Jamie Lynn Goldenberg
Jamie Lynn Goldenberg
Associate Professor
Contact
Office: PCD 2101H
Phone: N/A
Email:
Links
Education
Ph.D. in Social Psychology, George Washington University, Washington DC, 1997
Research
CNS Program (Social)
Terror Management Theory; the body and sex; objectification of women; health applications
Terrory Management Theory
Research Synopsis
Dr. Goldenberg's research focuses on basic questions about human sexuality, culture, and anxiety, with implications for the physical and emotional health of the individual. Using terror management theory as a vehicle, she has initiated a program of research designed to investigate such issues as why cultures set rules and standards to regulate the body and sex, why people are so highly vested in meeting these particular cultural standards that they will often forego their body’s health, and why sexual ambivalence and appearance anxiety are such common problems. She has theorized that the body and sexuality are threatening to humans because they remind us of our mortality by making apparent our physical and animal nature. She further suggests that the body’s “creatureliness” is managed via cultural rules and standards that transform the body into a cultural symbol. In particular, the female body, which has traditionally been considered closer to nature because of its role in reproduction, may be subject to more stringent cultural standards; and women, as a consequence, may be at heightened risk of physical and psychological problems associated with their bodies.
Current Courses