‘People-watching’ to PhD, psychology of reinvention inspires

By Mary Bolling

Kristie-Lee Alfrey always wondered what makes people ‘tick’. Finding out meant a journey of self-discovery – and unexpectedly finding her fit at university.

Now, research by the Bundaberg academic is equipping more people take on new life stages, when how they perceive themselves might be holding them back.  

A former hairdresser and mum of two, Dr Alfrey has just graduated with her PhD from CQUniversity, ten years after first stepping into the Bundaberg campus. 

“After high school I’d gone straight into an apprenticeship, but when I had my second child, I had some scary health conditions that basically meant I wouldn’t be able to stand on my feet all day,” she explained.

“Being a stay-at-home mum, I had many conversations with family and friends… my eldest sister said, ‘you’ve always loved watching people and trying to figure out why they’re doing the things they do, why not try psychology?’”

Dr Alfrey said she’d never even considered uni until then: “I didn’t think I’d be smart enough,” she said. 

Pathway plus persistence

Discovering CQU’s free Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory (STEPS) enabling program was a gamechanger.

Giving the graduate response address at Bundaberg graduation on Tuesday 9 December, Dr Alfrey said it was a rocky start: “I tried to quit… twice, in the first term!”

“Luckily the CQU Bundaberg STEPS coordinator was quite persistent in telling me I could do this university thing!” she laughed.

Continuing into her Bachelor of Psychology and then Honours, Dr Alfrey also contributed to research projects, was an award-winning Student Mentor, and founded the annual Online Conference for Undergraduate Research in Australasia (OCURA).

“With support, I’d found my place… and by this stage I’m pretty sure I’ve developed an academic mind!” she said.

“Not because somebody told me I had, but because I worked for it. 

“I’m no longer the anxious young woman I used to be, and I’ve learnt that being academic, or even being confident, isn’t something you’re born with, it’s something you become, through persistence and support.”

Identity and influence

Through her studies, Dr Alfrey’s research initially focused on family relationships for FIFO workers, then physical activity for pregnant women, and other health motivation studies. 

Gradually, she noticed a pattern in how people approached change.

“They would say things like ‘seeking support from a health professional just isn’t me’ or ‘I’ve always been a physically active person’,” Dr Alfrey explained.

“That led me to consider the link between how a person perceives themself, or their identity, and the decisions they make.”

Analysing identity within behaviour change processes, Dr Alfrey’s thesis showed people facing big life changes might feel a loss of self, and feel a need to revise their self-identity.

“For instance when people retire from work – or even finish a PhD! – they can struggle to work out where they fit in their new world, but focusing on identity is also an opportunity to encourage positive behaviour changes,” she said.

Searching for answers

Dr Alfrey is a researcher and Associate Lecturer for Health Sciences at CQU, and Director of CQU’s Motivation of Health Behaviours (MoHB) Lab, an initiative supporting students to gain research skills and experience.

She said asking questions continues to define her after the past decade of studies. 

“Even in my student roles, I’ve had the approach ‘I’m searching for answers’ rather than ‘I need to learn this’,” she said.

“That’s been very beneficial to my success, because that kind of identity meant I was passionate about discovering and unpacking knowledge – and I still am!

Explore your future pathways at the Study with CQUniversity website.