Christiana is from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work and is one of the recipients for the 2025 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence and was supervised by Professor Michael Wenzel and Professor Lydia Woodyatt.
Christiana thesis was titled “Travelling Down the Bumpy Road to Self-Forgiveness: Narration (and Re-Narration) as a Vehicle for Offenders’ “Working Through” a Recent Interpersonal Wrongdoing”
We invited Christiana to share insights into the PhD journey, the most enjoyable parts to the hardest and advice to current PhD students.
What is your research about?
My research aims to develop a deeper understanding of how individuals who have recently hurt someone they know use narration to “work through” feelings of guilt and forgive themselves. Specifically, I developed (and tested) a theoretical framework for the role of different narrative processes in the “working through” of guilt for self-forgiveness and interpersonal reconciliation.
What does winning this award mean to you?
Doing a PhD is a true privilege, so winning this award feels like the cherry on top of what has been a special chapter of life. I feel honoured and very grateful to be recognised for the hard work that went into my thesis and feel it is also a testament to the mentorship and guidance that I received from my legendary supervisors, Michael and Lydia, and to the moral and practical support I received from my family and friends
What is the topic of your PhD and why is it important to you?
My PhD aimed to develop a deeper understanding of how individuals can use narration to “work through” feelings of guilt after they have hurt someone they know. This topic is important to me because relationships are such an important part of life. Social connection is a protective factor for mental health and wellbeing, and the ability to “work through” guilt and resolve conflict is integral to healthy, functional communities.
What has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the journey?
Supervision! I am so lucky that I got to work with Michael and Lydia, and that I got to have weekly supervision discussions with Michael (my primary supervisor) where we could think deeply about my research. I was also very lucky to develop some great friendships with other PhD students who provided priceless comradery and moral support. Another great part was going on writing retreats with peers and bouncing ideas off one another (shoutout to Professor Hermes, your friendship was a golden part of this journey!). Whoops, that’s more than one!
What has been one of the hardest parts of the journey?
Doing a PhD requires a huge amount of commitment. For me, it took up a large portion of my brain space, time and energy which was exciting and stimulating but also a little bit frustrating at times. There were ups and downs, and sometimes the stress was high. I also experienced a handful of personal hardships during the journey (after all, 4 years is a decent chunk of time, so it’s likely something will come up), and unfortunately that meant my personal relationships and wellbeing suffered. The silver lining is that it felt like baptism by fire in terms of learning how to self-care and lean on others for support
What advice would you give to current or prospective PhD students?
Get to know other PhD students, and if you don’t already have a community of peers, build one! The supports around you during a PhD are what can change a bad experience into a good one, and nobody quite understands what it’s like to do a PhD… except for other PhD students, of course! The moral support and sharing of ideas is honestly priceless.