Contact Information
Research Areas
Student Research Opportunities
Biography
R. Chris Fraley is a Professor at the University of Illinois's Department of Psychology. He received his PhD from the University of California, Davis in 1999 in Social-Personality Psychology. In 2007 he received the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology in the area of Individual Differences. In 2025 he received the Carol and Ed Diener Mid-Career Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. He has served as an Associate Editor at the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
Research Interests
Chris's research involves the study of attachment processes in close relationships, personality dynamics and development, and research methods (with an emphasis on open science and dynamic modeling). The majority of his research is focused on understanding why some people are more secure than others in their close relationships, the implications of attachment (in)security for psychological well-being and relationship functioning, and how attachment patterns change over time.
Education
Ph.D. from University of California, Davis (1999)
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Psychology
External Links
Recent Publications
Chong, J. Y., & Fraley, R. C. (2025). The Long-Term Stability of Affective Bonds After Romantic Separation: Do Attachments Simply Fade Away? Social Psychological and Personality Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506251323624
Glass, S., & Fraley, R. C. (2025). Attachment Orientations Predict the Likelihood of Choosing to be Childfree and the Reasons for Not Wanting Children. Personality and social psychology bulletin. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672251322842
Vahedi, M., Howell, K. L., Gillath, O., Deboeck, P. R., & Fraley, R. C. (2025). The Association Between Using People for Attachment-Related Functions and Subjective Well-Being. Social Psychological and Personality Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506251323640
Zumdahl, M. G., Saxsma, M. G., & Fraley, R. C. (2025). Adult Attachment Outcomes and the Timing of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Personality and social psychology bulletin, Article 01461672251336491. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672251336491
Chong, J. Y., Anderson, G. M., & Fraley, R. C. (2024). Natural clues to danger: attachment behavior in threatening situations. Attachment and Human Development, 26(4), 366-382. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2024.2376764