VCU Social Psychology Program

Daryl R. Van Tongeren

I have three interconnecting lines of research. First, I am interested in existential issues, most notably meaning, death, morality, and religion. Particularly working from the framework of Terror Management Theory and the Meaning Maintenance Model, I examine how individuals find meaning in life and respond to threats of meaninglessness and mortality salience. Second, I am interested in forgiveness and positive psychology. I examine how forgiveness processes are affected by relationship qualities (such as an offender’s spirituality) or existential concerns (such as meaninglessness or mortality salience), as well as how forgiveness is related to moral judgments. I also conduct research on virtues, such as modesty and humility. Finally, I am interested in processes of self-protection, and how individuals respond to various threats to the self, such as receiving self-threatening feedback.

View more information on Daryl's Green Research Lab page.

Publications

Davis, D. E., Worthington, E. L., Jr., Hook, J. N., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (in press). The dedication to the sacred (DS) scale: Adapting a marriage measure to study relational spirituality. Journal of Psychology and Theology.

Worthington, E. L.. Jr., Hunter, J., Sharp, C., Hook, J. N., Van Tongeren, D. R., Davis, D. E., Miller, A. J. A., Gingrich, F. C., Sandage, S. J., Lao, E., Bubod, L., & Monforte, M. V. (in press). A psychoeducational intervention to promote forgiveness in Christians in the Philippines. Journal of Mental Health Counseling.

Van Tongeren, D. R. & Klebe, K. J. (in press). Reconceptualizing prison adjustment: A multidimensional approach exploring female offenders’ adjustment to prison life. The Prison Journal.

Davis, D. E., Worthington, E. L. Jr., Hook, J. N., Van Tongeren, D. R., Green, J. D., & Jennings, D. J. (in press). Relational spirituality and the development of the similarity of the offender’s spirituality scale. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.

Kiefer, R. P., Worthington, E. L. Jr., Myers, B. J., Kliewer, W. L., Berry, J. W., Davis, D. E., Miller, A. J., Van Tongeren, D. R., Hunter, J., & Kilgour, J. M. (in press). Training parents in forgiving and reconciling. American Journal of Family Therapy.

Green, J. D., Sedikides, C., Pinter, B., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2009). Two sides to self-protection: Self-improvement strivings and feedback from close others eliminate mnemic neglect. Self and Identity, 8, 233-250.

Manuscripts under revision

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Green, J. D. (under revision for Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin). Combating meaninglessness: On the automatic defense of meaning.

Weise, D. R., Pyszczynski, T., Rothschild, Z. K., Greenberg, J., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (under revision for Political Psychology). Moral politics and terror management: Effects of mortality salience on the prioritization of morally charged political issues.

Manuscripts under review

Van Tongeren, D. R., McIntosh, D. N., Raad, J., & Pae, J. (under review). Religion in terror management: The existential benefits of priming a cherished meaning system.

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Green, J. D. (under review). Meaningful lives and significant deaths: The role of meaning in terror management.

Davis, D. E., Hook, J. N., Worthington, E. L. Jr., Van Tongeren, D. R., Gartner, A. L., & Jennings, D. J. II. (under review). Relational spirituality, humility, and forgiveness.

Davis, D. E., Hook, J. N., Worthington, E. L. Jr., Van Tongeren, D. R., Gartner, A. L., Jennings, D. J. II, & Emmons, R. A. (under review). Development of the relational humility scale (RHS).

Hook, J. N., Worthington, E. L., Jr., Utsey, S. O., Davis, D. E., Van Tongeren, D. R., Gartner, A., Jennings II, D. J. & Dueck, A. (under review). Measuring causal attribution of a specific offense: Development and validation of the transgression attribution questionnaire (TAQ).

Davis, D. E., Hook, J. N., Worthington, E. L. Jr., Van Tongeren, D. R., Gartner, A. L., Jennings, D. J. II, & Norton, L. (under review). Development of the relational engagement of the sacred for a transgression (REST) scale.

Presentations

Van Tongeren, D. R., Green, J. D., & Hulsey, T. L. (2010, January). Meaning and moral dilemmas: Threats to meaning elicit harsher moral judgments. A poster session to be presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, NV.

Green, J. D., Davis, J. L., Finkel, E., J., Coy, A. E., Van Tongeren, D. R., Kittel, J. A., & Irby, M. (2010, January). Affective forecasting for cooperative and competitive behavior: It feels better than you think to cooperate. A poster session to be presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, NV.

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Green, J. D. (November, 2009). Meaning as an existential paradox: The role of meaning in terror management. A paper presented at the Christian Association of Psychological Studies, Chambersburg, PA.

Davis, D. E., Hook, J. N., Worthington, E. L. Jr., Van Tongeren, D. R., Gartner, A. L., & Jennings, D. J. II. (November, 2009). Relational spirituality and forgiveness: Development of the spiritual humility scale (SHS). A paper presented at the Christian Association of Psychological Studies, Chambersburg, PA.

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Green, J. D. (2009, April). On meaning maintenance: Evidence for fluid compensation following implicit threats of meaninglessness. A poster session presented at the annual Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Student Association Research Symposium, Richmond, VA.

