Ellen S. Berscheid (born 1936) is an American

social psychologist 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 rela ...

who is currently a Regents professor at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

, where she earlier had earned her PhD in 1965. Berscheid conducted research on

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, emotions and moods, and

social cognition Social cognition is a sub-topic of various branches of psychology that focuses on how people process, store, and apply information about other people and social situations. It focuses on the role that cognitive processes play in social interacti ...

. Berscheid wrote books, articles and other publications to contribute to the field of Social Psychology. She was involved in controversy surrounding the funding for her research on why people fall in love. In addition to her position at the University of Minnesota as a Psychology and Business professor; she has also held a position at Pillsbury. She has received awards for her contributions to social psychology, including The Presidential Citation and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

Career

Berscheid started her academic career as an Education major at Beloit College in Wisconsin, before transferring to University of Nevada, Reno. There she was given a research assistant grant by her professor, Paul Secord. Berscheid picked up psychology as her second major and graduated with honors. After graduation Berscheid applied for and received PHS Predoctoral Research Fellowship, at the University of Minnesota to work with Harold Kelley. However, Berscheid decided to decline the offer and became a research administrator for Pillsbury. Berscheid later applied for a research assistantship at the University of Minnesota, working with

Elliot Aronson Elliot Aronson (born January 9, 1932) is an American psychologist who has carried out experiments on the theory of cognitive dissonance, and invented the Jigsaw Classroom, a cooperative teaching technique which facilitates learning while reducing ...

. Under the direction of Elliot Aronson she obtained her PhD in social psychology. Berscheid accepted a job teaching research methods in the business department at the University of Minnesota. Through the business department, Berscheid met Elaine (Walster) Hatfield. Hatfield convinced Berscheid to join her in researching equity and attraction. At the time, women conducting research was rare and may have been stopped if too many people had taken notice, therefore Hatfield and Berscheid conducted their research quietly through a federal grant. Berscheid's main research interest was interpersonal relationships. Ellen Berscheid looked at why people fall in love, the meaning of love, and attraction in close relationships. In 1983 Berscheid introduced the Emotion-in-Relationships Model (ERM), a theory designed to predict individual's experiences towards

emotion Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is currently no scientific ...

s.Kelley, H. H., Berscheid, E., Christensen, A., Harvey, J. H., Huston, T. L., Levinger, G., McClintock, E., Peplau, L. A., & Peterson, D. R. (1983). ''Close relationships''. New York: W. H. Freeman.

Controversy

In 1974, Berscheid was the center of a controversy regarding federal funding of research. Senator

William Proxmire Edward William Proxmire (November 11, 1915 – December 15, 2005) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1957 to 1989. He holds the record for being the longest-serv ...

of Wisconsin used her as an example when he awarded the National Science Foundation his first

Golden Fleece In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where ...

award, which was presented monthly between 1975 and 1988, in order to focus media attention on projects Proximire viewed as self-serving and wasteful of taxpayer dollar. Berscheid had been granted $84,000 by the foundation to research why people fall in love. The scandal "called into question use of public funds in scientific research." A few years later, Hatfield left the business department and Berscheid took over Hatfield's job as Student Activities Bureau. Due to an all-male faculty, Berscheid expected an early retirement but then was offered a professorship in the psychology department. Berscheid remains on the Psychology Faculty at the University of Minnesota.

Significant publications

Books: * Berscheid, E., & Regan, P. (2005). The psychology of interpersonal relationships. New York: Prentice-Hall. Journal Articles: * Berscheid, E. (2006). Notes on the social psychological study of love. Impulse, 60, 5–13. * * Other publications: * Berscheid, E. (2006). Searching for the meaning of "love." In R. J. Sternberg & K. Weis (Eds.), The psychology of love (2nd ed., pp. 171–183). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. * Berscheid, E. (1994). Interpersonal relationships. In L. W. Porter & M. R. Rosenzweig (Eds.), '' Annual Review of Psychology'' (pp. 79–129). Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews. * Berscheid, E., & Reis, H. T. (1998). Attraction and close relationships. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (4th ed., pp. 193–281). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Legacy

Ellen Berscheid has received awards for her contributions to social psychology, including the Presidential Citation and Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award presented by the American Psychological Association, Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, and the Distinguished Career Award by International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships. Berscheid also has held presidency of the International Society for the Study of Interpersonal Relationships (1991–1992) and the Society of Personality and Social Psychology (1983–1985).

References

*Berscheid, E., & Regan, P. C. (2005). The psychology of interpersonal relationships. New York: Prentice-Hall.
Berscheid & Walster: Interpersonal Attraction

External links