Harry Wallace

Harry Wallace is Professor of Psychology at Trinity University within the College of Arts & Sciences, leading an active social psychology laboratory focused on narcissism, social challenge orientation, and sports fandom psychology. His research examines how narcissistic traits influence academic behavior, social adaptability, and fan reactions, with students regularly presenting findings at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference (18 students, 20 presentations in five years).

• Ph.D. in Social Psychology, Case Western Reserve University
• M.A. in General Experimental Psychology, University of North Florida
• B.A. in English, Fairfield University

Wallace's research centers on narcissism's adaptive and maladaptive outcomes, particularly in academic settings. His lab investigates whether narcissism enhances academic performance ('Is narcissism adaptive in academia?'), how social autonomy affects adaptability ('Does social autonomy undermine social adaptability?'), and sports fandom dynamics through the 'bad-is-stronger-than-good' principle. This work bridges theoretical models like the social self-restriction framework with real-world applications in education and social interactions.

His publication trends since 1999 reveal evolving focus from foundational narcissism studies (e.g., task persistence, reflected appraisal) toward contemporary applications in academia and sports. Key themes include narcissistic evaluation biases, performance under pressure, and moral judgment discrepancies, consistently applying social-cognitive frameworks to personality phenomena.

Wallace actively contributes to university governance through the Institutional Review Board and Interdisciplinary Second Major Review Committee, while mentoring McNair Scholars. His teaching portfolio includes Social Psychology, Statistics and Methods, Principles of Psychology, and Science of Happiness courses.