Michael Milburn's primary area of research interest is emotion. With this as a
focus, he is engaged in research in the areas of political psychology,
communication, and health psychology. Dr. Milburn's research in political
psychology focuses on the determinants of political attitudes, the role of
emotion in public opinion, and the effects of the mass media on political
attitudes and social behavior. Working in the context of affect displacement theory,
i.e., that emotions from childhood can be displaced onto adult political
attitudes, his research has demonstrated a relationship between experiences of
harsh childhood punishment and support for punitive public policies such as the
death penalty and the use of military force. His 1996 book, written with Dr.
Sheree Conrad, The Politics of Denial,
presented his empirical research in this area and explored the broader
implications of denial for physical and mental health and the political system.
Following publication of his book Sexual
Intelligence in 2001, Prof. Milburn’s past students have done
research on the relationship of authoritarianism to sexual harassment, research
his has continued, as well as on the impact of childhood punishment experiences
on individuals’ world view and political attitudes.