John P. Caughlin
Contact Information
Office:127 Lincoln Hall
Telephone: (217) 333-4340
Email: caughlin@uiuc.edu
Website: http://www.uiuc.edu/~caughlin
Associate Professor
Bio
Professor Caughlin’s current research examines communication in close personal relationships. The specific foci of his research are conflict and privacy. Recent projects related to conflict have examined different reasons why people in close relationships sometimes engage in demand/withdraw communication (a pattern in which one person nags or complains while the other avoids or withdraws). Understanding demand/withdraw is important because it seems to predict undesirable outcomes (e.g., marital dissatisfaction when it happens between married partners, low self esteem and drug abuse when it happens between parents and adolescents). Professor Caughlin's other recent work has examined when keeping secrets or avoiding topics help maintain satisfying relationships.
Curriculum Vitae
Experience
- Interpersonal communication, family communication, conflict in close relationships, secrecy and privacy in close relationships.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin
Selected Publications
Caughlin, J. P., Bute, J. J., Donovan-Kicken, E. E., Kosenko, K. A., Ramey, M. E., & Brashers, D. E. (in press). Do message features influence reactions to HIV disclosures? A multiple goals perspective. Health Communication.
Caughlin, J. P., Scott, A. M., & Miller, L. E. (in press). Conflict and hurt in close relationships. In A. L. Vangelisti (Ed.), Feeling hurt in close relationships. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Caughlin, J. P., & Scott, A. M. (in press). Family communication patterns. In Donsbach, W. (Ed.), The international encyclopedia of communication. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
Goldsmith, D. J., Miller, L. E., & Caughlin, J. P. (2008). Openness and avoidance in couples communicating about cancer. Communication Yearbook, 31, 62-115.
Afifi, T. D., Caughlin, J. P., & Afifi, W. A. (2007). The dark side (and light side) of avoidance and secrets. In B. H. Spitzberg & W. R. Cupach (Eds.), The dark side of interpersonal communication (2nd ed., pp. 61-92). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.