Early social relationships have far-reaching implications for human development. How does the ability to empathize with another shape the quality of these relationships? As an undergraduate at Pomona College, my research focused on the role of parent empathy in promoting secure attachment in middle childhood. Following college, I assisted with an NIH-funded investigation of family-based mental health interventions for youth with autism. Currently, I am interested in how parent empathy informs interventions to promote secure attachment in young children. More broadly, what is the role of empathy in supporting social relationships and emotional development throughout the lifespan?

PAPERS

Shaver, P., Mikulincer, M., Gross, J., Stern, J., & Cassidy, J. (in press). Attachment, compassion, altruism, empathy, and forgiveness across the lifespan [working title]. In J. Cassidy & P. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of Attachment 3rd Ed..

Stern, J., Borelli, J., & Smiley, P. (2015). Assessing parental empathy: A role for empathy in child attachment. Attachment & Human Development, 17(1), 1-22.

PRESENTATIONS

Stern, J., Borelli, J., & St. John, H. K. (2015, August). Empathy and reflective functioning: Unique contributions to attachment security. Poster to be presented at the International Attachment Conference, New York, NY.