Η ακαδημαϊκή μου κατεύθυνση βασίζεται στην βαθιά πεποίθηση ότι η ψυχολογία μπορεί και πρέπει να χρησιμεύσει ως εργαλείο, τόσο για την προσωπική αποδοχή και ανάπτυξη όσο και για την κοινωνική αλλαγή — εσωκλείοντας όλες τις φωνές, ειδικά εκείνες των περιθωριοποιημένων ατόμων.
Το Ακαδημαϊκό μου Ταξίδι
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Beyond Silence and Stigma:
Exploring Sexual Identity, Close Relationships and Intimacy among Physically Disabled Greeks
DOI: 10.1007/s11195-025-09918-6
Background
Sexuality and close relationships are central to human identity and well-being, yet often silenced or distorted in disability contexts. Cultural representations framing disabled people as asexual or dependent restrict opportunities for intimacy. In Greece, strong family structures, traditional gender norms, and limited disability representation create particularly restrictive conditions for negotiating sexual identity.
Aim
This study explores how physically disabled Greek adults construct sexual and relational identities, and how self-esteem and resilience operate as protective or risk factors in the face of stigma and restrictive cultural scripts.
Method
Thirteen adults with mild to moderate physical disabilities participated in semistructured interviews. Data was analyzed thematically within the frameworks of the biopsychosocial model, Social Representations and Identity Complexity Theory.
Findings
Sexuality was often rendered invisible in upbringing and education. Intimacy was described both as a source of trust and validation and as a site of prejudice, rejection, and bodily vulnerability. Negotiating sexual and relational identities involved social comparisons and exclusion, but also disclosure, exploration of fluid sexual expressions and resistance to norms linking legitimacy to marriage and parenthood. Emotional landscapes highlighted love, communication and respect as essential, but frequently undermined by stigma and shame. Parenthood evoked ambivalence and eugenic anxieties, yet participants also reimagined alternative pathways. Across narratives, resilience and self-esteem emerged as central in defining and sustaining sexual identity.
Conclusion
Despite the crucial limitations, the findings underscored the need to recognize sexuality as a fundamental right for disabled people and call for policies in Greece that challenge stereotypes, expand inclusive sex education, and support sexual citizenship.
(published in Sexuality and Disability, Springer : DOI: 10.1007/s11195-025-09918-6
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-025-09918-6)
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The close relationships of Greek citizens with physical disability and their social representations. A qualitative research
https://doi.org/10.26250/heal.panteion.7368
https://pandemos.panteion.gr/handle/123456789/12184
M.Sc. Thesis, presented at the 19th Pan-Hellenic Conference on Psychological Researh
This study investigated the social representations of disabled sexuality, focusing on how Greek men and women with physical disabilities experience their intimate and sexual relationships.
The research identified, societal barriers, stereotypes and stigma as key factors that lead to marginalization and multi-leveled exclusion (social, fincancilal, legal, educational, interpersonal). It also higlhighted an out of the box, unconventional thinking among the participants, regarding their close relationships, and their sexuality.
Greater inclusion emerged as crusial —to dismantle “spoiled identities” and strengthen the equal participation of Greek disabled citizens.
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The migration of “normality”
Published in “Ploes” – EPSYME, 2023 (Journal No. 10, September– November 2023, p. 40)
The article reflects on the history of the psychiatric asylum on the island of Leros, once infamous as Europe’s “guilty secret” after revelations in 1989 exposed inhumane conditions and mass institutionalization of patients.
The article contrasts the “bad” —the reproduction of outdated psychiatric practices, over-medicalization, and asylum-based exclusion— with the “good”: efforts for radical reform, deinstitutionalization, and community-based mental health care.
Inspired by the Trieste model of Franco Basaglia, pioneering doctors in the early 1990s, under the moto “Freedom is therapeutic”, placed the patient—not the illness—at the center of treatment, restoring identity, dignity, and inclusion.
Today, Leros has become a symbol of psychiatric reform and social inclusion.
From a place once associated with stigma and exclusion, Leros now stands as a beacon of transformation, where “migrants of normality” continue to redefine the meaning of dignity and community in mental health.
The text can be found here: https://ploes.org.gr/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/noe/20231109-web.pdf
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Disability in art
presentation – uploaded here
The project explored how disability is represented in different art forms, focusing mainly on dance and cinema. Art has the power to either reinforce stereotypes and stigma or to promote inclusion and new perspectives.
Through examples from film characters, we can see how disability has often been portrayed through narrow roles—such as the “villain,” the “victim,” or the “eternal child”—shaping society’s views in problematic ways.
In contrast, contemporary dance projects by artists and groups worldwide highlight the creativity, diversity, and strength of bodies, challenging conventional norms and dismantling prejudice.
This project shows that art not only mirrors social attitudes toward disability but also has the potential to transform culture, empower individuals, and foster true inclusion
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Mental Health Environments in Greece – Training and Practice
Published in “Ploes” – EPSYME, 2024 (Journal No. 11, January – May 2024, p. 27).
The article emphasizes that continuous training is essential for mental health professionals. While experiential knowledge gained in practice is valuable, it is not sufficient without ongoing training, supervision, and the integration of new research findings and psychometric tools.
In Greece, where graduates can practice psychology immediately after obtaining our bachelor degree, there is often a lack of practical training and professional development, leading to reproduction of outdated practices.
Aggression and violence, in particular, frequent phenomena in mental health settings, must be assessed proactively before they escalate, using the right tools of evaluation.
The article highlights the urgent need for continuous academic and practical training, as well as the use of such tools, in order to strengthen prevention and risk management in mental health services—ultimately ensuring the safety and well-being of both professionals and patients.
The text can be found here: https://ploes.org.gr/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/mai24/ploes_newsletter-011_web.pdf
Extradyadic affairs (Infidelity) during the Covid-19 pandemic
in Greece
B.Sc. thesis
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How did the Covid-19 pandemic changed the romantic relationships in Greece?
This study explored infidelity in both real life and online, revealing how passion, commitment, intimacy, age, and satisfaction influence its emergence. Findings showed that commitment protects relationships, while online infidelity is more strongly linked to age and passion. In long-term relationships, intimacy and satisfaction play a decisive role, especially regarding infidelity in real life.
Overall, the research highlighted the complex dynamics of “modern infidelity” under the unique pressures of the pandemic.
Infidelity was not simply the result of individual choices but emerged from a dynamic interplay of personal, relational, and social factors. Within the unique conditions of the pandemic, this research shed light on new dimensions of human behavior and offered valuable insights into the understanding and development of modern romantic relationships.
