Geoffrey Beattie is Professor of Psychology in the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Manchester[1] and is a Professorial Research Fellow in the Sustainable Consumption Institute[2] established at the university in 2008. A Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Beattie was awarded the Spearman Medal by the BPS in 1984.[3] He served as President of the Psychology section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science from 2005 to 2006. [4]
Research Interests
Professor Beattie's research interests include[5]:
Books
Geoffrey has published 17 books. His novel entitled 'The Corner Boys' was short-listed for the Ewart-Biggs Literary Prize in 1999 (as was ‘We Are The People: Journeys Through the Heart of Protestant Ulster’ in 1992). 'On the Ropes: Boxing as a Way of Life' was runner-up for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 1996. His recent book, ‘Why Aren’t We Saving The Planet? A Psychologist’s Perspective’ (2010) has been described as ‘a brilliant book that has opened up a veritable practical path to solving the crises facing the planet. This is required reading for everyone who is interested in our survival’ by Marcel Danesi (University of Toronto and Editor of Semiotica). Geoff's latest book is ‘Get the Edge: How Simple Changes Will Transform Your Life’ (2011). He has persuaded Aaron Beck, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania (and founder of CBT) to describe it as being full of ‘wonderful advice based on the wisdom of a lifetime combined with lessons firmly rooted in psychological research. This book is not only profoundly informative, but also a pleasure to read.’[6]
Media
Geoffrey was the psychologist and presenter on 'The Farm of Fussy Eaters' (UKTV Style, 2007) and Channel 4's 'Dump Your Mates in Four Days' (2006/07) and resident on-screen psychologist on ITV's 'Ghost Hunting with...' (2007-11). He was presenter of BBC1's 'Family SOS' (2004/05) and co-presenter of BBC1's 'Life's too Short' (2002). Geoff was also the resident psychologist on ten 'Big Brother' series. His television credits also include 'Child of Our Time' (BBC1), 'Diet Trials' (BBC1), 'Tomorrow's World' (BBC1). On the run up to the General Election in 2005 Geoff had a regular slot on the ITV news at 10.30 called 'The Body Politic', in which he analysed the body language of the senior politicians involved in the election. He has also been a regular contributor to 'Richard and Judy', the 'Lorraine Kelly Show', 'GMTV', the 'Extreme Celebrity' shows, 'BBC News 24' and 'Sky News'. His academic publications have appeared in a wide variety of international journals including Nature, Semiotica, and the Journal of Language and Social Psychology. Geoff has been keen to show how psychology can illuminate many aspects of human experience and has written for a diverse range of newspapers and magazines including: The Guardian, The Times, The Independent, The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, The New Statesman, and Marie Claire.[7]