Robert Arkin

{{Short description|American social psychologist}}

Robert M. Arkin (August 12, 1950 – December 12, 2016) (Ph.D., University of Southern California) was a social psychologist and member of the social psychology program faculty at Ohio State University. He was primarily known for his research on self-handicapping.{{cite web|title=Social Psychology Network|url=http://arkin.socialpsychology.org|accessdate=5 May 2013}}

Research

Arkin’s research concerned the self in social interaction, with special emphasis on the uncertain self (self-doubt; self-handicapping and overachievement; personal security and insecurity in the post 9/11 era). Arkin developed the Subjective Overachievement Scale{{cite journal|last=Oleson|first=K.C.|author2=Poehlmann, K. M. |author3=Yost, J. H. |author4=Lynch, M. E. |author5=Arkin, R. M. |journal=Journal of Personality|title=Subjective Overachievement: Individual Differences in Self-Doubt and Concern With Performance|year=2001|volume=68|issue=3|pages=491–524|doi=10.1111/1467-6494.00104|pmid=10831310}} in 2001 to tap feelings of self-doubt coupled with a performance outcome concerns. He was the editor of the books Most Underappreciated: 50 Prominent Social Psychologists Describe Their Most Unloved Work,{{cite book|last=Arkin|first=R.M.|title=Most Underappreciated: 50 Prominent Social Psychologists Describe Their Most Unloved Work: 50 Prominent Social Psychologists Describe Their Most Unloved Work|year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press}} Handbook of the Uncertain Self (with co-editors Kathryn Oleson and Patrick Carroll),{{cite book|last=Arkin|first=R.M.|title=Handbook of the Uncertain Self|year=2009|publisher=Psychology Press|author2=Oleson, K.C. |author3=Carroll, P.J. }} and Handbook of Personal Security (with co-editors Patrick Carroll and Aaron Wichman).

Honors and Distinctions

Arkin was a member of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology.{{cite web|title=Society for Experimental Social Psychology|url=http://sesp.org/memlist.htm}} Arkin served more than fourteen years as Associate Editor (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology; Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin) and Editor (Basic and Applied Social Psychology) of major journals in the discipline. Other honors include: The Middlebush Chair in Psychology (University of Missouri); serving as Undergraduate Dean (The Ohio State University); and several Department, University and national teaching awards, including the Psi Chi National Distinguished Speaker Award in 2001.{{cite web|last=Psi Chi|title=Self-Doubt, Handicaps, and Hard Work|url=http://www.psichi.org/?page=061EyeFall01bArkin#.VyojmXErLnA|accessdate=2016-05-04}}

References