My Research

My research focuses on individuals in interpersonal relationships. I am especially interested in how people (consciously and unconsciously) communicate identities involving "taken-for-granted" societal forces (e.g., sex, gender, relational communication). My goal, with each research program, is to disseminate findings beyond solely academic outlets. Therefore, I strive to apply my research to community organizations, health practitioners, and classroom settings. In my work, I operate on the assumption that individuals shape society; by looking at people one-on-one, I seek to enable social change, even if "only" in minds of individuals in classrooms and communities.

My current programs of research all focus on relational communication (e.g., relational uncertainty, power, conflict, love, and sex occurring in violent & nonviolent relationships) as influenced by societal identities (e.g., gender, family roles, stigma, health norms).

Currently Collecting Data Online...

Love Languages Methodology Study

We want to know how people actually communicate love in romantic relationships. If you’ve ever been in a romantic relationship & are at least 18 years old, consider taking this approx. 15 min. anonymous survey located HERE. Study approved by WCSU Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research (#1920-95, expires 12/16/20.

Publications

Please contact me for free PDFs of any pubs not linked here.

Lever, K., & Eckstein, J. J. (in press). “I never did those things they said!”: Image, coercive control, and intrusion from former partners’ technology-mediated abuse. Iowa Journal of Communication.
Eckstein, J. J., & Quattro, R. (in press). Does exposure matter?: Influence of media, education, and experience on knowledge, understanding, and perceptions of technology-mediated partner violence. In J. Weist & H. Pait (Eds.), Emerald studies in media and communications: Mass mediated representations of crime and criminality (Vol. 23, pp. TBD). Emerald.
Ribarsky, E., & Eckstein, J. J. (Eds.). (2020). Activate your superpower: Creating compelling communication. Kendall-Hunt. ISBN: 978-1-7924-06928
Eckstein, J. J. (2020). What is violence now?: A grounded theory approach to conceptualizing technology-mediated abuse (TMA) as spatial and participatory. The Electronic Journal of Communication, 29(3-4). www.cios.org/www/ejc/v29n34toc.htm
Eckstein, J. J. (2019). "I'm strong for her" versus "I rely on him": Male and female victims' reasons for staying reflect sex-gender conflations. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 47(2), 216-235. http://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2019.1584403
Brule, N. J., & Eckstein, J. J. (2019). "NOT my issue!!!": Teaching the applied interpersonal conflict course. Journal of Communication Pedagogy, 2, 17-22. http://doi.org/10.31446/JCP.2019.05
Eckstein, J. J. (2017). Intimate terrorism and situational couple violence: Classification variability across five methods to distinguish Johnson’s violent relationship types. Violence & Victims, 32(6), 955-976. http://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-16-00022
Eckstein, J. J. (2017). Writing a literature review. In M. Allen (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of communication research methods (pp. 1887-1888). Sage. ISBN: 978-1483381435
Brule, N. J., & Eckstein, J. J. (2017). Vulnerable groups. In M. Allen (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of communication research methods (pp. 1871-1874). Sage. ISBN: 978-1483381435
Eckstein, J. J. (2017). American Psychological Association. In M. Allen (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of communication research methods (pp. 27-28). Sage. ISBN: 978-1483381435
Eckstein, J. J. (2016). "The more things change...?": Technology and abuse for intimate partner violence victims. In E. Gilchrist-Petty & S. D. Long (Eds.), Contexts of the dark side of communication. Peter Lang Publishing. ISBN: 978-1433127496
Eckstein, J. J. (2016). Is love blind to abuse?: Factors affecting victims' preferences for love-communication from abusive partners. In L. N. Olson & M. A. Fine (Eds.), Examining the darkness of family communication: The harmful, the morally suspect, and the socially inappropriate (pp. 175-197). Peter Lang Publishing. ISBN: 978-1433125379
Brule, N. J., & Eckstein, J. J. (2016). Am I really a bad parent?": Adolescent-to-parent abuse (AtPA) identity and the Stigma Management Communication (SMC) model. Journal of Family Communication, 16(3), 198-215. http://doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2016.1160908
