John Coffey
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Mail code: 3051Campus: West
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John K. Coffey is an associate professor of psychology in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences. He received his doctorate in positive developmental psychology from Claremont Graduate University, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree from Creighton University. He is also an Assistant Professor Adjunct at the Yale Child Study Center. He has held positions at CSU-Fullerton, UC-Riverside, and Sewanee. In the past, he has worked as a child and family therapist.
His goal is to enable all individuals, regardless of their background, to overcome adversity and thrive across their lifespans. His research focuses on how positive and negative emotions and relationships from infancy to adulthood are linked to happiness, flourishing, resiliency, mental health, and physical health. His research has been published in journals including Current Psychology, Emotion, Positive Psychology, Journal of Child and Family Studies, Journal of Happiness Studies, and Attachment and Human Development. His research has been covered by various media outlets, blogs, and included in books. He blogs for Psychology Today. He has partnered with schools and organizations to build online and in-person interventions to promote well-being for children, parents, and other adults.
Claremont Graduate University
Ph.D. in Psychology, 2015
M.A. in Psychology, 2012
Dissertation Chair: Jessica Borelli, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Positive Developmental Psychology
University of Michigan
M.S.W., 2007
Area: Interpersonal Practice with Children and Youth
Creighton University
B.A., in Psychology, 2004
Coffey, J. K., Nelson-Coffey, S. K., *Faulkner, H., & Pluess, W. (in press). Positive emotion expression at age 11 is associated with multiple well-being outcomes 39 years later. Accepted for publication in Current Psychology. doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-03218-4
Coffey, J. K., Bond, D. K., Stern, J. A., & *Van Why, N (in press). Sexual experiences and attachment styles in online and offline dating contexts. Accepted for publication in the International Journal of Sexual Health. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2022.2110349
Nelson-Coffey, S. K., *Johnson, C. E., & Coffey, J. K. (in press). Safe haven gratitude improves emotions, well-being, and parenting outcomes among parents with high levels of attachment insecurity. The Journal of Positive Psychology. doi: 10.1080/17439760.2021.1991454
Coffey, J. K., Xia, M., & Fosco, G. (2022). When do adolescents feel loved? A daily within-person study of parent-adolescent relationships. Emotion. 22(5), 861-873. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000767
Coffey, J. K., & Warren, M. (2020). Comparing adolescent positive affect and self-esteem as precursors to adult self-esteem and life satisfaction. Motivation and Emotion, 44(5), 707-718. doi: 10.1007/s11031-020-09825-7
Coffey, J.K. (2019). Cascades of infant happiness: Infant positive affect predicts childhood IQ and adult educational attainment. Emotion, 20(7), 1255-1265. doi: 10.1037/emo0000640
Smiley, P. A., Buttitta, K. V., *Chung, S. Y., Coffey, J. K., *Wang, B. H., & Borelli, J. L. (2016). Anger in Response to Challenge: Children's Emotion Socialization Predicts Approach versus Avoidance. Motivation and Emotion, 40(6), 923-935. doi: 10.1007/s11031-016-9583-5
Coffey, J. K., Wray-Lake, L. Mashek, D., & Branand, B. (2016). A multi-study examination of Well-Being Theory in college and community samples. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17, 187-211. doi: 10.1007/s10902-014-9590-8
Borelli, J. L., *Somers, J., West, J. L., Coffey, J. K., De Los Reyes, A., & Shmueli-Goetz, Y. (2016). Associations between attachment narratives and self-report measures of attachment in middle childhood: Extending evidence for the validity of the child attachment interview. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25, 1235-1246. doi: 10.1007/s10826-015-0310-8
Borelli, J. L., *Somers, J., West, J. L., Coffey, J. K., & Shmueli-Goetz, Y. (2016). Shedding light on the specificity of school-aged children’s attachment narratives. Attachment and Human Development, 18(2), 188-211. doi: 10.1080/14616734.2015.1134605
Howell, K. H., Coffey, J. K., Fosco, G. M., Kracke, K., Nelson, S. K., Rothman, E. F., & Grych, J. H. (2016). 7 reasons to invest in well-being. Psychology of Violence, 6(1), 8-14. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/vio0000019
Coffey, J. K., Warren, M., & Gottfried, A. (2015). Does infant happiness forecast adult life satisfaction? Examining subjective well-being in the first quarter century of life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 16, 1401-1421. doi: 10.1007/s10902-014-9556-x
Branand, B., Mashek, D., Wray-Lake, L., & Coffey, J. K., (2015). Inclusion of college community in the Self: A longitudinal study of the role of connectedness in students' satisfaction. Journal of College Student Development, 56(8), 829-844. doi: 10.1353/csd.2015.0080
Borelli, J. L., Sbarra, D. A., Randall, A. K., Snavely, J. E., McMakin, D. L., Coffey, J. K., *Ruiz, S. K., *Wang, B. A., & *Chung, S. Y. (2014). With or without you: Attachment avoidance predicts non-deployed spouses’ reactions to relationship challenges during deployment. Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, 45(6) 478-487. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037780
Courses
2025 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
PSY 592 | Research |
PSY 599 | Thesis |
PSY 499 | Individualized Instruction |
PSY 598 | Special Topics |
PSY 335 | Positive Psychology |
2024 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
PSY 592 | Research |
PSY 599 | Thesis |
PSY 335 | Positive Psychology |
PSY 580 | Practicum |
PSY 500 | Research Methods |
PSY 384 | Psych Undergrad Teaching Asst |
2024 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
PSY 592 | Research |
PSY 499 | Individualized Instruction |
PSY 493 | Honors Thesis |
PSY 598 | Special Topics |
PSY 336 | Applications of Positive Psych |
2023 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
PSY 592 | Research |
PSY 335 | Positive Psychology |
PSY 580 | Practicum |
2023 Spring
Course Number | Course Title |
---|---|
PSY 493 | Honors Thesis |
PSY 598 | Special Topics |
2022 Fall
Course Number | Course Title |
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PSY 443 | Abnormal Child Psychology |