https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/16813 2026-08-18T08:09:42Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148426 Title: Idiography in cultural political psychology : two routes to research Authors: Buhagiar, Luke Joseph Abstract: Specific cases of intercultural relations are precisely where the idiographic nature of such phenomena can be appreciated. By most accounts, what characterizes the idiographic is the emphasis on the individual case (Zedeck, 2014). This emphasis materialises itself as a focus on specific intercultural relations scenarios (the context in question, the people involved, etc.), specific intercultural relations disputes (objects of public debate, conflicting cultural practices, projects in common or otherwise, etc.), unique historic global events, and so on. The key word remains specificity. This specificity carries a range of implications with major consequences for how research is conducted in different cultural political psychologies and in psychology more broadly. [extract] 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148425 Title: Avatar-based interviewing : mediated research interviews in a gamified world Authors: Pulis, Matthew; Buhagiar, Luke Joseph Abstract: Avatars remain under-utilised in qualitative research interviews. This paper presents Avatar-Based Interviewing (ABI), which is a six-step qualitative method that addresses this gap by placing the avatar at the centre of the research encounter. Interviews are held in person, and an avatar is designed and discussed by participants. ABI involves: (1) identifying research questions and familiarising oneself with the gaming environment; (2) selecting an appropriate genre and game; (3) avatar creation by participants; (4) discussing the nickname chosen by participants for their avatar; (5) discussing the avatar and research topic; and (6) analysis with the avatar in focus. We present a case study with 23 teenagers in Malta, demonstrating ABI’s capacity to generate rich insights on young people’s identity and self-concepts. ABI encourages open dialogue and positions participants as co- researchers via its collaborative ethos. It allows the study of actual, ideal and alternative selves often missed by traditional interviews. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148424 Title: Endurance for life projects : individual resilience in the context of chronic pain Authors: Buhagiar, Luke Joseph Abstract: Critical scholarship on resilience often holds that discourses focusing on individual resilience reify neoliberal governance. Such critiques rightly address the socio-politics surrounding persons from whom resilience is socially expected. However, they also risk reducing resilience to simply another appendage of neoliberal ideology. This ideological reductionism contradicts itself, by implicitly acknowledging the role of individual agency in dealing with adversity, whilst simultaneously conceptualizing ‘resilience’ as unfolding exclusively in ideological discourse. In equating resilience with neoliberal governance, such critiques meaningfully favour community- based forms of resilience, but stop short of appreciating the mental toughness required by individuals facing adversity, for fear of implicitly endorsing neoliberalism. In this paper, I make the case for individual resilience, by appealing to examples related to chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS). The private, pervasive, unpredictable nature of pelvic pain, alongside often contrasting modes of pain management, make individual aspects of resilience essential in dealing with such adversity. Individual endurance features as indispensable and as complementary to community-based resilience, contrary to ideologically reductionist views. Taking CPPS as an exemplar for understanding similar chronic pain experiences, I argue that documented instances of resilience in this domain ultimately reflect the life projects that sufferers pursue despite their affliction. I conclude that: (1) psychology requires a re-conceptualisation of resilience as embodied ‘endurance for’ life projects, re-orienting individuals' approach to their chronic pain; (2) a focus on individual resilience does not imply neoliberal ideation, but can actually be accompanied by other theoretical counterparts at the societal level, some of which actively resist neoliberalism. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145268 Title: Trusted truth Abstract: In this graduation oration delivered at the University of Malta, Dr Marie-Louise Mangion explores the intertwined concepts of truth and trust in higher education and public life. Drawing on philosophical traditions and her own field of public policy, she argues that truth-seeking in scholarship extends beyond research protocols to include academic freedom, integrity, transparency, and ethical responsibility. The speech emphasises the university’s role in creating an environment where truth can emerge and be communicated, especially in the context of AI-generated content. It calls on graduates in Public Policy Leadership, Knowledge-based Entrepreneurship, Economics, Business Administration, Management, Insurance and Risk Management, and Mediterranean Studies to act as informed, inquisitive citizens who uphold truth through competence and integrity, thereby building trust in institutions and society. The oration concludes with Einstein’s reminder of the duty not to conceal any part of recognised truth. 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z