The role of one's personal sense of direction in contributing to psychological wellbeing will be examined in a presentation by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic. Dr James Schuurmans-Stekhoven, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at CSU in Bathurst, will examine what is meant by 'having purpose'. "My talk aims to make a contribution to the ongoing debate about the degree to which wellbeing is predetermined by factors such as hereditary, and how that predisposes us to be 'temperamentally' happy and to what degree circumstances and our actions can influence wellbeing," Dr Schuurmans-Stekhoven said. "While a little more technical, the research presented in the talk shows that past claims that fixed temperaments, like personality, are important drivers of wellbeing, may have been overstated. Most past wellbeing research has overlooked the role of purpose (a non-temperamental state or mindset). When you simultaneously examine the relative contribution of personality and purpose to wellbeing, purpose seems to be the more important factor." Dr Schuurmans-Stekhoven's free public lecture will be held from 4pm to 5pm on Wednesday 19 March in building 1399 (old C7) CSU in Bathurst. The University's School of Psychology offers undergraduate and post-graduate studies in psychology, and may be studied on campus or by distance education. Read more here.