Benjamin Karney

Benjamin Karney (born 1968, in Los Angeles) is a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an adjunct behavioral scientist at the Rand Corporation. He is an expert on interpersonal relationships and has done extensive research on marriage. Recent work addresses the effects of stress on marital processes, divorce rates in military marriages, intimate relationships among youth and young adults, and marriage in low-income populations.

Recent scholarship

Reports listed below are available at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/authors/k/karney_benjamin.html

Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery - 2008

Invisible Wounds of War: Summary and Recommendations for Addressing Psychological and Cognitive Injuries - 2008

Invisible Wounds: Mental Health and Cognitive Care Needs of America's Returning Veterans - 2008

Invisible Wounds: Predicting the Immediate and Long-Term Consequences of Mental Health Problems in Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom - 2008 Adolescent Romantic Relationships as Precursors of Healthy Adult Marriages: A Review of Theory, Research, and Programs - 2007

Families Under Stress: An Assessment of Data, Theory, and Research on Marriage and Divorce in the Military - 2007

Early life and education

Benjamin Karney was born in 1968, in Los Angeles, and is the son of German and Israeli immigrants. Karney attended Mirman School for the Gifted and Harvard High School (a private Episcopal boys school, at the time) in Los Angeles. Karney was a member of the Cum Laude Honors Society, and became the co-editor of the school newspaper. He was also involved in musical theater productions in collaboration with a private girls school (Westlake High, which is now Harvard-Westlake School) that later influenced his interest in close relationships. Benjamin Karney attended Harvard University in Boston, MA and graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in psychology. His most influential teacher at Harvard was Roger Brown (psychologist), PhD (1925–1997) who inspired Karney to apply to the University of California, Los Angeles, social psychology program. He was also profoundly influenced by the work of Kurt Lewin, PhD and Stanley Milgram, PhD. Karney received the American Psychological Association (APA) dissertation award for his work on how marriages changes: theoretical, methodological, and empirical considerations.

Career

• Vita

Karney achieved his Ph.D. in social psychology from in June 1997, working with Thomas Bradbury. The same year, he accepted a position as an assistant professor of social psychology at the University of Florida (UF). Karney has been honored by the professional community and received several awards, including the New Scholar Award from the International Network on Personal Relationships and, in 1996 and 1998, the Reuben Hill Research and Theory Award from the National Council on Family Relations. During his tenure at UF, he was given the Gerald R. Miller Award for Early Career Achievement by the International Association for Relationship Research and the Early Career Award by the Relationship Researchers Interest Group of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Benjamin Karney was also recognized by UF's Department of Psychology as a distinguished teacher. IN 2004, Karney returned to Los Angeles, and since 2007 has been a Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of California (UCLA). With Thomas Bradbury, Karney co-directs the Relationship Institute at UCLA. [1] Dr. Karney currently serves on several editorial boards and reviews grants for the National Institute of Mental Health.

Karney has received grant support from the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, Administration for Children and Families, United States Department of Defense, and the Fetzer Institute.

In the Popular Press

Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight. Dr. Karney participated on an expert panel that examines Batman.

Dark Night commentary.

McNulty, J. K., Neff, L. A. & Karney, B. R. (2008) Physical attractiveness in marriage: Consequences for satisfaction and behavior. Journal of Family Psychology,22, 135-143. Attractiveness. (Today Show, 3-26-08).

Books

Bradbury, T. N. & Karney, B. R. (2010). Intimate Relationships. New York: W. W. Norton.

Notable scholarly work

Bradbury, T. N., & Karney, B. R. (1993) Longitudinal study of marital interaction and dysfunction. Clinical Psychology Review, 13, 15-27.

Karney, B. R., Bradbury, T. N., Fincham, F. D., & Sullivan, K. T. (1994) The role of negative affectivity in the association between attributions and marital satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 413-424.

Karney, B. R. & Bradbury, T. N. (1995) The longitudinal course of marital quality and stability: A review of theory, method, and research. Psychological Bulletin, 118, 3-34

Karney, B. R., Davila, J., Cohan, C. L., Sullivan, K. T., Johnson, M. D., & Bradbury, T. N. (1995). An empirical investigation of sampling strategies in marital research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 909-920.

Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1995) Assessing longitudinal change in marriage: An intro-duction to the analysis of growth curves. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 1091-1108.

Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1997) Neuroticism, marital interaction, and the trajectory of marital satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72, 1075-1092.

Fincham, F. D., Bradbury, T. N., Arias, I., Byrne, C. A., & Karney, B. R. (1997) Marital violence, marital distress, and attributions. Journal of Family Psychology, 11, 367-372.

Davila, J., Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1999). Attachment change processes in the early years of marriage. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 783-802.

Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (2000). Attributions in marriage: State or trait? A growth curve analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 295-309.

Karney, B. R. & Coombs, R. H. (2000). Memory bias in long-term close relationships: Consistency or improvement? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 959-970.

Schulman, J. A., Trujillo, M. J., Karney, B. R. (2001). Facets: Computer software for evaluating assessment tools. American Journal of Health Behavior, 25, 75-77.

McNulty, J. K. & Karney, B. R. (2001). Attributions in marriage: Integrating specific and global evaluations of a relationship. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 943-955.

Schulman, J. A. & Karney, B. R. (2001). Gender and attitudes toward medical nutrition therapy in prospective physicians. Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association, 56, 115.

Karney, B. R. & *Frye, N. E. (2002). "But we've been getting better lately": Comparing prospective and retrospective views of relationship development. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 222-238.

