Michael Steger

Institution Colorado State University Current Position Assistant Professor Highest Degree Ph.D. in Personality and Counseling Psychology from University of Minnesota, 2005 Research Interests Close Relationships Culture/Ethnicity Emotion Health Helping/Pro-Social Behavior Organizational Behavior Research Methods/Assessment Self/Identity Laboratory Home Page Laboratory for the Study of Meaning and Quality of Life Online Studies Meaning and Quality of Life Blog The Meaning in Life: Seeking a Life That Matters   Michael Steger Department of Psychology Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1876 U.S.A. Home Page Phone: (970) 491-7324 Fax: (970) 491-1032 At the broadest level, my research concerns human well-being. In particular, I am focused on researching how people generate the sense that their lives are meaningful, as well as investigating the benefits of living a meaningful life. One of the more interesting things (to me at least) this research has revealed is that people's search for meaning in life functions pretty much independently from whether or not they feel their lives have meaning. So, one line of my research is invested with better understanding what people are actually doing as they search for meaning, and illuminating the dynamics between the search for and presence of meaning in life. To get at this question, I've done a number of "daily diary" studies that allow the analysis of what daily events and pursuits are associated with heightened perceptions of meaning in life, as well as with variations in the intensity of the daily search for meaning. My future research will look at the role of meaning in stress and coping, the influence of culture on meaning and well-being, and developmental and identity processes relevant to meaning. I'm also interested in examining romantic relationship processes, building intimacy in relationships, and the interplay between physical and psychological health. Journal Articles: Frazier, P., Tashiro, T., Berman, M., Steger, M., & Long, J. (2004). Correlates of levels and patterns of positive life changes following sexual assault. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 19-30. Kashdan, T. B., Barrios, V., Forsyth, J. P., & Steger, M. F. (2006). Experiential avoidance as a generalized psychological vulnerability: Comparisons with coping and emotion regulation strategies. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 1301-1320. Kashdan, T. B., & Steger, M. F. (in press). Curiosity and pathways to well-being and meaning in life: Traits, states, and everyday behaviors. Motivation and Emotion. Kashdan, T. B., & Steger, M. F. (2006). Expanding the topography of social anxiety: An experience sampling assessment of positive emotions and events, and emotion suppression. Psychological Science, 17, 120-128. Kashdan, T. B., Uswatte, G., Steger, M. F., & Julian, T. (2006). Fragile self-esteem and affective instability in posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 1609-1619. Steger, M. F. (2006). An illustration of issues in factor extraction and identification of dimensionality in psychological assessment data. Journal of Personality Assessment, 86, 263-272. Steger, M. F., & Frazier, P. (2005). Meaning in life: One link in the chain from religion to well-being. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 574-582. Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 80-93. Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., & Zacchanini, J. L. (in press). Terrorism in two cultures: Traumatization and existential protective factors following the September 11th attacks and the Madrid train bombings. Journal of Trauma and Loss. Steger, M. F., Hicks, B. M., Kashdan, T. B., Krueger, R. F., & Bouchard, T. J., Jr. (2007). Genetic and environmental influences on the positive traits of the Values in Action classification, and biometric covariance with normal personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 41, 524-539. Steger, M. F., & Kashdan, T. B. (2007). Stability and specificity of meaning in life and life satisfaction over one year: Implications for outcome assessment. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8, 161-179. Steger, M. F., Kashdan, T. B., & Oishi, S. (2008). Being good by doing good: Being good by doing good: Daily eudaimonic activity and well-being. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 22-42. Steger, M. F., Kashdan, T. B., Sullivan, B. A., & Lorentz, D. (2008). Understanding the search for meaning in life: Personality, cognitive style, and the dynamic between seeking and experiencing meaning. Journal of Personality, 76, 199-228. Steger, M. F., Kawabata, Y., Shimai, S., & Otake, K. (in press). The meaningful life in Japan and the United States: Levels and correlates of meaning in life. Journal of Research in Personality. Other Publications: Steger, M. F. (in press). Meaning in life. In S. J. Lopez (Ed.), Handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

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