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Darren George

Professor (Burman University)
Faculty (University of Alabama)

Education

  • Ph.D.: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
  • M.A: California State University, Fullerton
  • Undergraduate: Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA

Research Areas

  • Statistics: Dr George has co-authored the world’s leading book on data Analysis using SPSS software. Now in its 17th edition, the book is distributed in 85 countries of the world.
  • Close relationships: the bulk of Dr George’s research today focuses on close, romantic relationships in the context of dating or marriage. Publications in this area address the impact on relational satisfaction of: Positive illusions, similarity of perspective, recovery from divorce, emotional regulation, shared activities, outside friendships, the perception of the physical attractiveness of one’s partner, and, an integrated look at the dynamic of many factors on relational satisfaction.
  • Other research interests: Prior to the present focus on close relationships, Dr. George’s publications have been quite diverse, encompassing topics such as: the impact of personality on competitive athletic success, attributional analysis of helping behavior, etiology of sexually abusive behavior, factors that influence student success, music and personality, the effectiveness of a conflict resolution class, the role of the librarian at a small university, student response to the shift to remote teaching due to the COVID crisis, and others.

Bio

Darren M. George was born in Oakland, California at some remote date in the last millennium. He has lived in three general areas since then: California up through completion of the Ph.D. (1992), in Alberta, Canada from 1993-2021, and in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (2021 – present). Darren attended St. Helena High School (a football powerhouse: They compiled the California State record for consecutive wins the year he graduated, 45-0), completed his undergraduate work at Pacific Union College overlooking the beautiful Napa Valley. Darren earned an MA in experimental Psychology at Cal State Fullerton in 1982, and taught high school and coached track in the Alhambra City School District (east of LA) from 1980 – 1989. A major–life highlight was getting accepted into UCLA’s Ph.D. program. Darren worked closely with luminaries such as Harold Kelley, Shelly Taylor, Bernard Weiner, Seymour Feshbach and Peter Bentler, and completed the program in three years: Major in Personality-Social, Minor in Measurements & Psychometrics. Another UCLA highlight was meeting Paul Mallery. Darren and Paul teamed up to write the book: IBM SPSS Statistics, Step by Step. Little did they know then that the book would go on to become an international best seller. The book is now in its 17th edition and is distributed in 85 countries of the world. After a year teaching (UCLA and Cal State) in Southern California, Darren accepted a position at Burman University in Central Alberta Canada. He spent 29 magnificent years in the chilly north and progressed through the ranks to become a tenured full professor and Department of Psychology chair. Darren’s in-laws, however, were failing, and COVID restrictions required terminating the relationship with Burman and moving to Tuscaloosa. He was employed by UA to teach and research in 2021. Let’s hope the next 29 year at The University of Alabama are just as rewarding! Personal: Darren is married to Elizabeth (professional speaker and corporate trainer), has three grown children [Marcus (aerospace engineer), Robin (an Oscar-winning animator), and Melody (an Emmy–winning director and videographer)], performs on the trombone, enjoys playing the piano, relishes (and has written a book on) classic movies, and has been nationally ranked as a runner (2:20:10 marathon). 

Selected Publications

George, D. M., Saugh, D., Ridderhof, S., Unger, E. Snyder, M.  (under review).  Unraveling the complexity of the impact of outside friendships on relationship satisfaction for heterosexual couples. Journal of Social Psychology Research. 

George, D. M., Anderson, C., George, E. E., Bruggemann, K, David, K., McDonald, N., Simon, C.  (under review).  Marital satisfaction: Toward an integrated Understanding. Structural equation modeling helps unravel the complexity of factors that impact marital success. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 

George, D. M., Lewis, D., Wilson, S., Van Putten, J., & Nengomasha, T.  (under review).  The direct and mediated influence of perceptual variables on physical attractiveness and relational satisfaction in romantically involved heterosexual couples. Journal of Social Psychology Research. 

George, D. M., & Mallery, P. C.  (2022).  IBM SPSS Statistics 27 Step by Step:  A simple guide and reference, 17th Edition.  London: Routledge. 

Buttler, T., George, D., & Bruggemann, K. (2021). Student input on the effectiveness of the shift to emergency remote teaching due to the COVID crisis: Structural equation modeling creates a more complete picture. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2, 100036. 

Bennedbaek, D., Clark, S., & George, D. (2021). The impact of librarian-student contact on students’ information literacy competence in small colleges and universities. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 28(1), 1-17. 

George D. M., Linrud, A., Hall, S., Wisdom, A., Bermudez, K., & Greenfield, M. (2020). The influence of self-enhancement, partner-enhancement, perceptual accuracy and personal identity on relational satisfaction among married couples, dating couples and same-sex roommate dyads. Interpersonal Relationships. 

Boyd, B, & George, D. M. (2019). The Influence of an Undergraduate Conflict-Resolution Course to Effect Change in Student Cognitions, Attitudes and Behaviors in Their Personal Relationships. Journal of Research in Christian Education, 28(3), 309-324. 

George D. M., Luo, S., Webb, J., Martinez, A., Foulston, J., & Pugh, J. (2015). Couple Similarity on Stimulus Characteristics and Marital Satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 126-131.