RCGD Fall Seminar Series on the Science of Social Relationships: R. Chris Fraley

R. Chris Fraley of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign joins the RCGD Fall Seminar Series on the Science of Social Relationships.

There are vast individual differences in the ways in which people relate to significant others in their lives. Some people, for example, are relatively secure in their relationships: They are comfortable opening up to others and having others depend on them. Other people, in contrast, are insecure: They are uncomfortable depending on others and worry that others will not be available when needed. Social and personality psychologists refer to these kinds of individual differences as "attachment styles." In this talk R. Chris Fraley will review research on why some people are more secure than others. This talk convers five conclusions that have emerged from research over the past two decades-- with discussion of some of the challenges and opportunities involved in changing people's attachment styles.

R. Chris Fraley is a Professor at the University of Illinois's Department of Psychology. He received his PhD from the University of California, Davis in 1999 in Social-Personality Psychology. In 2007 he received the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology in the area of Individual Differences. In 2025 he received the Carol and Ed Diener Mid-Career Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. He has served as an Associate Editor at the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Chris's research involves the study of attachment processes in close relationships, personality dynamics and development, and research methods (with an emphasis on open science and dynamic modeling). The majority of his research is focused on understanding why some people are more secure than others in their close relationships, the implications of attachment (in)security for psychological well-being and relationship functioning, and how attachment patterns change over time.

About the series:

Humans are social animals and from the earliest days of life, are dependent on the quality of social relationships with significant others: family, kin, friends, and a growing social network of online acquaintances. But, how do we conduct research and come to understand the social processes transpiring in these significant social connections with others? What are the consequences for individual development and mental health outcomes of having close intimate relationships in one’s life? There is also a darker side to some relationships in the form of violence, aggression, and conflict. How do we study these processes? Social media and artificial intelligence have opened up new ways of thinking about “what is a social relationship?” and how many of these “friends” can one truly have.

The speakers for this series will focus on different types of social relationships, spanning family and parent-child relationships, friendships, peer networks, romantic relationships, attachment relationships, and the use of online media to maintain social connections. Although several speakers are senior scholars with extensive research backgrounds in the field, many are junior scholars who are traversing new paths into the science of social relationships. Please join us Mondays to learn more about the exciting field of social relationships!

These events are held Mondays from 3:30 to 5.
In person: ISR Thompson 1430, unless otherwise specified.
Organized by Brenda Volling and Richard Gonzalez.
As permissions allow, seminars are later posted to our YouTube playlist.