Lindsey Frachtman

PSY359H

I am a junior at UT majoring in Psychology. I have two older brothers who came to school here, in addition to many Longhorn relatives. I’m from Houston, although I love going to school in Austin. Some of my favorite places include Kerbey Lane, the scenic view from Mt. Bonnell, and the shops along South Congress. I’m graduating in December 2007 and plan to go into a counseling PhD program.

My boyfriend Daniel	My two brothers Steven and Mark	My Parents with Kinky Friedman

I worked for a year in a social psychology lab called the EAR project. By listening to 30 second clips of couples’ conversations and recording their affect, we tried to predict which couple stayed together and which couple broke up. I am interested in how couples behave, the nature of intimate relationships, and the evolutionary aspect of human mating.

My current research project is examining the effects of divorce on individuals and their romantic relationships. A major aspect that influences the formation of close relationships is known as attachment theory. This is the foundation for peoples’ disposition from infancy through adulthood. Specifically, I am looking at three different research questions:

1. Do individuals from divorced families have more insecure attachment styles?

2. How does attachment style affect the quality of the relationship?

3. How does attachment style affect interpersonal conflict?