SCCC Psychology Professor Presents Research at National APA Conference

August 24, 2026 - 03:34

A Garden City community college professor recently took the stage at the American Psychological Association's annual convention to share new insights into why some students hold themselves back academically. Deborah Lanza, a psychology instructor at Suffolk County Community College, presented her latest research during a poster session focused on the emotional factors that shape student behavior.

The study examined how self-compassion and feelings of shame influence what psychologists call self-handicapping, a pattern where students create obstacles for themselves before a test or assignment. Examples include procrastinating, staying up too late, or deliberately not studying, often as a way to protect self-esteem in case of failure. Lanza's work suggests that students who treat themselves kindly after setbacks are less likely to engage in these self-defeating habits, while those who experience intense shame tend to rely on them more heavily.

Lanza has been teaching at SCCC for over a decade and has a background in counseling psychology. Her interest in this area grew from watching students struggle not just with course material but with their own internal narratives. She said the findings point to practical classroom strategies, such as helping students reframe mistakes as learning opportunities rather than personal flaws.

The APA conference, held this year in a major U.S. city, drew thousands of researchers, educators, and clinicians from around the world. Lanza's presentation was part of a broader track on educational psychology and student well-being. She noted that the feedback from fellow attendees was encouraging and that she plans to expand the study to include community college students from other campuses.

For now, her work adds to a growing body of evidence that emotional resilience, not just study skills, plays a key role in academic success.