions of parenting? Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, 2007.

 

Current Teaching

Module Convenor and Lecturer, Social and Personality Development, Undergraduate Level 3
Lecturer, Developmental Psychology, Undergraduate Level 2
Lectures for MSc Child Developmental Psychology
Lectures for MSc Social Psychology
Undergraduate and postgraduate research supervision