Inaugural Warwick Olphert Memorial Lecture

Next date: Tuesday, 27 October 2026 | 05:30 AM

How do shifting ideas about “harm” change the way we live, relate, and talk about mental health?

Terms linked to trauma, abuse and mental illness are being used more broadly than they once were. Professor Nick Haslam calls this pattern “concept creep”.

In this Inaugural Warwick Olphert Memorial Lecture, Professor Haslam will present research using natural language processing to track how concepts of harm have shifted across historical texts, and what those changes mean for life today.

With a focus on mental health, he argues that rising awareness can reduce stigma and encourage help seeking, but may also blur the line between illness and everyday distress. He will outline what is at stake and propose practical ways forward.

About the speaker  

Professor Nick Haslam is Professor of Psychology at the University of Melbourne. After completing his undergraduate degree at that university, he received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and taught for several years in the USA. He has published extensively in personality, social and clinical psychology, and writes frequently for a general audience including The Conversation, Inside Story, Australian Book Review, and two Best Australian Science Writing anthologies. Nick is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Association for Psychological Science. He co-directs the University of Melbourne’s Mental Health PhD program and has previously served as Head of its School of Psychological Sciences, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Graduate), and President of the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists.

Date: Tuesday 27 October

Time: 5:30pm (NSW time)

Venue: UNE SRI Nova Centre (Smart Region Incubator), Nova, 122 Faulkner St, Armidale NSW 2350

Online: Zoom https://une-au.zoom.us/j/81072572480?pwd=Xy1lmiYCq8IO59GtlWOcG237bJqxdj.1   

Reception: Light snacks provided

Enquires: Associate Professor Sue Watt, swatt3@une.edu.au

When

Location

UNE SRI Nova Centre, UNE SRI Nova Centre (Smart Region Incubator), Nova, 122 Faulkner St, Armidale NSW 2350, Armidale, 122 Faulkner St, Armidale NSW 2350, View Map