
Dr. Elizabeth L. Wetzler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Course Director
Elizabeth (Beth) Wetzler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership and has been a faculty member at the United States Military Academy at West Point since 2016. Dr. Wetzler received her Ph.D. from Tulane University. Her current research interests include performance, experiences, and well-being among Cadets, active-duty service members, and veterans.
Recent peer-reviewed publications include a) grit and performance among West Point Cadets during the pandemic, b) how dispositional mindfulness buffers the relationship between moral injury and symptoms of anxiety and depression among active-duty personnel, c) how meaning in life (but not life satisfaction) buffers against suicidal ideation for active-duty service members who experienced life-threatening battlefield events, and d) the effectiveness of the Veteran X Peer-Led Mental Health Recovery Program.
Ph.D. - Tulane University
M.A. - Illinois State University
B.A. - Illinois State University
Research Interests
Grit, Mindset, Psychological Richness, Awe, Moral Injury
Current Research
Grit and Mindset about Personality, Gratitude and Well-Being in Veterans Participating in a Peer-Provided Service in a Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, Exploring the (Military) Good Life: The Nexus of Dispositional Awe, Psychological Richness, and Well-Being among West Point Cadets
Selected Publications
Wetzler, E. L., Farina, A. G., Kelley, D., Powers, J., & Matthews, M. (2024). Mindset about talent moderates the effect of grit on academic performance: Evidence from West Point Cadets. Journal of Character and Leadership Development, 11(2), 38-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.58315/jcld.v11.295
Cornwell, J., Wood, M., Erbe, R., & Wetzler, E. (2024). Meaning in life (but not life satisfaction) moderates the effects of battlefield experiences on suicidal ideation and anxiety. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001773
Wetzler, E., Erbe, R., Cornwell, J., & Wood, M. (2024). Dispositional mindfulness moderates the links between potentially morally injurious events and anxiety and depression, but not suicidal ideation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 37(4), 574-585. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23032
Wetzler, E. L., Farina, A., Powers, J., & Matthews, M. (2023). Grit and uncertainty: Grit predicts performance and West Point graduation during pandemic conditions. Military Psychology, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2023.2222631
Shaw, D., Magnes, S, Pratt, T, & Wetzler, E. (2021). Effectiveness of the Veteran X Peer-Led Mental Health Recovery Program: A quasi-experimental study. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 44, 365-372. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000482