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Rebecca Shiner

Associate Professor of Psychology; Presidential Scholar; Chair of Core SP
Psychology , 106B Olin Hall
p 315 2287193

My research lies at the intersection of personality, developmental, and clinical psychology.

I study personality development across the life span and address questions like these: Do children exhibit personality traits comparable to those observed in adults? To what extent is personality continuity observed across time, and under what circumstances does personality change? Does personality predict how individuals negotiate important life tasks, such as academic achievement and the cultivation of positive relationships with friends and romantic partners? How does personality functioning leave individuals vulnerable to the development of psychopathology? What factors enable children and adolescents with challenging personalities to flourish as they develop?

In addition to my work on personality development, I research three other topics. First, I study the internalizing disorders of depression and anxiety, including the etiology of these disorders and their current manifestations. Second, I have become increasingly interested in the development of personality disorders. Third, I have conducted research on happiness and well-being; in particular, I am interested in what pathways lead to greater happiness over the life course.

I am trained as a clinical psychologist and have experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families. I completed a clinical psychology internship at the University of Rochester Medical Center. My clinical experience has an important influence on my teaching and research.

Degree

 B.A. Haverford College, 1990; Ph.D. University of Minnesota, 1998

Specialities

Personality, clinical psychology, child development

Publications

BOOK:

Zentner, M., & Shiner, R. L. (2012) (Eds.), Handbook of temperament. New York: Guilford Press.

ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS:

Shiner, R. L., & Masten, A. S. (2012). Childhood personality as a harbinger of competence and resilience in adulthood. Development and Psychopathology, 24(2), 507-528.

Shiner, R. L., & De Young, C. G. (2012), The structure of temperament and personality traits: A developmental perspective. In P. Zelazo (Ed.), Oxford handbook of developmental psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Shiner, R. L., & Caspi, A. (2012), Temperament and the development of personality traits, adaptations, and narratives. In M. Zentner & R. L. Shiner (Eds.), Handbook of temperament (pp. 497-516). New York: Guilford Press.

Zentner, M., & Shiner, R. L. (2012). Fifty years of progress in temperament research: A synthesis of major themes, findings, and challenges and a look ahead. In M. Zentner & R. L. Shiner (Eds.), Handbook of temperament (pp. ). New York: Guilford Press.

Shiner, R. L., Buss, K. A., McClowry, S. G., Putnam, S. P., Saudino, K. J., & Zentner, M. (2012), What is temperament now? Assessing progress in temperament research on the twenty-fifth anniversary of Goldsmith et al. (1987). Child Development Perspectives.

Shiner, R. L. (2010). Mapping the landscape of personality in childhood and adolescence. Social Psychology and Personality Compass, 4, 1084-1097.

Shiner, R. L. (2009). The development of personality disorders: Perspectives from normal personality development in childhood and adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 715-734.

Shiner, R. L., & Masten, A. S. (2008). Personality in childhood: A bridge from early temperament to adult outcomes. European Journal for Developmental Science, 2, 158-175. Special Issue: Current Trends in the Study of Child Temperament.

Caspi, A., & Shiner, R. L. (2008). Temperament and personality. In M. Rutter, D. Bishop, D. Pine, S. Scott, J. Stevenson, E. Taylor, & A. Thapar (Eds.), Rutter’s child and adolescent psychiatry (5th ed., pp. 182-199). London: Blackwell.

Shiner, R. L. (2007). Personality disorders. In E. J. Mash & R. A. Barkley (Eds.), Assessment of childhood disorders (4th ed., pp. 781-816). New York: Guilford Press.

Roberts, B. W., Kuncel, N. R., Shiner, R. L., Caspi, A., & Goldberg, L. R. (2007), The power of personality: The comparative validity of personality traits, socioeconomic status, and cognitive ability for predicting important life outcomes. Perspectives in Psychological Science, 2, 313-345.

Shiner, R. L. (2006), Temperament and personality in childhood. In D. K. Mroczek & T. Little (Eds.), Handbook of personality development (pp. 213-230). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Caspi, A., & Shiner, R. L. (2006). Personality development. In W. Damon & R. Lerner (Series Eds.) & N. Eisenberg (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of child psychology, Vol. 3. Social, emotional, and personality development (6th edition, pp. 300-365). New York: Wiley.

 Shiner, R. L. (2005). A developmental perspective on personality disorders: Lessons from research on normal personality development in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Personality Disorders, 19, 202-210.

Caspi, A., Roberts, B. W., & Shiner, R. L. (2005). Personality development: Stability and change. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 453-484.

Shiner, R. L. (2005). A developmental perspective on personality disorders: Lessons from research on normal personality development in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Personality Disorders, 19, 202-210.

Shiner, R. L. (2005). An emerging developmental science of personality: Current progress and future prospects. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 51, 379-387.

Shiner, R. L., Masten, A. S., & Roberts, J. M. (2003). Childhood personality foreshadows adult personality and life outcomes two decades later. Journal of Personality, 71, 1145-1170. Special issue: Personality development.

Shiner, R. L., & Caspi, A. (2003). Personality differences in childhood and adolescence: Measurement, development, and consequences. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 44, 1-31.

Shiner, R. L., & Masten, A. S. (2002). Transactional links between personality and adaptation from childhood through adulthood. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 580-588.

Shiner, R. L., Masten, A. S., & Tellegen, A. (2002). A developmental perspective on personality in emerging adulthood: Childhood antecedents and concurrent adaptation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 1165-1177.

Shiner, R. L. (2000). Linking childhood personality with adaptation: Evidence for continuity and change across time into late adolescence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 310-325.

Shiner, R. L., & Marmorstein, N. R. (1998). Family environments of adolescents with lifetime depression: Associations with maternal depression history. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37, 1152-1160.

Shiner, R. L. (1998). How shall we speak of children’s personality traits in middle childhood? A preliminary taxonomy. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 308-332.

Distinctions
  • Included in the Princeton Review's The Best 300 Professors, 2012
  • Presidential Scholar, 2008/2011
  • Colgate University Scholarly Leave for Associate Professors 2006/2007
  • Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, 1996/1997
  • Eva O. Miller Fellowship, 1995/1996
  • University of Minnesota Graduate School Fellowship, 1992/1993

Other

Associate Editor: Journal of Personality, 2004/2008

Consultant Editor: Journal of Research in Personality, 2003/2005; Journal of Personality, 2008/2011; Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2009/2010; European Journal of Personality, 2001/present; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2009/present; Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 2009/present; Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2008/present

Board Member-at-Large: Association for Research in Personality, 2007/2010

Secretary-Treasurer: Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 2009

Consultant: DSM-V Working Group on Personality Disorders, 2008/present