Rebecca Erickson, Ph.D.

Title: Professor of Sociology and Chair, Departments of Anthropology & Sociology
Dept/Program: Departments of Anthropology and Sociology
Office: Olin Hall 247B
Phone: (330) 972-5157
Email: rericks@uakron.edu
Curriculum Vitae: Download in PDF format

Biography

Dr. Erickson investigates the experience and management of emotion within occupational and family contexts. In general, her work examines how emotional experiences vary across social status positions and how such differences affect the mental and physical health of individuals along with their interpersonal relationships. Using multiple methods (e.g., surveys, interviews, audio diaries), and funded by such organizations as the National Science Foundation and the Health Resources and Services Administration, Dr. Erickson’s research has primarily focused on the experiences of registered nurses and how the emotional demands of the nursing profession impact nurses’ health. Most recently, she and her colleague Matt Lee have been working on the development of a replicable measure of compassion capability and an intervention strategy for evaluating and promoting the routine practices that promote empathy and compassion among those working in the caring professions as well as to enhance the compassion capability of the organizations themselves.

Research

Re-imagining Public Safety in Akron, Ohio – project in support of an Akron City Council initiative

Increasing Compassion Capability in Organizations

Publications

Gabriel, Allison Stephanie, Rebecca J. Erickson, James M. Diefendorff, Daniel Krantz. 2020. “When Does Feeling in Control Benefit Well-Being? The Boundary Conditions of Identity Commitment and Self-Esteem.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103415

Cottingham, Marci D. and Rebecca J. Erickson. 2020. “Capturing Emotion with Audio Diaries.” Qualitative Research 20(5): 549-564. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794119885037

Cottingham, Marci D., Jamie J. Chapman, and Rebecca J. Erickson. 2020. “The Constant Caregiver: Work-Family Spillover Among Men and Women in Nursing.” Work, Employment and Society 34(2):281-298. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017019885084 

Cottingham, Marci D. and Rebecca J. Erickson. 2020. “The Promise of Emotion Practice: At the Bedside and Beyond.” Work and Occupations 47(2):173-199. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888419892664

Cottingham, Marci D., Austin Johnson, and Rebecca J. Erickson. 2018, “‘I can never be too comfortable’: Race, Gender, and Emotion at the Hospital Bedside.” Qualitative Health Research 28(1):145-158. doi: 10.1177/1049732317737980

Dill, Janette, Rebecca J. Erickson, and James M. Diefendorff. 2016, “Motivation in Caring Labor: Implications for the Well-being and Employment Outcomes of Care Workers.”  Social Science & Medicine 167 (October): 99-106.

Risman, Kelsey, Rebecca J. Erickson, and James M. Diefendorff. 2016. “The Impact of Person-Organization Fit on Nurse Job Satisfaction and Patient Care Quality.” Applied Nursing Research 31:121-125.

Grant, Don, Rebecca J. Erickson, Beth Duckles, Christine Sheikh. 2016. “Affirming Selves through Styles of Care: When, How, and Why Hospital Workers Craft Different Patient Cultures.” Social Problems 63(2): 180-202.

Education

Ph.D. Sociology, Washington State University, 1991

Courses

Introduction to Sociology

Sociological Theory

Sociology of Mental Illness

Career Pathways in Social Science