Alice Eagly
Alice H. Eagly (born 1938) is the James Padilla Chair of Arts and Sciences Emerita and emerita professor of psychology at Northwestern University. She is also a fellow at the Institute of Policy Research at Northwestern University. Her primary research focus is social psychology, as well as personality psychology and Industrial Organizational Psychology. She was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2022. Early life and education Eagly was born in 1938, in Los Angeles, to Harold and Josara Hendrickson. She completed her undergraduate degree at Harvard University in Social Relations in 1960. She received her M.A. in psychology and her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan. She also holds two honorary doctorates: from the University of Bern (Bern, Switzerland) and from Erasmus University (Rotterdam, Netherlands). In 1962, she married Robert Eagly, who she had met while studying in Norway. Although the two had not planned to reverse social roles, this became their lifestyle after Eagly succeeded further in her career and they concluded that Robert would become the stay-at-home parent. This lifestyle change exemplifies the social role studies that Eagly was very much involved in. Career Eagly has held teaching positions at several universities including Northwestern University, Michigan State University, University of Massachusetts, and Purdue University, as well as visiting positions at University of Illinois, Harvard University, University of Tübingen, University of Amsterdam, and University of Southern California. She has written or contributed to 7 books and over 100 journal articles. Research Social role theory Eagly developed the social role theory which attributes current sex differences to the labor division between men and women. While conducting research pertaining to the Social Role Theory, Eagly was a member of an observation team that explored stereotype content. To begin this research, they collected data on the development of stereotypes through observations and preliminary research of participants' beliefs. These beliefs were then compared to various members of social groups. Within this theory, Eagly compares gender differences and stereotypes, which have the potential to lead to prejudice. Prejudices are formed when individuals hold stereotypes about a social group that does not agree with the attributes that are typically perceived as being required for success in certain social roles. Eagly uses much of her research to show that discrimination happens when the individual steps outside of the given stereotype ascribed to their group. This is a basis for much of her research on gender discrimination and stereotypes. According to Eagly, an attitude is made of evaluation, attitude object, and tendency. Evaluation encompasses all aspects of reacting inwardly or outwardly and to react based upon a believed feeling or emotion. An attitude object is any thing that can cause a reaction in an individual. Tendency is formed through past experiences. Each individual has their own attitude based on these three components that resonate with other's attitudes in order to form similar patterns of thought and stereotypes. One of her most important contributions to the field of psychology is