My primary
research interest is in common patterns of stability and change
in basic personality traits in the course of normal human
development. My clinical research has focused on a variety of
populations and problems, including borderline personality
disorder (BPD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Additionally, my
professional expertise as a clinical psychologist is in
personality assessment. As the purpose of psychological
assessment is the prediction of future behavior and adjustment,
questions of behavioral stability across time and setting are
fundamentally important to the success of this enterprise. My research with college students provides an opportunity
to address more basic research questions about the stability
of personality traits in normally developing young adults. An accurate depiction of
change and development in personality requires multiple methods of assessment.
Toward this end, I have
conducted research on the reliability and validity of lay
informant ratings for personality assessment. The future
directions of my research program are to discover common
patterns of change in basic personality traits (i.e.,
Five-Factor Model, Interpersonal Circumplex, etc.) and the causes and
consequences of such changes. Ultimately, I would like to
contribute to a better understanding of the incidence and extent
of personality change as a consequence of expected or unexpected
life events during the transition from late adolescence to early
adulthood (18 to 25 years).