Davis, D. E., Hook, J. N., Dorn, K., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2009, April). Adapting the cyberball paradigm to measure forgiveness. A poster session presented at the annual Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Student Association Research Symposium, Richmond, VA.

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Green, J. D. (2009, February). On meaning maintenance: Evidence for fluid compensation following implicit threats of meaninglessness. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Tampa, FL.

Green, J. D., Sedikides, C., Pinter, B., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2009, February). Motivated forgetting: The who, the when, and the why. A symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Tampa, FL.

*Davis, D. E., Worthington, E. L. Jr., Hook, J. N., Van Tongeren, D. R., Green, J. D., & Jennings, D. J. (2008, November). Assessing a victim’s understanding of an offender’s spirituality: Development of the spiritual view of the offender scale. A paper presented at the Christian Association of Psychological Studies, Chambersburg, PA.
*This paper won a 2008 CAPS-East Student Research Award

*Van Tongeren, D. R., & Green, J. D. (2008, October). The role of meaning in terror management: Is a meaningful death still terrifying? A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists, Greenville, SC.
*This poster was a 2008 SSSP Student Research Award Runner-up

Van Tongeren, D. R., McIntosh, D. N., Raad, J., & Pae, J. (2008, August). Religion and terror management: The existential effects of priming religion. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Green, J. D. (2008, April). Deadly politics: The effects of mortality salience on political conservatives’ and liberals’ endorsement of moral foundations. A poster session presented at the annual Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Student Association Research Symposium, Richmond, VA.

Van Tongeren, D. R., Ives, K. E., Cullen, M. A., & Welch, R. D. (2008, April). Deciphering immorality: The role of forgiveness, empathy, and religion in judging morality. A paper presented at the annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Boise, ID.

Worthington, E. L., Hunter, J., Sharp, C., Hook, J. N., Van Tongeren, D. R., Davis, D. E., & Miller, A. J. A., Gingrich, F. C., Sandage, S. J., Lao, E., Bubod, L., & Monforte, M. V. (2008, March). A psychoeducational intervention to promote forgiveness in Christians in the Philippines. A poster session presented at the annual International Counseling Psychology Conference.

Green, J. D., Sedikides, C., Pinter, B., & Van Tongeren, D. R. (2008, February). Two sides to self-protection: Self-improvement strivings and feedback from close others attenuate mnemic neglect. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Albuquerque, NM.

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Green, J. D. (2008, February). Deadly politics: The effects of mortality salience on political conservatives’ and liberals’ endorsement of moral foundations. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Albuquerque, NM.

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Green, J. D. (2007, October). Combating meaninglessness: Evidence of fluid compensation following implicit threats to meaning. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists, Durham, NC.

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Anson, J. M. (2007, April). Self-esteem, belief systems, and locus of control: An existential perspective on criminal behavior. A poster session presented at the annual Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Student Association Research Symposium, Richmond, VA.

Knigge, E., Welch, R., Van Tongeren, D. R. (2007, April). The effects of conformity, justice, and forgiveness on moral judgment. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Denver, CO.

Van Tongeren, D. R., & Anson, J. M. (2007, January). Cultural belief systems, self-esteem and locus of control: An existential perspective on criminal behavior. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Memphis, TN.

Van Tongeren, D. R. (2006, November). Defending against death: Exploring the role of religion in terror management. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists, Knoxville, TN.

Pyszczysnki, T., Weise, D., Van Tongeren, D. R., Cohen, F., Solomon, S., & Greenberg, J. (2006, August). Terror Management Theory perspective on the 2004 presidential election and beyond. Values, Personality, and Politics – From Bush to Katrina and Beyond Symposium conducted at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA.

Curl, L. S., Weise, D., Van Tongeren, D. R., Brouillette, M., & Gladman, T. (2006, May). A study of religion and Terror Management Theory: Primed to be good. A paper presented at the annual meeting of the Hawaii International Conference on Social Sciences, Honolulu, HI.

*Van Tongeren, D. R. (2006, April). Predicting female offenders' adjustment to prison life. A paper presented at the Annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Park City, UT.
*This paper won a 2006 RMPA Student Research Award

Van Tongeren, D. R. (2006, April). Understanding how we believe: Establishing the Belief Assimilation Scale. A poster session presented at the Annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Park City, UT.

Van Tongeren, D. R. & Parks, C. (2005, April). The effects of religious priming on death anxiety and intercultural tolerance. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Phoenix, AZ.

Van Tongeren, D. R. & Parks, C. (2004, April). Act of worship: The effect of religious singing on self-esteem. A poster session presented at the annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Reno, NV.

• Introduction to Psychology, primary instructor, undergraduate level
• Social Psychology, primary instructor, undergraduate level
• Social Psychology, teaching assistant, undergraduate level
• Personality, teaching assistant, undergraduate level
• Interpersonal Relationships, teaching assistant, undergraduate level
• Psychological Research and Measurement, lab instructor and teaching assistant, undergraduate level