Jim Deal
Senior Associate Dean and Professor
Phone: (701) 231-7568
e-mail: Jim.Deal@ndsu.edu
Professional Profile
Dr. Deal began his career as a post-doctoral fellow in the National Institute of Mental Health sponsored Multi-Site Training Program in Family Process and Psychopathology (1987 – 1990). Following that, he spent three years as an assistant professor in the Division of Family Studies at the University of Arizona, before coming to NDSU in 1993.
He is currently a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, and also serves as the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education in the College of Human Sciences and Education.
Scholarly Activity
Dr. Deal’s research has focused on four major themes: (1) ) similarities and differences within the family, (2) relations between marital/familial relationships and individual development, (3) personality development in young children, and (3) development in emerging adulthood.
Similarities and Differences Within the Family
Dr. Deal’s early work in this area focused on the attitudes and perceptions of family members. The study of within-family differences in these areas has been a consistent theme running through the child and family literature for decades. While these differences have traditionally been viewed as a methodological issue, they also represent an important conceptual issue. Understanding when and under what conditions family members share perceptions and attitudes is an important step in understanding systemic organization within the family. Dr. Deal has examined these issues in the context of mate selection, marital relations, and the parental relationship. He proposed a new and unique methodology for exploring issues in the area, and examined the importance of linkages between attitudinal similarity within the family and the broader social/cultural context in which the family is embedded. He has also examined the differential treatment of siblings by parents, as well as the degree of shared temperamental variance between siblings and its relation to sibling relationships, focusing more on differences and similarities in behaviors and behavioral styles within the family.
Relations Between Marital/Familial Relationships and Individual Development
Work in area one led Dr. Deal to focus more on the relations between marital/familial relationships and the development and adjustment of individual family members, especially children. It is clear that development does not proceed in a vacuum--for both children and adults, the family can exert a strong influence on developmental outcome. At the same time, however, it is also clear that the developmental trajectories of individual members often exert powerful influences on relationships within the family. His work in this area has examined the influence of marital and family interaction on children’s problem behaviors, the role of marital conflict in the differential treatment of siblings, the influence of family and marital interaction on children’s behavior and performance in the school setting, the functioning of the newly remarried couple within the larger context of the reconstituted family, and the functioning of the reconstituted family and its members in general.
Personality Development in Young Children
Work in area two led to Dr. Deal’s third major theme, personality development in young children. The more work was done in the second area, the more it became clear that the old social mold model of parenting and child development didn’t work—that child influences on parents and family relationships were much stronger than they were typically given credit for. In an effort to understand that, Dr. Deal and his colleagues began to focus on personality development in young children, emphasizing development and change in personality from early childhood through school entry. They were also interested in describing the way in which social interactions in the family and school influence, and are influenced by, personality differences.
Development in Emerging Adulthood
Dr. Deal’s current research focuses on emerging adults and how they navigate the transition to college and adulthood. He is particularly interested in first generation and/or low income students and issues related to financial support. Current projects focus on differential perceptions of support between students and parents, how mismatch between home and campus relates to identity development, and issues faced by students who are also parents.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Child & Family Development, University of Georgia, 1987. Minor: Social Psychology
M.S., Child & Family Development, University of Georgia, 1984.
B.S., Sociology, Georgia Southern College, 1982.
OTHER TRAINING
Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®), 2021.
Certificate in Financial Planning, University of Georgia, 2018.
Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics, Pennsylvania State University, 2012.