Carrie Smith
Instructional Associate Professor of Psychology
Phone Number: (662)915-1075
Email: csmith4@olemiss.edu

Key Words: Social Psychology, Interpersonal Relationships, Personality

Research Description: I am interested in studying how people's conceptualizations of themselves and their motivations affect their interpersonal experiences (e.g., satisfaction, behaviors). For example, do people who have more interpersonal reasons for having sex have interactions that are more satisfying than people who have more self-focused motivations. I also have also conducted research examining doctor-patient relationships - are we more satisfied with doctor's visits when they support us? I am also interested in examining people's perceptions of their daily social experiences. More specifically, I focus primarily on how various situational factors and individual differences affect the way people navigate their daily social lives. For example, who are we friends with? What are social interactions like? My recent research has been examining the Dark Triad, a personality constellation that includes narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, and the Dark Tetrad, which adds sadism. I have looked at this in relation to media and now in reference to pain tolerance.

Honors Theses:

Welch, Taylor (2021) For Better or Worse? Hallmark Movie Viewership and Unrealistic Relationship Beliefs (full text)

Purdom, Katherine E (2021) Examining Bystander Blame in Rape and Sexual Assault (full text)

Hardin, Benjamin (2021) Darker by the day: Daily variability in the Dark Triad of personality (full text)

Haupt, Emily (2020) High on Grades and Drugs? An Analysis of Prescription Drug Misuse and Motivations among Honors and Non-Honors College Students (full text)

Chandler, Sherlee Q. (2018) What's the Payoff? Parental Well-being in Relation to Attachment, Interpersonal Goals and Parenting Style (full text)

Pitts, Elizabeth (2018) Plant Power: The Impact of Plants in the Classroom on Student Success and Well-Being (full text)

Cook, Breana (2016) Food for Thought: The Role of Food in Romantic Relationships. (full text)

Maiolatesi, Ashley Christine (2016) Gender Rules: Differences in Male and Female First-Year Undergraduate Adherence to Campus Alcohol Policy (full text)

Holloway, Brooke Allison (2016) "Personality and Pain"

Pollard, Morgan (2016) A Broken System? Prescription Drug Use and Abuse in Fraternity and Sorority Members (full text)

Davis, Timothy (2015) Do You See what I See? How a Dark Triad Personality Affects Perceptions of Dark Triad Characters in Film and Television. (full text)

Antonacci, Dominic (2014) Attaching Meaning to Sex: Attachment Styles and Possible Mediators of Safe Sex Behavior. (full text)

Ellison, Parker Lee (2013) "Assessing Preferences of Parents in the Pediatric Setting"

Williams, Marie Elise (2013) "Pediatric-Patient Relationship Preferences Predicting Consultation Satisfaction"

Hill, Ashley Elizabeth (2012) "Autonomy in the Gynecologist-Patient Relationship as a Measure of Patient Satisfaction"

Available Research Projects: