Ben Schellenberg, PhD

Biography

Dr. Schellenberg’s research focuses on people’s favourite activities. Specifically, he is interested in understanding how people can engage in their favourite activities in a way that produces the most benefits (e.g., high levels of performance and well-being), while avoiding potential costs (e.g., conflict, burnout). He has focused most extensively on the construct of passion, and has examined how people’s experiences are affected by the extent to which their passion is harmonious and obsessive. Other topics that he is studying include savouring, self-compassion, coping, and perfectionism. He conducts research with various populations, including athletes, sports fans, exercisers, students, and gamblers.

Research areas

  • Sport and Exercise Psychology
  • Social and Personality Psychology
  • Health Psychology

Education

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship (Psychology), University of Ottawa (2018)
  • PhD (Psychology), University of Manitoba (2015)
  • M.A. (Kinesiology), University of British Columbia (2011)
  • B.A. (Hons.) (Psychology), University of Winnipeg (2008)

Courses

  • Physical Activity, Health and Wellness (KPER 1200)
  • Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (KPER 2540)
  • Social Psychology of Leisure (REC 3180)

Publications

Schellenberg, B. J. I., Verner-Filion, J., Quach, A., & Bailis, D. S. (in press). Basketball jones: Fan passion, motives, and reactions to the suspension of the National Basketball Association season due to COVID-19. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. Preprint is publicly available. 

Bailis, D. S., Brais, N. J. J. R., Single, A. N., & Schellenberg, B. J. I. (in press). Self-Compassion buffers impaired decision-making by potential problem gamblers in a casino setting. Journal of Gambling Studies.

 Verner-Filion, J., Schellenberg, B. J. I., Holding, A. S., & Koestner, R. (in press). Is your passion fuelling your long-term goal pursuit? The mediating role of grit in the relation between students' passion and adjustment over a semester. Learning and Individual Differences.

Schellenberg, B. J. I., & Gaudreau, P. (in press). An inch away from being mentally tough: Performance bias in ratings of mental toughness. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/spy0000210. Preprint is publicly available at https://psyarxiv.com/rphj9.

Schellenberg, B. J. I., Mosewich, A. D., Bailis, D. S., Gaudreau, P., & Verner-Filion, J. (in press). When self-compassion loses its luster: Ratings of self-compassionate and self-critical responding among passionate students. The Journal of Experimental Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2019.1693946.  Preprint is publicly available at https://psyarxiv.com/vk7n3
 
Schellenberg, B. J. I., Sabiston, C. M., Vallerand, R. J., & Gaudreau, P. (in press). Passion among breast cancer survivors: A 12-month prospective study. Journal of Health Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105319860890
 
Schellenberg, B. J. I., Verner-Filion, J., & Gaudreau, P. (in press). We are the champions, but how do we respond? Savoring and dampening in response to championship victories among passionate sports fans. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology.

Schellenberg, B. J. I., & Gaudreau, P. (2020). Savoring and dampening with passion: How passionate people respond when good things happen. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21, 921-941. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00114-w. Preprint is publicly available at https://psyarxiv.com/dwazk

Schellenberg, B. J. I., & Bailis, D. S. (2019). Passionately motivated reasoning: Biased processing of passion-threatening messages. Journal of Personality, 87, 518-531. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12412
 
Schellenberg, B. J. I., Verner-Filion, J., Gaudreau, P., Bailis, D. S., Lafrenière, M. -A. K., & Vallerand, R. J. (2019). Testing the dualistic model of passion using a novel quadripartite approach: A look at physical and psychological well-being. Journal of Personality, 87, 163-180. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12378 
 
Tamminen, K. A., Page-Gould, E., Schellenberg, B. J. I., Palmateer, T., Thai, S., Sabiston, C. M., & Crocker, P. R. E. (2019). A longitudinal examination of interpersonal emotion regulation, social support, and team performance among varsity athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 45, 101566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2019.101566
 
Verner-Filion, J., Schellenberg, B. J. I., Rapaport, M., Bélanger, J. J., & Vallerand, R. J. (2018). “The thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat”: Passion and emotional reactions to success and failure among recreational golfers. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 40, 280-283. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.2017-0316

Schellenberg, B. J. I., & Bailis, D. S. (2018). When decisions are clouded by passion: A look at casino patrons. Motivation Science, 4, 274-279. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000086

Schellenberg, B. J. I., & Bailis, D. S. (2017). Lay theories of passion in the academic domain. Educational Psychology, 37, 1029-1043. doi: 10.1080/01443410.2017.1322178

Strachan, S., Marcotte, M. M., Giller, T. M., Brunet, J., & Schellenberg, B. J. I. (2017). An online intervention to increase physical activity: Self-regulatory possible selves and the moderating role of self-efficacy. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 31, 158-165. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2016.05.001

Schellenberg, B. J. I., Bailis, D. S., & Mosewich, A. D. (2016). You have passion, but do you have self-compassion? Harmonious passion, obsessive passion, and responses to passion-related failure. Personality and Individual Differences, 99, 278-285. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2016.05.003

Schellenberg, B. J. I., & Bailis, D. S. (2016). The two roads of passionate goal pursuit: links with appraisal, coping, and academic achievement. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 29, 287-304. doi: 10.1080/10615806.2015.1036047

Schellenberg, B. J. I., McGrath, D. S., & Dechant, K. (2016). The Gambling Motives Questionnaire Financial: Factor structure, measurement invariance, and relationships with gambling behaviour. International Gambling Studies, 16, 1-16. doi: 10.1080/14459795.2015.1088559

Schellenberg, B. J. I., & Bailis, D. S. (2015). Can passion be polyamorous? The impact of having multiple passions on subjective well-being and momentary emotions. Journal of Happiness Studies, 16, 1365-1381. doi: 10.1007/s10902-014-9564-x

Schellenberg, B. J. I., & Bailis, D. S. (2015). Predicting longitudinal trajectories of academic passion in first-year university students.  Learning and Individual Differences, 40, 149-155. doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2015.04.008

Schellenberg, B. J. I. (2014). When the going gets tough, do the passionate get going? Mind Pad, 4, 13-16.

Schellenberg, B. J. I., Gunnell, K. E., Mosewich, A. D., & Bailis, D. S. (2014).  Measurement invariance of the Passion Scale across three samples: An ESEM approach. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 18, 242-258. doi: 10.1080/1091367X.2014.942453

Schellenberg, B. J. I., Bailis, D. S., & Crocker, P. R. E. (2013).  Passionate hockey fans: Appraisals of, coping with, and attention paid to the 2012-2013 National Hockey League lockout. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14, 842-846. doi: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.06.004
       
Schellenberg, B. J. I., Gaudreau, P., & Crocker, P. R. E. (2013).  Passion and coping: Relationships with changes in burnout and goal attainment in collegiate volleyball players. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 35, 270-280.

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