McNulty, J. K. & Karney, B. R. (2002). Expectancy confirmation in appraisals of marital interactions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 764-775.

Frye, N. E. & Karney, B. R. (2002). Being better or getting better? Social and temporal comparisons as coping mechanisms in close relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 1287-1299.

Neff, L.A. & Karney, B. R. (2002). Person perception in close relationships: Specific accuracy but global enhancement. Journal of Personality, 70, 1077-1110.

Vogel, D. L. & Karney, B. R. (2002). Demands and withdrawal in newlyweds: Elaborating on the social structure hypothesis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 19, 685-701.

Schulman, J. A. & Karney, B. R. (2003). Gender and attitudes toward nutrition in prospective physicians. American Journal of Health Behavior, 27, 623-632.

Neff, L.A. & Karney, B. R. (2003). The dynamic structure of relationship beliefs: Differential importance as a strategy of relationship maintenance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 1433-1446.

Davila, J., Karney, B. R., Hall, T. W., & Bradbury, T. N. (2003). Depressive symptoms and marital satisfaction: Dynamic associations and the moderating effects of gender and neuroticism. Journal of Family Psychology, 17, 557-570.

Neff, L. A. & Karney, B. R. (2004). How does context affect intimate relationships? Linking external stress and cognitive processes within marriage. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 134-148.

Frye, N. E., & Karney, B. R. (2004). Revision in memories of relationship development: Do biases persist over time? Personal Relationships, 11, 79-98.

McNulty, J. K. & Karney, B. R. (2004). “Should I Expect the Best or Brace for the Worst?” The Role of Positive Expectations in the Early Years of Marriage. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86, 729–743.

Karney, B. R., Kreitz, M. A., Sweeney, K. E. (2004). Obstacles to diversity in marital research: On the failure of good intentions. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 21, 509-526.

Bradbury, T. N. & Karney, B. R. (2004). Understanding and altering the longitudinal course of marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 862-879.

Bradbury, T. N. & Karney, B. R. (2004). Understanding and altering the longitudinal course of intimate partnerships. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 23, 1-30.

Story, L. B., Karney, B. R., Lawrence, E., & Bradbury, T. N. (2004). Interpersonal mediators in the intergenerational transmission of marital dysfunction. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 519-529.

Neff, L. A. & Karney, B. R. (2005). Gender differences in social support: A question of skills or responsiveness? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 79-90.

Johnson, M. D., Cohan, C. L., Davila, J., Lawrence, E., Rogge, R. D., Karney, B. R., Sullivan, K. T., Bradbury, T. N. (2005). Problem-solving skills and affective expressions as predictors of change in marital satisfaction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 15-27.

Neff, L. A. & Karney, B. R. (2005). To know you is to love you: The importance of global adoration and specific understanding for close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 480-497.

Karney, B. R. & Bradbury, T. N. (2005). Contextual influences on marriage: Implications for policy and intervention. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 171-174.

Frye, N. E. & Karney, B. R. (2006). The proximal and distal context of aggressive behaviors in marriage: A longitudinal study of newlyweds. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 12-20.

Karney, B. R. (2007). Not Shifting But Broadening the Focus of Marital Research. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 310-314.

Neff, L. A. & Karney, B. R. (2007). Stress crossover in newlywed marriage: A longitudinal and dyadic perspective. Journal of Marriage and Family, 69, 594-607.

Frye, N. E., McNulty, J. K., & Karney, B. R. (2008). How do constraints on leaving a marriage affect behavior within the marriage? Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 153-161.

McNulty, J. K., Neff, L. A., & Karney, B. R. (2008). Beyond initial attraction: Physical attractiveness in newlywed marriage. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 135-143.

McNulty, J. K., O’Mara, E. M., & Karney, B. R. (2008). Benevolent cognitions as a strategy of relationship maintenance: “Don’t sweat the small stuff…but it’s NOT all small stuff.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 94, 631-646.

Sullivan, K. T., & Karney, B. R. (2008). Incorporating religious practice in marital interventions: To pray or not to pray? Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 27, 670-677.

Rauer, A. J., Karney, B. R., Garvan, C. W., & Hou, Wei (2008). Relationship risks in context: A cumulative risk approach to understanding satisfaction in intimate relationships. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70, 1122-1135.

Neff, L. A. & Karney, B. R. (2009). Stress and reactivity to daily relationship experiences: How stress hinders adaptive processes in marriage. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 435-450.

Karney, B. R. & Gauer, B. (2010). Cognitive complexity and marital interaction in newlyweds. Personal Relationships, 17, 181-200.

Karney, B. R. (2010). A science of healthy relationships is not a healthy relationship science. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 2, 42-46.

Ramchand, R., Schell, T., Karney, B. R., Osilla, K. C., Burns, R. M., & Calderone, L. B. (2010). Disparate prevalence estimates of PTSD among service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan: Possible explanations. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23, 59-68.

Maisel, N. C., Rauer, A. J., Marshall, G. N., & Karney, B. R. (in press). Who gets support and who supports after a traumatic injury? Journal of Applied Social Psychology.

Karney, B. R., Hops, H., Redding, C. A., Reis, H. T., Rothman, A. J., & Simpson, J. A. (in press). A Framework for Incorporating Dyads in Models of HIV-Prevention. AIDS and Behavior.

External links

• [2] the Relationship Institute at UCLA
• Biography at the Rand Corporation
• Publications at the Rand Corporation