MA, Claremont Graduate University
BS, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Get in Touch
Alfond Hall 434 | 207-893-7857 | smangan@sjcme.edu
Susan Mangan is a postdoctoral research associate with the Thrive Center for Human Development. As a positive developmental psychologist, Dr. Mangan is interested in how we, as individuals and as a society, can lead happier, more fulfilling lives. She is focusing her research efforts on positive youth development, gratitude, and joy. She is co-investigator for the Thrive Center's Shades of Gratitude Project and Compassion International Study of Positive Youth Development.
As a scholar more broadly, Dr. Mangan's research focuses on positive psychology interventions, well-being, psychological need satisfaction, and emerging adulthood. She also has a keen interest in evaluation, community program development, and measurement development, as evidenced by publications such as the Claremont Purpose Scale—a measure that assesses the three dimensions of purpose among adolescents. Dr. Mangan has been a longtime fan of the Thrive Center and is excited to contribute to its ongoing success. In addition to her research with the Center, she is also currently a visiting professor at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.
In her spare time, Susan enjoys activities related to community development, water-related activities, fiction writing & poetry, and improv and clown comedy.
Affiliations
Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)
Society for Research in Adolescence (SRA)
Association for Moral Education (AME)
Western Psychological Association (WPA)
American Psychological Association (APA)
International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA)
Student Division International Positive Psychology Association (SIPPA)
Publications
King, P. E., & Mangan, S. (2023). Hindsight in the 2020s: Looking back and forward to positive youth development and thriving.
King, P. E., Mangan, S., & Riveros, R. (2022). Religion, spirituality, and youth thriving: Investigating the roles of the developing mind and meaning-making. In Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality (pp. 263-277). Cham: Springer International Publishing.