Eckstein, J. J. (2016). IPV stigma and its social management: The roles of relationship-type, abuse-type, and victims' sex. Journal of Family Violence, 31(2), 215-225. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-015-9752-4
Eckstein, J. J., & Cherry, J. (2015). Perceived characteristics of men abused by female romantic partners: Blaming, Resulting, Blaming-Excuses, or Normal? Culture, Society & Masculinities, 7(2), 140-153. http://doi.org/10.3149/CSM.0702.140
Eckstein, J. J., Brule, N. J., Wiss, K., Petkanas, W., & Bryant, L. E. (2015). Feature Article: It's all relational: Blinded or aided by our own lens? Relationship Research News, 14(1), 8-13.
Eckstein, J. J. (2014). Review of The dark side of relationship pursuit: From attraction to obsession and stalking (2nd ed.) by B. Spitzberg & W. Cupach. Relationship Research News, 13(2), 20-21.
Eckstein, J. J., & Allen, M. (2014). (Eds.). Special Issue: Reclaiming stigma: Alternative explorations of the construct. Communication Studies, 65(2), 1-3. http:// doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2014.893708
Eckstein, J. J., & Pinto, K. (2013). Collaborative participatory action strategies for re-envisioning young men’s masculinities. Action Research, 11(3), 234-250. http://doi.org/10.1177/1476750313487928
Eckstein, J. J. (2013). Straus, Murray. In L. L. Finley (Ed.), Encyclopedia of domestic violence and abuse (pp. 483-484). ABC-CLIO. ISBN: 978-1610690010
Eckstein, J. J. (2013). Social change movements. In L. L. Finley (Ed.), Encyclopedia of domestic violence and abuse (pp. 463-465). ABC-CLIO. ISBN: 978-1610690010
Eckstein, J. J. (2013). Technology and abuse. In L. L. Finley (Ed.), Encyclopedia of domestic violence and abuse (pp. 489-490). ABC-CLIO. ISBN: 978-1610690010
Eckstein, J. J. (2013). Being a man: Challenging or reinforcing embodied masculinities in the university classroom. In M. J. Murphy & E. Ribarsky (Eds.), Activities for teaching gender and sexuality in the university classroom (pp. 155-160). Rowman & Littlefield Education. ISBN: 978-1475801804
Eckstein, J. J. (2012). Sex, gender, and relationship type in the relational uncertainty of victims of partner violence.Partner Abuse, 3(1), 22-42. http://doi.org/ 10.1891/1946-6560.3.1.22
Eckstein, J. J. (2012). Reasons for staying in abusive relationships: A resource for understanding gendered identities as internally and externally construed. In A. Browne-Miller (Ed.), Violence & abuse in society: Understanding a global crisis. Volume 4: Faces of intimate partner violence (pp. 53-75). Praeger. ISBN: 978-0313382765
Eckstein, J. J. (2012). Predicting victims’ contact with former abusive partners. In A. Browne-Miller (Ed.), Violence & abuse in society: Understanding a global crisis. Volume 4: Faces of intimate partner violence (pp. 107-123). Praeger. ISBN: 978-0313382765
Eckstein, J. J. (2011). Going viral in the classroom: Using emerging CMC technologies for social change. In S. Kelsey & K. St. Amant (Eds.), Computer-mediated communication: Issues and approaches in education (pp. 207-223). IGI Global. ISBN: 978-1613500774
Eckstein, J. J. (2010). Reasons for staying in intimately violent relationships: Comparisons of men and women and messages communicated to self and others. Journal of Family Violence, 26(1), 21-30. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-010-9338-0
Eckstein, J. J. (2010). Masculinity of men communicating abuse victimization. Culture, Society, and Masculinities, 2 (1), 62-74. http://doi.org/10.3149/CSM.0201.62
Eckstein, J. J. (2010). “Make it real for me!”: Performing symbolic interactionism as a tool for critical analysis writing. Compendium 2: Writing, Teaching, and Learning in the University, 3(1), 22-25.
Eckstein, J. J. (2009). Exploring the communication of men revealing abuse from female romantic partners. In D. D. Cahn (Ed.), Family violence: Communication processes (pp. 89-111). State University of New York Press. ISBN: 978-0791493755
Eckstein, J. J. (2008). Emotional animals: Creating controversy as perspective-taking in the interpersonally-focused classroom. Communication Teacher, 22(2), 39-43. http:// doi.org/10.1080/17404620801935231
Eckstein, J. J. (2005). Conversion conundrums: Listener perceptions of affective influence attempts as mediated by personality and individual differences. Communication Quarterly, 53(3), 401-419. http://doi.org/10.1080/01463370500101394