Dr. Phillip Shaver conducts research in two principal areas: close relationships and emotions. In the close relationships area he has studied the application of Bowlby's attachment theory to research on loneliness and adult romantic love. Currently, he is extending this work to the study of attachment-style differences in defenses or coping strategies, compassion, prosocial virtues, and marital communication.

In the field of emotions, he has proposed a prototype methodology for mapping individuals' and cultures' cognitive representations of the emotion domain and, with the help of coworkers in other countries, is investigating everyday conceptions of emotions such as love and shame in various cultures. He is also working with his wife, Professor Gail S. Goodman, on various studies related to attachment theory and memory for traumatic childhood experiences.

Dr. Shaver is past editor of the Review of Personality and Social Psychology, current associate editor of Attachment and Human Development, and a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Personal Relationships. He is co-editor of several recent books, including "Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications."

Primary Interests:

Attitudes and Beliefs
Close Relationships
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Ethics and Morality
Interpersonal Processes
Neuroscience, Psychophysiology
Personality, Individual Differences
Sexuality, Sexual Orientation
Social Cognition

Attitudes and Beliefs
Close Relationships
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Ethics and Morality
Interpersonal Processes

Neuroscience, Psychophysiology
Personality, Individual Differences
Sexuality, Sexual Orientation
Social Cognition

Research Group or Laboratory:

Adult Attachment Laboratory
Interactive Map

Books:

Cassidy, J., & Shaver, P. R. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
Cassidy, J., & Shaver, P. R. (Eds). (1999). Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications. New York: Guilford Press.
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2010). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York: Guilford Press.
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (Eds.). (2010). Prosocial motives, emotions, and behavior: The better angels of our nature. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Robinson, J. P., Shaver, P. R., & Wrightsman, L. S. (Eds). (1999). Measures of social psychological attitudes, Vol. 2: Measures of political attitudes. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (Eds.). (2012). Meaning, mortality, and choice: The social psychology of existential concerns. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (Eds.). (2010). Human aggression and violence: Causes, manifestations, and consequences. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Journal Articles:

Davis, D., Shaver, P. R., & Lesbo, M. V. (2003). Physical, emotional, and behavioral reactions to breaking up: The roles of gender, age, emotional involvement, and attachment style. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Fraley, R. C., & Shaver, P. R. (2000). Adult romantic attachment: Theoretical developments, emerging controversies, and unanswered questions. Review of General Psychology, 4, 132-154.
Fraley, R. C., & Shaver, P. R. (1998). Airport separations: A naturalistic study of adult attachment dynamics in separating couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 1198-1212.
Mikulincer, M., Gillath, O., & Shaver, P. R. (2002). Activation of the attachment system in adulthood: Threat-related primes increase the accessibility of mental representations of attachment figures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83.
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2001). Attachment theory and intergroup bias: Evidence that priming the secure base schema attenuates negative reactions to out-groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 97-115.
Shaver, P. R., Belsky, J., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). Comparing measures of adult attachment: An examination of interview and self-report methods. Personal Relationships, 7, 25-43.

Other Publications:

Brennan, K. A., Clark, C. L., & Shaver, P. R. (1998). Self-report measurement of adult romantic attachment: An integrative overview. In J. A. Simpson & W. S. Rholes (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 46-76). New York: Guilford Press.
Crowell, J. A., Fraley, R. C., & Shaver, P. R. (1999). Measurement of adult attachment. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications. New York: Guilford Press.
Fraley, R. C., & Shaver, P. R. (1999). Loss and bereavement: Attachment theory and recent controversies concerning grief work and the nature of detachment. In J. Cassidy & P. R. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications. New York: Guilford Press.
Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2003). The attachment behavioral system in adulthood: Activation, psychodynamics, and interpersonal processes. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 35). New York: Academic Press.
Morgan, H. J., & Shaver, P. R. (1999). Attachment processes and commitment to romantic relationships. In W. H. Jones & J. M. Adams (Eds.), Handbook of interpersonal commitment and relationship stability. New York: Plenum.
Qin, J. J., Goodman, G. S., Bottoms, B. L., & Shaver, P. R. (1998). Repressed memories of ritualistic and religion-related abuse. In S. Lynn & K. McConkey (Eds.), Truth in memory (pp. 260-283). New York: Guilford Press.
Robinson, J. P., Shaver, P. R., & Wrightsman, L. S. (1999). Criteria for scale selection and evaluation. In J. P. Robinson, P. R. Shaver, & L. S. Wrightsman (Eds.), Measures of social psychological attitudes, Vol. 2: Measures of political attitudes (pp. 1-35). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

Courses Taught:

Introduction to Psychology
Psychology of Emotion
Seminar on Affective Neuroscience
Seminar on Attachment Theory and Research
Seminar on the Social Self

Introduction to Psychology
Psychology of Emotion
Seminar on Affective Neuroscience

Seminar on Attachment Theory and Research
Seminar on the Social Self

Phillip R. Shaver
Department of Psychology
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-8686
United States

Phone: (530) 752-1884
Fax: (530) 752-2087