January 9, 2002

In Control of Her Life Sometimes - Darlene Hannigan Becoming One of the First to Complete Doctoral Studies at La Salle University

Darlene Hannigan spent many hours preparing her doctoral dissertation, and at the final stage, this was the day when she would have to defend it before her La Salle University faculty members. Was she nervous? "How could I be," she said chuckling. "I just spent two years researching the subject of personal control."

"It was definitely anxiety-provoking because if they didn't accept my ideas, it would have meant starting over," she added "I wouldn't call it difficult because defending involves talking about your ideas and I had lived with the concept of locus of control (the subject of her dissertation), even while eating and sleeping. I was constantly thinking about it."

Hannigan will be one of the first students to earn a doctorate in La Salle's Doctor of Psychology program, the first doctoral program in the school's history. She's been attending La Salle part-time since 1986, earning a bachelor's (with a 4.0 GPA) and a master's degree and working towards her doctorate, which she will complete in May. For the record, she successfully defended her project, titled "Bilocal Locus of Control: A Preliminary Study of the Multidimensionality of the Locus of Control Construct." So what is "Bilocal Locus of Control"?


"It is to what degree a person feels as though he or she has personal control over their outcomes? There is a lot of gray in life that needs to be explained as far as who, or what, is in control of one's life. People need to be aware of who is in control of their lives and to what degree," she said. "Does a person completely depend on external means, such as an authority figure for control over a situation, or does a person depend completely on his or her self to control a situation?"

The Far Northeast Philadelphia resident says she believes people should allow themselves to think more along the lines of sharing control, being interdependent, rather than feeling as though being in control at all times is essential. As she explains, "Just look at the high rate of success with the teamwork theory in the workforce today."

Hannigan would like her research to be used to help promote acceptance of the belief that sharing control of a situation with others is actually empowering, or that there are times when it is okay to feel out of control. "If you want to understand the point of my thesis, think of the feelings we all shared as we witnessed the tragic events of September 11."

Hannigan was content while working at a law firm and raising her children. When she first started college she realized she wanted to use one of her strengths to a larger degree. " I am basically a people person, and I am very interested in listening to other people's stories", she says, and in return that helps her to better understand herself. But, she says the most important reason for pursing her education to the degree of obtaining a Psy.D. is to share the knowledge she has gained. During this time, she was raising her two sons (now grown) with her husband Tim, a Philadelphia fireman.

"My experience at La Salle was fulfilling, rewarding, and also very comfortable," she says. She credits this to many of the professors in the Psychology Department, particularly two: "Dr. Peter J. Filicetti, who has been very influential and a mentor in clinical assessment," which is her specialty, and "Dr. Margaret Watson, a well-respected professor who not only possesses excellent leadership qualities, but also has wonderful teaching philosophies. She has a way of knowing just when to push a student forward and when to allow a student to pull back from the demands of the program."

After graduation, Hannigan plans on taking the summer off to enjoy her family, her garden, and her home at the shore. When her quiet time is over she is looking forward to working part-time as a therapist at the Lenape Valley Foundation, a community mental health clinic in Doylestown, as well as teaching in the Psychology Department at La Salle.

For women who are considering continuing their education, her advice is this: "Challenge yourself! Two courses at a time are manageable, and believe in yourself rather than letting your insecurities stop you."