My present research interests are in the ways in which psychiatric diagnoses, particularly narcissistic personality disorder, are understood and have been deployed or withheld. Through a comparative study of North America and German-speaking Europe, I have examined the ways in which a practitioner's theoretical orientation shapes their understanding of and psychotherapeutic approach towards pathological narcissism. 

Other work has included a quantitative study of desertion amongst Indiana infantrymen in the US Civil War (currently in preparation).  Broadly speaking, I am interested in a sociology which does not simply rely on "social construction" as an "explanation" of everything, but rather one which takes other fields (e.g. psychiatry) seriously.  Social psychology, comparative/historical sociology, and qualitative methods form the core of my research interests.

I have previously received an MA in Sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Sociology and Economics (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Pittsburgh.