Dr Vanlal Thanzami obtained her PhD in Psychology from the University Of Central Lancashire (UK) in 2004. Her research activities focused on her PhD research area – beliefs about aggression and the impact that culture has on these beliefs. Cross-cultural comparisons based on individualism-collectivism, and more recently the loose and tight cultures, have been a strong element of her research activities. Besides beliefs, she has also explored the predictors of aggression particularly amongst men. She is predominantly interested in specific forms of aggression such as direct aggression, indirect aggression, physical aggression, reactive and proactive aggression. The outcome of her various research projects have been published in reputable international peer-reviewed journals such as Aggressive Behaviour, Evolution and Human Behaviour, American Journal of Human Biology, and Personality and Individual Differences, as well as being presented at international conferences.

After she obtained her PhD, Dr Thanzami taught at the University of Central Lancashire until June 2014. Her teaching expertise is within the areas of social, cross-cultural and forensic psychology. As an active researcher in the area of aggression, she continuously strives to disseminate her research findings to her students through research-informed teaching.

• Beliefs about aggression across cultures
• Predictors of aggression and specific forms of aggression such as direct aggression, indirect aggression, physical aggression, reactive and proactive aggression
• Cross-cultural evidence for mediators of sex differences in physical aggression and conflict resolution
• Aggression within relationships, ‘invisible’ forms of aggression within the family and community such as honour-based violence
• Evolutionary concepts in aggression, such as genetic-relatedness and violence across cultures
• Need for revenge and personality factors associated with vengefulness, such as anger rumination – dissipation and trait forgiveness, and how they relate to reactive and proactive aggression.
• Cyber-bullying
• Criminal computer behaviour