Overcoming fears and friction at the Brewery

Aug 08, 2005

It is understandable for some individuals to develop a fear of driving following a serious motor vehicle accident, but what about people who are still scared to drive despite having never experienced a traumatic event on the road?

Professor Frank Deane from the University of Wollongong's Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences will provide some answers about the fear of driving at the next 'Uni in the Brewery' series on Wednesday August 10.

The fear of driving is an area of research which, to date, has not been widely investigated and there is very little information available regarding the development of driving fears from other acquisition pathways.

Professor Deane's presentation will discuss the results of a series of studies on individuals who report driving fears, the development of their fear and whether their fear acquisition pathways remain stable over time. A personal perspective from an individual who has recently overcome her fear of driving will also be presented.

And what about discovering the key to 'getting along' with others?

This will be another topic up for discussion at the Brewery when Dr Joe Ciarrochi, also from UOW's Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, discusses emotional intelligence (EI). Professor Ciarrochi believes that wherever you find more than one human gathered together for any period of time you might observe many forms of aversive interpersonal behaviour including verbal abuse, name calling, back stabbing, rudeness, ridicule, teasing, ostracism, emotional withholding and bullying.

His presentation will present a theory about why humans treat each other so badly and will illustrate how EI-intervention may help people to learn to get along. The talk will be interactive and will involve several brief exercises with the audience.

'Uni in the Brewery' is coordinated by UOW's Research and Innovation Division (RAID) and aims to give the public the opportunity to learn about the various research projects conducted at the University of Wollongong. It also gives experienced and emerging researchers and students the chance to meet and exchange ideas. Private sector practitioners are also invited to present their ideas and provide feedback on the topics being discussed.

If you are interested in hearing another in the entertaining series of presentations by leading UOW researchers, come along and be informed in a relaxed environment.

Where: Five Islands Brewery, Eastern end of the WIN Entertainment Centre (Cnr Harbour and Crown Streets) Wollongong

When: 5.30pm - 6.30pm, Wednesday 10 August

Cost: Free

RSVP and further information: Contact Research Promotions Officer Vicky Wallace on 0422 471 031 or visit Uni in the Brewery

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128