I am a developmental social psychologist. My program of research examines processes that help individuals maintain and enhance the quality of their adult romantic relationships.

Currently, my primary interests involve studying romantic relationships within a developmental context. By understanding prior developmental history in conjunction with proximal factors, I believe that I will achieve a deeper and more nuanced understanding of current relationship functioning and dynamics.

For example, working with collaborators at the University of Minnesota, I have evidence that commitment unfolds in important dyadic relationships in a meaningful progression across the life course. We find that people who typically have less supportive and hostile interactions with close and important others tend to be the relatively less committed partner in adult romantic relationships.

I am also interested in studying social influence processes in close relationships. Because relationship maintenance often entails the negotiation of behaviors, many important and meaningful persuasion attempts occur between persons who know each other well. In close relationships, each person has the ability to draw upon his/her unique knowledge about his/her partner’s values and beliefs which stems from shared history and experience when creating an influence appeal. I treat influence as a dyadic level phenomenon, and I study how influence processes unfold between two people in a relationship who often possess divergent motivations, attitudes, and goals.

Additional research interests include attachment theory, interdependence theory, empathic accuracy, power, and trust in romantic relationships.

Primary Interests:

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Close Relationships
Communication, Language
Interpersonal Processes
Persuasion, Social Influence

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Close Relationships
Communication, Language

Interpersonal Processes
Persuasion, Social Influence

Journal Articles:

Gaertner, L., Iuzzini, J., Witt, M., & Orina, M. M. (2006). Us without them: Evidence for an intragroup origin of positive ingroup regard. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 426-439.
Orina, M. M., Simpson, J. A., Ickes, W., Asada, K., Fitzpatrick, S., & Braz, M. E. (2008). Making it (inter-) personal: Self and partner moderated influence in romantic relationships. Social Influence, 3, 34-66.
Orina, M. M., Wood, W., & Simpson, J. A. (2002). Strategies of influence in close relationships. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 459-472.
Rholes, W. S., Simpson, J. A., & Orina, M. M. (1999). Attachment and anger in an anxiety- provoking situation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 940-957.
Simpson, J. A., Orina, M. M., & Ickes, W. (2003). When accuracy hurts, and when it helps: A test of the empathic accuracy model in marital interactions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 881-893.
Simpson, J. A., Rholes, W. S., Orina, M. M., & Grich, J. (2002). Internal working models of attachment in a support seeking situation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 598-608.
Simpson, J. A., Winterheld, H. A., Rholes, W. S., & Orina, M. M. (2007). Working models of attachment and reactions to different forms of caregiving from romantic partners. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93, 466-477.

Other Publications:

Campbell, L., Simpson, J. A., & Orina, M. (1999). Sex and mating: Sexual strategies, trade offs, and strategic pluralism. In D. H. Rosen & M. C. Luebbert (Eds.), Evolution of the psyche (pp. 34-61). Westport, CT: Praeger.
Ickes, W., Simpson, J. A., & Orina, M. (2005). Empathic accuracy and inaccuracy in close relationships. In B. Malle and S. Hodges (Eds.), Other minds: How humans bridge the divide between self and others (pp. 310-322). New York: Guilford Press.
Oriña, M. M , & Collins, W. A. (forthcoming, 2009). Developmental designs. In Harry T. Reis & Susan Sprecher (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Human Relationships. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Simpson, J. A., Ickes, W., & Orina, M. (2001). Empathic accuracy and preemptive relationship maintenance. In J. H. Harvey & A. Wenzel (Eds.), Close romantic relationships: Maintenance and enhancement (pp. 27-46). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Simpson, J. A., & Orina, M. (2003). Strategic pluralism and context-specific mate preferences in humans. In J. Fitness & K. Sterelny (Eds.), From mating to mentality: Evaluating evolutionary psychology (pp. 39-70). New York: Taylor & Francis.

Courses Taught:

Child Development
Close Relationships
Communication in Close Relationships
Evolutionary Perspectives on Interpersonal Relationships
Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Statistics
Seminar: Research on Romantic Relationships
Social and Personality Development
Social Psychology

Child Development
Close Relationships
Communication in Close Relationships
Evolutionary Perspectives on Interpersonal Relationships
Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Statistics
Seminar: Research on Romantic Relationships
Social and Personality Development
Social Psychology

M. Minda Oriña
Department of Psychology
St. Olaf College
1520 St. Olaf Avenue
Northfield, MN 55057
United States

Phone: (507) 786-3145