Caryl E. Rusbult and Paul A. M. Van Lange

Short Biographies

Caryl Rusbult's work concerns interdependence processes in ongoing close relationships. She has studied the development of commitment as well as pro-relationship acts such as accommodation, sacrifice, and forgiveness. Her present research concerns partner affirmation, or the means by which partners influence one another's goal pursuits and achievements. Her research has been published in empirical outlets such as Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Her theoretical papers have appeared in Annual Review of Psychology and Handbook of Personal Relationships. She is co-author of An Atlas of Interpersonal Situations. She has served as associate editor or editorial board member for numerous journals, she has received the Reuben Hill Award and the New Contribution Award (ISSPR), and her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Templeton Foundation, and the Fetzer Institute. Before coming to the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where she is Professor and Chair, she held an endowed chair at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a BA in Sociology from University of California, Los Angeles and a PhD in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Paul Van Lange's work concerns interdependence and social interaction, with an emphasis on cooperation, competition, and prosocial behaviour. He adopts an interdependence theoretical framework for understanding phenomena such as sacrifice, forgiveness, and generosity, as well as how people ‘should’ behave in response to unintended errors and misunderstandings. His work is published in journals such as Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. He is co-author of An Atlas of Interpersonal Situations (2003, Cambridge), Editor of Bridging Social Psychology (2006, Erlbaum), and has authored several theoretical articles or chapters in outlets such as Annual Review of Psychology, European Review of Social Psychology, and Social Psychology: Handbook of Basic Principles. He has been Associate Editor of the European Journal of Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Psychological Science, and serves on the editorial board for various journals. Since 2000 he has been a Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and since 1999 he has held a special Chair in Social Psychology at Leiden University. He has also served on the Policy Advice Committee for the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (1999–2002) and as Scientific Director of the Kurt Lewin Institute (2001–2004).