Timothy Strauman is a clinical and social psychologist whose research interests center upon psychological processes of self-regulation, conceptualized in terms of a cognitive/motivational perspective, as well as the relation between self-regulation and affect.

Particular areas of emphasis include: (1) conceptualizing self-regulation in terms of basic self/brain/behavior motivational systems; (2) the role of self-regulatory cognitive processes in vulnerability to depression and other disorders; (3) the impact of psychotherapy vs. antidepressant medication on self-regulatory function and dysfunction in depression; (4) how normative and non-normative socialization patterns influence the development of regulatory systems; (5) the contributory roles of self-regulation, affect, and psychopathology in determining immunologically-mediated susceptibility to illness; (6) development of a brief structured psychotherapy for depression targeting self-regulatory dysfunction; and (7) using brain imaging techniques to test hypotheses concerning self-regulation, including the nature and function of hypothetical regulatory systems and characterizing the breakdowns in self-regulation that lead to and accompany depression.

Professor Strauman's clinical interests follow from his research program. Specifically, he is interested in learning how psychotherapy remediates disorders such as depression and whether psychotherapy is effective at reducing risk for relapse and recurrence of emotional disorders. Ongoing studies include the development of a new self-regulation-based therapy for depression, a group exercise program for women with breast cancer, and using neuroimaging techniques to examine the effects of brief structnred psychotherapies on individuals with depression. Professor Strauman is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

Primary Interests:

Emotion, Mood, Affect
Health Psychology
Motivation, Goal Setting
Neuroscience, Psychophysiology
Self and Identity
Social Cognition

Emotion, Mood, Affect
Health Psychology
Motivation, Goal Setting

Neuroscience, Psychophysiology
Self and Identity
Social Cognition

Journal Articles:

Eddington, K.M., Dolcos, F., Cabeza, R., Krishnan, K.R.R., & Strauman, T.J. (2007). Neural correlates of promotion and prevention goal activation: An fMRI study using an idiographic approach. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19, 1152-1162.
Manian, N., Papadakis, A.A., Strauman, T.J., and Essex, M.J. (2006). The development of children's ideal and ought self-guides: The influence of parenting on individual differences in guide strength. Journal of Personality, 74, 1619-1645.
Strauman, T.J. (2002). Self-regulation and depression. Self and Identity, 1, 151-157.
Strauman, T.J., Coe, C.L., McCrudden, M.C., Vieth, A.Z., & Kwapil, L. (2008). Individual differences in self-regulatory failure and menstrual dysfunction predict self-reported upper respiratory infection symptoms and antibody response to flu immunization. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22, 769-780.
Strauman, T.J., Coe, C.L., Woods, T., Schneider, K., & Kwapil, L. (2004). Self-regulatory cognition and immune reactivity: Idiographic success and failure feedback effects on the natural killer cell. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 18, 544-554.
Strauman, T.J., & Merrill, K.A. (2004). The basic science/clinical science interface and treatment development. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 263-266.
Strauman, T.J., Vieth, A.Z., Merrill, K.A., Woods, T.E., Kolden, G.G., Woods, T.E., Klein, M.H., Papadakis, A.A., Schneider, K.L., & Kwapil, L. (2006). Self-system therapy as an intervention for self-regulatory dysfunction in depression: A randomized comparison with cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74, 367-376.

Other Publications:

Strauman, T.J., Costanzo, P., Jones, N., McLean, A.., & Eddington, K. (2007). Contributions of social psychology to clinical psychology: Three views of a research frontier. In E.T. Higgins & A. Kruglanski (Eds.), Social psychology: Handbook of basic principles (2nd Ed.), pp. 850-868. NY: Guilford Press.

Courses Taught:

Adult Psychopathology
Experimental psychopathology
Research Methods in Psychopathology and Psychotherapy

Adult Psychopathology
Experimental psychopathology

Research Methods in Psychopathology and Psychotherapy

Timothy J. Strauman
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Box 90086
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708
United States

Phone: (919) 660-5709
Fax: (919) 660-5726
Email: tjstraum@duke.edu