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Daphne Bugental is concerned in her research with the processes that operate within interpersonal interaction systems (e.g., parent-child relationships, competitive power-based relationships). Her research is framed within an integrative theoretical perspective that combines social cognition, evolutionary psychology, and developmental neuroscience. Her recent work has centered on factors that predict either risk or resilience of “at risk” children. Mothers who manifest a sense of powerlessness were found to be more likely to demonstrate harsh or abusive tactics with “difficult” children (i.e., infants born with medical or temperament problems). An intervention was designed and tested (with a randomized clinical trials design) to explore the benefits that followed when parents were assisted in reframing caregiving problems in ways that facilitate their sense of competence. The intervention was found to reduce the incidence of child maltreatment from 24% to 4% (as well as fostering increases in parental investment in their children’s welfare). It also led to reductions in children’s cortisol levels (a stress hormone), increases in children’s memory, and reductions in children’s internalizing disorders. In other lines of work, Bugental and colleagues have studied the role of perceived powerlessness as a predictor of hostility to outgroup members (e.g., immigrants). In current work, we are exploring the role of perceived powerlessness as a predictor of the denigration of stigmatized groups (e.g., older adults). Contact Information
Phone: (805) 893-2858 Mailing Address
Department of Psychology
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