Personal Information

Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo

Research Interests:
My research focuses on the origins of people's beliefs about the self and the effect of these beliefs on self-regulatory processes and close relationships. My research has looked at people's implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious) beliefs about the self and close others. More specifically, I have been examining early experiences that influence the level and stability of people's implicit and explicit self-esteem. In addition, I have been studying how, once formed, people's explicit and implicit self-evaluations influence how people regulate their feelings of dependency in their close relationships, thoughts and feelings about themselves, and health related behaviors (such as alcohol consumption).

Recent Publications:

DeHart, T. & Pelham, B. W. (accepted contingent on minor revisions). Fluctuations in state implicit self-esteem in response to daily negative events. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

DeHart, T., Pelham, B. W., & Tennen, H. (in press). What lies beneath: Parenting style and implicit self-esteem. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

DeHart, T., & Tennen, H. (in press). Self-esteem in therapeutic settings and emotional disorders. To appear in Michael Kernis (Ed.) (2005). Self-esteem: Issues and answers. New York: Psychology Press.

DeHart, T., Pelham, B. W., & Murray, S. L. (2004). Implicit dependency regulation: Self-esteem, relationship closeness, and implicit evaluation of close others. Social Cognition, 22, 126-146. (Special Issue: The Art and Science of Self-defense).

DeHart, T., Murray, S. L., Pelham, B. W., & Rose, P. (2003). The regulation of dependency in mother-child relationships. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 39, 59-67.