Education: BA, Point Loma Nazarene University, 1999; MS, Pennsylvania State University, 2003; PhD, Pennsylvania State University, 2006. At SPU since 2008.
Dr. Thane Erickson’s teaching, clinical, and research interests center on interpersonal processes as a point of intersection for understanding personality, emotional disorders (anxiety disorders and depression), well-being, and spirituality. His research team investigates topics such as social aspects of worry, moral emotions (e.g., “elevation,” gratitude), integrative cognitive-behavioral interventions, and the influence of character strengths on stress hormones.
At SPU, Dr. Erickson teaches undergraduate “Abnormal Psychology” and graduate courses in statistics, personality theory and research, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Dr. Erickson maintains a small private practice, providing evidence-based treatments for anxiety and depression. Outside of SPU, he enjoys spending time with his family, getting outside, and making music.
Selected publications
Erickson, T. M., Newman, M. G., Peterson, J., & Scarsella, G. (2015). Ambivalent interpersonal circumplex responding predicts cross-situational variability of social behavior. Journal of Personality, 83, 429–440.
Abelson, J. L., Erickson, T. M., Mayer, S., Crocker, J., Briggs, H., Lopez-Duran, N. L., & Liberzon, I. (2014). Brief cognitive intervention can modulate neuroendocrine stress responses to the Trier Social Stress Test: Buffering effects of a compassionate goal orientation. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 44, 60–70.
King, A. P., Erickson, T. M., Giardino, N. D., Rauch, S. A. M., Favorite, T., Robinson, E., Kulkarni, M., & Liberzon, I. (2013). A pilot study of group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for combat veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Depression and Anxiety, 30, 638–645.
Newman, M. G., Llera, S. L., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Castonguay, L. G. (2013). Worry and generalized anxiety disorder: A review and theoretical synthesis of evidence on nature, etiology, mechanisms, and treatment. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 275–297.
Erickson, T. M., & Abelson, J. L. (2012). Even the downhearted may be uplifted: Moral elevation in the daily life of clinically depressed and anxious adults. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 31, 707-728.
Please view Dr. Erickson’s CV (PDF) for additional publications.