Caryl E. Rusbult was a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

and chair of the Department of Social and Organizational Psychology at the Vrije Universiteit in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. She died from uterine cancer on January 27, 2010. Rusbult received her B.A. in

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

(1974) and Ph.D. in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

(1978). During her time as a professor at Chapel Hill (1986–2004) she made seminal contributions to theoretical

social psychology Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...

including the investment model of commitment processes, a theoretical model of accommodation processes, and the Michelangelo effect. Rusbult’s Investment Model of Commitment Processes is one of the most well-known and influential theoretical frameworks in the area of close relationships. This model explains how committed partners maintain and promote their relationships by transforming personal motives to take into account the necessity of coordinating and getting along with partners. Rusbult served as an Associate Editor for the

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology The ''Journal of Personality and Social Psychology'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Psychological Association that was established in 1965. It covers the fields of social and personality psychology. The edi ...

(1990 to 1994) and the Encyclopedia of Psychology (1996 to 2000), and was elected to the boards of several national and international organizations (e.g., Society of Experimental Social Psychologists, International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships). The Caryl E. Rusbult Young Investigator Award has been created in her memory.

Honors and awards

*Distinguished Alumni Award, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2009) *Distinguished Career Award, International Association for Relationships Research (2008): “in recognition of a full career of eminent, notable contributions to research in, theories of, or the practice of relationships science” *William Friday Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2000–2005) *Mentoring Award, International Association for Relationship Research (2002): “in recognition of outstanding achievement in mentoring new scholars” *J. Ross MacDonald Professorship, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1997–2002) *New Contribution Award, International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships (1991–1992): “to recognize new work that makes a significant and original contribution to the study of personal relationships, work that provides important new insights and has had, or holds promise of having, a substantial impact on the scholarly activity of others in the field” *Reuben Hill Award, National Council on Family Relations (1991): “to recognize that publication which best combines research and theory about a family issue” *Outstanding Faculty Award, University of Kentucky Chapter of the

Psi Chi Psi Chi () is a college student honor society in psychology with international outreach founded in 1929 at the University of Kansas in the United States. Psi Chi is one of the largest honor societies in the United States, with more than 1,100 chap ...

(1983): Excellence in teaching

References

*http://spsp.org/awards/annualawards/earlycareer/rusbult/legacy/ *http://rusbult.socialpsychology.org/

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusbult, Caryl 1952 births 2010 deaths University of California, Los Angeles alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Deaths from cancer in the Netherlands Academic staff of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Deaths from uterine cancer