Read, read and read… this is advice that Ingrid M. Catalá gives to all undergraduate students. Ingrid is a PhD student who recently presented her thesis defense: “A comparative study of the impact and the relation between sexual fantasies, arousal and religiousness.” Her interesting study resonates with Puerto Rico in many ways; as a place with a very traditional and religious culture, talking publicly about sexuality can be a bit of a taboo. Ingrid wants to cut off all of those taboos. She thinks it’s important to understand sexuality and to provide students with more information about this topic. Besides her investigation, Ingrid talked to me about her hobbies and her years of doing volunteer work in the government. She mentioned that she would love to establish an interdisciplinary institute that focuses on mental health. Ingrid is truly an inspiration—read on to find out what she told me about her years as a psychology student!
Name: Ingrid M. CataláAge: 28Hobbies: reading, painting and practicing yogaAssociations you’ve been a member of: AEPSIC, PSI-CHI, APPRCommunity service: Familias CAPACES
1. HC Albizu: What or who motivated you to study psychology?Ingrid: “I don’t remember someone who inspired me other than myself. Rather, it was the experiences I had in my childhood that led me to question many things I felt, but did not understand. While growing up, I finally answered some of those questions. However, more kept arising. I always say that between my junior and senior year of high school, when I was in the process of choosing my career path, I realized that if I had ever been good at something all my life, it was my ability to listen to others. People would always approach me to tell me their stories. That made me realize that I had interpersonal skills and that psychology was the option for me. With psychology, I could understand my past life experiences and how they shaped my family and me. Once I discovered those things about myself and understood them, I could start helping others and use my best skill: listening.”
2. HC Albizu: How many years have you been in the field?Ingrid: “I’ve been a total of 10 years in the field, if we count from my time as an undergraduate student until now, a graduate student.”
3. HC Albizu: What are your plans after graduation?Ingrid: “When you ask me that question I feel like I have to give a really good answer, but in my case, it won’t be that way. I’ve talked with some of my supervisors about it and I’ve told them that now that I’m graduating from my internship and I will be taking the revalidation test in March, I want to have two months of rest. Many people usually finish their internship and find a job really fast, but in my case I want some space to close a chapter. This includes having some time to rest since I feel like I didn’t take good care of myself during the internship. I admit it was the most productive and beautiful year of my life, but you basically give yourself completely to it. I think that when you study psychology and you are your own instrument to help others, you have to take care of yourself. Which is why I want to rest, exercise again and follow a healthy diet like I used to. I also want to take up my hobbies again. However, I have been looking for post-doc scholarships in the United States so I have a plan about my next career step.”
4. HC Albizu: Which post-doc degree are you most interested in?Ingrid: “One that specializes in CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) in the aspect of DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) caught my attention. I really liked an adaptation Dr. Fruzzetti (Professor of Psychology and Director of DBT and Research Program at the University of Nevada, Reno) did with a couple. I really like the field that involves sexuality and couples, so I feel that’s a good choice for me. For now, that’s what I want.”
5. HC Albizu: About your thesis defense: “Comparative study of the impact and the relation between sexual fantasies, arousal and religiousness,” why did you decide to compare and relate sexual fantasies and other aspects of sexuality with religion or religiousness?Ingrid: “The sexual fantasy theme has a history. I focused on sexual fantasies because in my proposal of sixth module I did a back translation to validate an old scale. This old scale had in its elements the sexual fantasy element. They’re very important in any person’s sexual path. Dr. Martínez Taboas, my research supervisor, asked me if I wanted to continue with what I had already investigated. I talked with him about the sexual fantasy subject and its aspects and after that I decided to continue my investigation. In Puerto Rico, there are no previous investigations about the subject. However, there are currently two students in Albizu University studying the theme. In my investigation, I found that sexual fantasies are much related to arousal. After my discovery I thought, Wow, if these fantasies are related to arousal and sexual satisfaction, then this is my opportunity to break some taboos here in my island. The religious and spiritual elements were added because Puerto Rico is considered to have a highly religious culture.”
6. HC Albizu: What message do you want to bring forward with your investigation?Ingrid: “To be open about our fantasies. Not in an overwhelming way, but to recognize and use them correctly. This can be used in couples therapy or individual therapy with a person who has a sexual dysfunction. Also, to break the sexual taboo in a religious culture where the subject is highly sensible. Something else I want to add is that we need to make more instruments in Puerto Rico to measure sexuality. The scale I used in my investigation had to be translated and the internal consistency was low so we have to keep building scales for Puerto Rico.”
7. HC Albizu: Was it easy to investigate in that area?Ingrid: “A thesis is never easy. I had to read a lot and I had so much stress because there’s not much information about it in Puerto Rico or Latin America. The information I found wasn’t valid according to APA (American Psychological Association) standards so the process dragged on and on, but I’m happy with the results and how it came out.”
8. HC Albizu: Any advice for someone who starts an investigation process for their thesis and who has to present it publicly in their defense?Ingrid: “Read, read and read! First of all, always look for more information outside of the spectrum of the subject. There are always new things that arise and one might not think it’s true, but it is. To review it is very important. I mean, like always make sure to verify that your instruments and your method go according to the research and its context. Second, include peers or mentors, the more the better. They should be trustworthy people you can count on. You’ll notice the help they bring. In my case, I had an idea, but I didn’t know how to verbalize it and sharing it with those people helped me significantly. The mentors provided me the structure and advice I needed. Third, you’ll need a lot of perseverance because there will be moments where you will just be tired of it and you’ll want to change the theme of the investigation. But NO, keep going and think about your end goal. In my case, it was breaking taboos.”
9. HC Albizu: Have you investigated other areas of study?Ingrid: “Yes, some forced and others voluntarily. I investigated about ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sexual paths and now I’m investigating with the correctional system of Puerto Rico, the psychosocial and demographic characteristics of the convicted sexual aggressor in Puerto Rico. Proximately, I will be interviewing them directly. I’m very motivated! In fact, there is [a lot of] literature on deviant sexual fantasies of convicted aggressors. I also did a research project that I presented in class and it was about Facebook. It was a mixed investigation, half quantitative and half qualitative and it emphasized the importance of Facebook in family and in couple’s lives. It was really interesting.”
10. HC Albizu: Do you have a message that you’d like to send to the undergraduate students of this university?Ingrid: “I congratulate you because the bachelor’s degree here has a more research oriented focus and it has a tremendous advantage over others because it exposes you to the aspects of making a proposal. In my case, I only participated in an investigation during the final year of my undergraduate period. Apart from that, I advise you to find a mentor [because] it helps to open doors for you.”
11. HC Albizu: Would you like to share details about any planned projects that you have?Ingrid: “It’s a dream of mine to establish a center where interdisciplinary help is offered. A place where there are recreational therapists, occupational therapists, massage therapists, acupuncture, agriculture workshops, art therapy, yoga therapy, psychiatry, general medicine, etc.”