Caryl Rusbult
IN MEMORIAM
Professor Caryl Rusbult died of uterine cancer on January 27, 2010, at the age of 57. To honor Professor Rusbult's dedication to training top scholars, the Relationship Researchers Interest Group and the Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology established the Caryl E. Rusbult Young Investigator Award.
Social Psychology Network is maintaining this profile for visitors who wish to learn more about Professor Rusbult's work. Please see below for more information about Professor Rusbult:
- Caryl E. Rusbult: 1952-2010 (American Psychologist)
- The Legacy of Cary Rusbult (Society for Personality and Social Psychology)
Dr. Caryl Rusbult received her B.A. in Sociology from UCLA in 1974, and her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978.
Most of her work concerns motivation and behavior in close relationships. Her research concerns commitment processes in close relationships, and examines both (a) the determinants of commitment and (b) the consequences of commitment, including (i) tendencies to accommodate rather than retaliate when a partner behaves poorly, (ii) willingness to sacrifice for the good of a partner and relationship, (iii) forgiveness of partner acts of betrayal, (iv) inclinations to derogate or drive away tempting alternatives, and (v) positive illusion, or tendencies to regard one's relationship as better than (and not as bad as) other relationships.
Her research has been funded by the NSF, NIMH, Templeton Foundation, and Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research. She received the 1991-92 New Contribution Award from the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships, as well as the 1991 Reuben Hill Award from the National Council on Family Relations. She has served as associate editor for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1990 to 1994) and the Encyclopedia of Psychology (1996 to 2000), and has been elected to the boards of several national and international organizations (e.g., Society of Experimental Social Psychologists, International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships).
She has taught graduate seminars and undergraduate courses on interpersonal processes and close relationships, interdependence structure and processes, research methods, introductory social psychology, and introductory psychology (along with other, less frequently taught courses such as organizational behavior and the psychology of human development).
Primary Interests:
- Close Relationships
- Gender Psychology
- Interpersonal Processes
- Person Perception
- Self and Identity
Note from the Network: The holder of this profile has certified having all necessary rights, licenses, and authorization to post the files listed below. Visitors are welcome to copy or use any files for noncommercial or journalistic purposes provided they credit the profile holder and cite this page as the source.
Image Gallery
Books:
- Kelley, H. H., Holmes, J. G., Kerr, N., Reis, H. T., Rusbult, C. E., & Van Lange, P. A. M. (2003). An atlas of interpersonal situations. New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Reis, H. T., & Rusbult, C. E. (Eds.). (2004). Close relationships: Key readings. Washington, DC: Taylor & Francis.
Journal Articles:
- Agnew, C. R., Van Lange, P. A. M., Rusbult, C. E., & Langston, C. A. (1998). Cognitive interdependence: Commitment and the mental representation of close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 939-954.
- Arriaga, X. B., & Rusbult, C. E. (1998). Standing in my partner’s shoes: Partner perspective-taking and reactions to accommodative dilemmas. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 9, 927-948.
- Drigotas, S. M., Rusbult, C. E., & Verette, J. (1999). Level of commitment, mutuality of commitment, and couple well-being. Personal Relationships, 6, 389-409.
- Drigotas, S. M., Rusbult, C. E., Wieselquist, J., & Whitton, S. (1999) Close partner as sculptor of the ideal self: Behavioral affirmation and the Michelangelo phenomenon. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 293-323.
- Drigotas, S. M., Rusbult, C. E., Wieselquist, J., & Whitton, S. W. (1999). Close partner as sculptor of the ideal self: Behavioral affirmation and the Michelangelo phenomenon. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(2), 293-323.
- Foster, C. A., & Rusbult, C. E. (1999). Injustice and powerseeking. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 834-849.
- Kumashiro, M., Rusbult, C. E., & Finkel, E. J. (2008). Navigating personal and relational concerns: The quest for equilibrium. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(1), 94-110.
- Luchies, L. B., Wieselquist, J., Rusbult, C. E., Kumashiro, M., Eastwick, P. W., Coolsen, M. K., & Finkel, E. J. (2013). Trust and biased memory of transgressions in romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(4), 673-694.
- Martz, J. M., Verette, J., Arriaga, X. B., Slovik, L. F., Cox, C. L., & Rusbult, C. E. (1998). Positive illusion in close relationships. Personal Relationships, 5, 159-181.
- Righetti, F., Finkenauer, C., & Rusbult, C. (2011). The benefits of interpersonal regulatory fit for individual goal pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(4), 720-736.
- Rusbult, C. E. (1983). A longitudinal test of the investment model: The development (and deterioration) of satisfaction and commitment in heterosexual involvements. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(1), 101-117.
- Rusbult, C. E., Kumashiro, M., Kubacka, K. E., & Finkel, E. J. (2009). "The part of me that you bring out": Ideal similarity and the Michelangelo phenomenon. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(1), 61-82.
- Rusbult, C. E., & Martz, J. M. (1995). Remaining in an abusive relationship: An investment model analysis of nonvoluntary commitment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 558-571.
- Rusbult, C. E., Martz, J. M., & Agnew, C. R. (1998). The investment model scale: Measuring commitment level, satisfaction level, quality of alternatives, and investment size. Personal Relationships, 5, 357-391.
- Rusbult, C. E., Onizuka, R. K., & Lipkus, I. (1993). What do we really want? Mental models of ideal romantic involvement explored through multidimensional scaling. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 29, 493-527.
- Rusbult, C. E., Van Lange, P. A. M., Wildschut, T., Yovetich, N. A., & Verette, J. (2000). Perceived superiority in close relationships: Why it exists and persists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 521-545.
- Van Lange, P. A. M., Rusbult, C. E., Semin-Goossens, A., Görts, C. A., & Stalpers, M. (1999). Being better than others but otherwise perfectly normal: Perceptions of uniqueness and similarity in close relationships. Personal Relationships, 6, 269-289.
- Wieselquist, J., Rusbult, C. E., Foster, C. A., & Agnew, C. R. (1999). Commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 942-966.
Courses Taught:
- Interdependence and Interaction
- Interpersonal Processes