Brooke C. Feeney
- Media Contact
- SPN Mentor
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 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 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 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.
Primary Interests:
- Close Relationships
- Emotion, Mood, Affect
- Health Psychology
- Helping, Prosocial Behavior
- Interpersonal Processes
- Personality, Individual Differences
Research Group or Laboratory:
Books:
- Kirkpatrick, L. A., & Feeney, B. C. (2007). A simple guide to SPSS for Windows for version 14.0. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Journal Articles:
- Collins, N. C., & Feeney, B. C. (2004). Working models of attachment shape perceptions of social support: Evidence from experimental and observational studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 363-383.
- Collins, N. L., & Feeney, B. C. (2000). A safe haven: An attachment theory perspective on support-seeking and caregiving in adult romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 1053-1073.
- Feeney, B. C. (2007). The dependency paradox in close relationships: Accepting dependence promotes independence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 268-285.
- Feeney, B. C. (2004). A secure base: Responsive support of goal strivings and exploration in adult intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, 631-648.
- Feeney, B. C., & Cassidy, J. A. (2003). Reconstructive memory related to adolescent-parent conflict interactions: The influence of attachment-related representations on immediate perceptions and changes in perceptions over time. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 85, 945-95.
- Feeney, B. C., & Collins, N. C. (2003). Motivations for caregiving in adult intimate relationships: Influences on caregiving behavior and relationship functioning. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 950-968.
- Feeney, B. C., & Collins, N. L. (2001). Predictors of caregiving in adult intimate relationships: An attachment theoretical perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 972-994.
- Feeney, B. C., & Kirkpatrick, L. A. (1996). Effects of adult attachment and presence of romantic partners on physiological responses to stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 255-270.
Courses Taught:
- Graduate Core in Social Psychology
- Interpersonal Relations
- Pro-Social Behavior
- Research Methods in Social Psychology
Brooke C. Feeney
Department of Psychology
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
United States of America
- Phone: (412) 268-6203
- Fax: (412) 268-2798