Assistant Professor of Psychology
Ph.D. University of California, Davis
Area: Personality & Social Contexts

Contact Information

Email: redelste@umich.edu
Psychology Office: 3255 East Hall
Psychology Phone: 734-764-0693

Research and Teaching Interests

My research is devoted to understanding why (and how) people differ in their responses to emotional experiences and information, and the consequences of these differences for behavior, cognition, and physiology. I’m especially interested in why people respond defensively in stressful situations, how defensive behaviors are maintained over time, and the long-term consequences of defensive personality processes. Current projects in my lab focus on the behavioral, cognitive, and physiological implications of defensive personality traits, such as attachment avoidance and narcissism. We are also exploring attachment-related differences in psychological and physiological responses to close relationship experiences, such as close intimate contact and the transition to parenthood.

Representative Publications

• Edelstein, R. S., Newton, N. J., & Stewart, A. J. (in press). Narcissism in midlife: The developmental course and correlates of women's narcissistic personality traits. Journal of Personality.
• Edelstein, R. S., Chopik, W. J., & Kean, E. L. (2011). Sociosexuality moderates the association between relationship status and testosterone in men and women. Hormones and Behavior, 60, 248-255.
• Edelstein, R. S., Stanton, S. J., Henderson, M. M., & Sanders, M. R. (2010). Endogenous estradiol levels are associated with attachment avoidance and implicit intimacy motivation. Hormones and Behavior, 57, 230-236.
• Edelstein, R. S., Yim, I. S., & Quas, J. A. (2010). Narcissism predicts cortisol reactivity to a psychosocial stressor in men. Journal of Research in Personality, 44, 565-572.
• Edelstein, R.S. & Gillath, O. (2008). Avoiding interference: Adult attachment and emotional processing biases. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 171-181.
• Edelstein, R.S. (2006). Attachment and emotional memory: Investigating the source and extent of avoidant memory deficits. Emotion, 6, 340-345.
• Edelstein, R.S., Ghetti, S., Quas, J.A., Goodman, G.S., Alexander, K.W., Redlich, A.D., & Cordon, I.M. (2005). Individual differences in emotional memory: Adult attachment and long-term memory for child sexual abuse. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 1537-1548.

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