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My
research and theoretical interests lie in the area of close relationships,
and
my current research program focuses on understanding social support and
caregiving
processes in adulthood and across the lifespan. A large body of evidence
indicates
that social support / caregiving helps people to cope more effectively
with
stressful
life events, and it has been shown to play an important role in determining
health
and personal adjustment. However, despite the fact that individuals often
turn
to
the significant people in their lives for comfort and support when they
are faced
with
stressful situations, and despite the fact that social support is an
interpersonalprocess,
we currently know very little about the types of social
interactions
that occur among individuals in close relationships when coping with
stress
ö or about the degree to which the support interactions that occur
within the
context
of adult relationships shape the quality and functioning of those relationships
over
time.
My
research program involves the investigation of both interpersonal behaviors
(i.e.,
support-seeking and caregiving behaviors) and interpersonal perception
(i.e.,
subjective perceptions of support-seeking and caregiving behaviors).
The
overarching goals of my research program are to examine (a) support-seeking
and
caregiving dynamics in intimate relationships, (b) subjective perceptions
of
interaction
behaviors in intimate relationships, such as the degree to which support
perceptions
are rooted in ãobjectiveä reality, (c) gender differences in
the interpersonal
social
support process, (d) the interconnections of caregiving across a variety
of
relationships
across the lifespan, and (e) the processes through which
support-seeking
and caregiving dynamics in intimate relationships influence
personal
health and well-being, as well as relationship functioning. My research
uses
attachment theory (as well as other theoretical approaches) as a framework
for
understanding the interactive support-seeking and caregiving process. To
explore
the
complexities of the social support process, I use a variety of research
methodologies
including observational (video) studies of dyadic interaction and
experimental
studies manipulating social support (and other factors influencing the
social
support process). Additional research methods used in this research include
survey,
diary, longitudinal, and psychophysiological methods. Some of the major
goals
of research projects completed and in progress are highlighted below.
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