Arthur Aron (born July 2, 1945) is a professor of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

at the

State University of New York at Stony Brook Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system's ...

. He is best known for his work on

intimacy An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Although an intimate relationship is commonly a sexual relationship, it may also be a non-sexual relationship involving family, friends, or ...

interpersonal relationship The concept of interpersonal relationship involves social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people. Interpersonal relationships vary in their degree of intimacy or self-disclosure, but also in their duration, in t ...

s, and development of the

self-expansion model Self-expansion theory was proposed by Arthur Aron. It is a model used to explain how people maintain the close relationships in their lives such as with family, friends, or romantic partners. In this model, Aron believed that humans have an initi ...

of motivation in close relationships. In 2018, Aron featured in the Australian narrative film ‘36 Questions’.

Early life and education

Arthur Aron received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in psychology and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

in 1967 and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

social psychology Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the r ...

in 1968, both from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. He earned a PhD in social psychology from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 1970.

Career

Aron's work focuses on the role, creation, and maintenance of friendship and intimacy in interpersonal relationships. He developed the

of close relationships; it posits that one of the motivations humans have for forming close relationships is self-expansion, i.e., "expansion of the

self The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhood ...

", or

personal growth Personal development or self improvement consists of activities that develop a person's capabilities and potential, build human capital, facilitate employability, and enhance quality of life and the realization of dreams and aspirations. Personal ...

and development.

Personal life

Aron is married to psychologist Elaine Aron.

WebMD WebMD is an American corporation known primarily as an online publisher of news and information pertaining to human health and well-being. The site includes information pertaining to drugs. It is one of the top healthcare websites. It was foun ...

Elaine N. Aron, PhD biography
/ref> His son is television writer Elijah Aron and grandsons are Elliot Aron (age 11) and Simon Aron (age 15).

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aron, Arthur 21st-century American psychologists 1945 births UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni University of Toronto alumni Stony Brook University faculty Living people 20th-century American psychologists