Dr Alasdair Gordon-Finlayson

Lorna Freestone; Psychology

Sarah Ferguson; Occupational Psychology

Goal setting for children with cerebral palsy: Navigating the family centred practice narrative

Yuan Jin; Psychology

Alex Wilson; Psychology

The Transformative Nature of Altered States of Consciousness in Youth Subculture.

Alasdair’s interests are in social and cultural psychology, the psychology of religion and spirituality, as well as the intersection of these two areas (e.g. doctoral dissertation on “Becoming Buddhist” in a Western cultural context). Alasdair’s methodological interests are mainly qualitative, and specifically grounded theory.

Alasdair completed his BA in Drama & Psychology and his BA(Hons) in Psychology at Rhodes University in South Africa, graduating in 1994, before spending some years travelling and working in the private sector. 

He later completed an MSc in Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University in 2003, and went on to do a PhD at the same institution, completing this in 2011 with a thesis examining how Westerners become Buddhist in the UK.

Since 2011, Alasdair has worked at UON, initially as one of the team on the now-defunct MSc Transpersonal Psychology & Consciousness Studies programme, and is currently Course Leader for the BSc Psychology (Counselling) course.

Alasdair is also an ordained Soto Zen Buddhist priest and 'hoshi' (Dharma Holder) in the White Plum tradition, and runs the StoneWater Zen Northampton meditation group, and volunteers as a chaplaincy visitor at St Andrews Hospital.