Research and Publications

Paul's colleagues sometimes jokingly(?) tagged him as our "antisocial psychologist." This appellation, while cute, was so lopsided as to be mostly inaccurate. Paul was --and is-- "social" to a fault in that he finds enjoyment and fulfillment in informal group and (especially) one-on-one interaction. Consistent with this disposition, he devoted most of his research and scholarly effort to the the study of interpersonal relations and personal relationships, especially friendship. As a secondary emphasis, he collaborated with Katy on an extended series of studies of the once-popular subject of codependency or, as they prefer to call it, "codependent relating." They co-authored five articles and book chapters on this topic, and made joint presentations at several conferences and workshops.

In terms of numbers, Paul's publication record is respectable but by no means impressive. With respect to its overall quality, professional opinions vary. A younger relationship scholar once asked Paul to name his personal favorite among the books he had written. The request was both flattering and embarrassing. Apart from an abortive (i.e., unpublished) effort in 1992, Paul has not written any books. So the colleague scaled down the question. "Oh. Okay then, what's your favorite article?" Paul was unable to decide among three publications, each of which was a favorite for its own special reason. The document, My Three Favorites, provides citations and abstracts of each of these articles, followed by a commentary on why Paul regards each as "special."

Paul often receives inquiries concerning two instruments he developed in the course of his studies of personal relationships. The first of these is a multivariate technique called the Acquaintance Description Form designed to measure different aspects of "normal" relationships, especially friendships. The current version of this instrument is designated the ADF-F2. The second is a variation of the ADF-F2 adapted to measure the characteristics of codependent relating. The current version of the latter instrument is designated the ADF-C5. A manual for each of these instruments is available on this web site. The manuals are brief but include everything interested professionals would need to use either of these tools in their own research, or to decide not to (as the case may be).