Colleen I. Murray, Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty in Human Development & Family Studies
Professor, Department of Sociology
Director, Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Social Psychology
Contact information: (775) 784-7006
Sarah Fleischmann Building: 344
cimurray@unr.edu
Areas of Specialization
Families
Adolescence
Grief and loss
Family theories
Research methodologies
Feminism and families
Social psychology
Research Interests
Grief and Loss: Family, the Media, and International Perspectives
Theoretical and Methodological Issues in the Study of Relationships
Culture and Women's Social Construction of Relationships and Self
Adolescence: Gender, Grief, and Sexualities - International and Family Contexts
Recent Publications (selected examples)
Murray, C.I., & Kimura, N. (2006). Families in Japan. (pp. 291-310) In B.B. Ingoldsby & S.D. Smith (Eds.) Families in global and multicultural perspective, (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Murray, C.I., Toth, K., & Clinkinbeard, S. (2005). Death, dying and grief. (pp. 75-102). In P.C. McKenry and S. Price (Eds.), Families and change: Coping with stressful events. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Murray, C.I., Finholm, M., Toth, K., & Pettis, C.T. (2005). Post traumatic growth and terror management theory as a framework for exploring meaning construction in families with loss. (pp.9-34). Proceedings of the Theory Construction and Research Methodology Preconference of the National Council on Family Relations. Phoenix, AZ: NCFR. Link for this paper.
Weigel, D., & Murray, C.I. (2005). The paradox of stability and change in relationships: What does chaos theory offer for the study of romantic relationships (edited version with commentary) (pp. 99-112). In W. Dragon & S. Duck (Eds.). Understanding research in personal relationships. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (originally published in the Journal of social and personal relationships).
Murray, C.I., & Gilbert, K. (2005). River of grief: Hearing parents and siblings following child death. (pp. 436-439 & 443-445). In V. Bengston, A. Acock, K. Allen, D. Klein, et al (Eds.) Sourcebook of family theory and methods (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Murray, C.I., & Kimura, N. (2003). The multiplicity of paths to couple formation in Japan. (pp. 247-268) R.R. Hamon &, Ingoldsby, B.B. (Eds.) Couple formation across cultures. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Baber, K. M., & Murray, C.I. (2001) A postmodern feminist approach to teaching human sexuality. Family Relations, 50, 23-33.
Link for full Vita
Classes Taught
HDFS 431d/631d *Adv. Studies in Human Development:Adolescence (syllabus)
HDFS 436/636 Family Interaction
HDFS 437/637 *Death & Dying: Family & Lifespan Perspectives (syllabus)
HDFS 476/676 Families, Health & Illness
HDFS/SOC 718 Research Methods in Social Psychology (syllabus)
HDFS 730 Family Theories (syllabus)
HDFS 771 Research Methods in HDFS (syllabus)
* 431d/631d and 437/637 are available in web-based format
Background Information
Ph.D. in Family Relations, The Ohio State University
M.A. in Family Development, University of Akron
B.S. in Education (emph: Mathematics), University of Akron
Current Projects
Application of theory to the study of grief and loss in families, including post traumatic growth theory and terror management theory (with Katalin Toth, Maia Finholm, and Clare Pettis of UNR, and Dr. Kathleen Gilbert of Indiana University)
Transition of bereaved siblings to parenthood. What goes on for young adults, who became bereaved siblings in childhood or adolescence, when they become parents themselves? (with Clare Pettis)
Division of labor and marital satisfaction: individualism versus collectivism. This study includes respondents from a variety of countries (with Katalin Toth - dissertation)
Social feedback perceptions, attributions, and possible selves
among adolescent offenders in secured juvenile facilities (with Samantha Clinkinbeard - dissertation)
Newspaper reports of previous mass tragedies (Chicago fire, San Francisco earthquakes, sinking of Titanic, etc.) (with Kerry Kleyman)
Men’s experiences with abortion (with Maia Finholm)
The social construction of the admissibility of psychological and psychiatric expert testimony following Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (with Dr. Mara Merlino)
Ethnic identity of trans-racially adopted children and adolescents (with Joshua Padilla - dissertation)
Other Relevant Information
Fellow in Thanatology
Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying, and Bereavement.
Association for Death Education and Counseling.
Adjunct Professor, Department of Sociology
Faculty, Masters in Public Health Program
Core Faculty, Nevada Center for Ethics and Health Policy
Core Teaching Faculty, Gerontology Academic Program
* For more information on the Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Social Psychology, visit the program’s website at: www.unr.edu/cla/socpsy