Erik E Noftle

Professor Noftle received his BA in psychology from Grinnell College and his MA and PhD in personality-social psychology from UC Davis. After a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Wake Forest University and a year as an Assistant Professor at Linfield College, he joined the faculty at Willamette in 2010. Dr. Noftle enjoys teaching courses in personality psychology and research methods, among others. Dr. Noftle’s research interests include the following topics: personality variability, consistency, stability, and change; personality and character development; individual differences in attachment styles; functionalist approaches to discrete emotions and behavior; and assessment and psychometrics. In these research pursuits, Dr. Noftle seeks to answer the following questions: How do individuals differ psychologically from one another (and how can we know this), how consistent are those differences across situations and time, and what meaning do these differences have for people in their actual lives--for achievement, relationships, and happiness and well-being?

Dr. Noftle directs the Willamette University Personality Laboratory (or “WUP Lab”). He is currently seeking research assistants to join the lab who are responsible, careful, reliable, and excited about research. If you are interested in getting involved in his research program, please contact him via email.