- Regents Professor of Sociology
Biography
Regents Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1999
Areas
Life Course, Adolescence and the Transition to Adulthood, Adolescent and Young Adult Health and Well-Being, Education, Work and Family
Research Interests
My research interests are in the areas of work, family, and education across the life course, with particular focus on well-being and achievement in adolescence and the transition to adulthood. I am currently involved in research tackling families’ and young people’s adaptations to the changing nature of the transition to adulthood, including familial financial support in young adulthood and its implications for attainment and well-being; change in educational and work ambitions tied to changing personal and historical circumstances; and the interplay of stratification and the development of social psychological resources in promoting well-being and attainment.
Selected Publications
Johnson, Monica Kirkpatrick, Jeylan T. Mortimer, and Jutta Heckhausen. 2020. “Work Value Transmission from Parents to Children: Early Socialization and Delayed Activation” Work and Occupations 47(1): 83-119.
Burger, Kaspar, Jeylan T. Mortimer, and Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson. 2020. “Self-esteem and Self-efficacy in the Status Attainment Process and the Multigenerational Transmission of Advantage” Social Science Research 86:102374.
Horne, Christine and Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson. 2021. “Testing an Integrated Theory: Distancing Norms in the Early Months of Covid-19.” Sociological Perspectives 64(5):970-987.
Horne, Christine and Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson. 2022. “Rationales and Support for Norms in the Context of Covid-19.” Social Psychology Quarterly 85(3):237-258.
Johnson, Monica Kirkpatrick and Sadie Ridgeway. 2023. “Gender and Family Financial Support in the Transition to Adulthood.” Sociological Forum 38(4):1153-1175.
Johnson, Monica Kirkpatrick and Sadie Ridgeway. 2024. “Becoming Independent and Responsible Adults: Does Parental Financial Help or Interfere?” Journal of Family Issues 45(3):571-591.
Burger, Kaspar, Jeylan T. Mortimer, Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson and Xiaowen Han. 2025. “The Intergenerational Reproduction of Self-Direction at Work: Revisiting Class and Conformity.” Social Forces. doi:10.1093/sf/soaf016
Johnson, Monica Kirkpatrick, Stefanie Mollborn, and Christine Horne. 2025. “Yes, Parents, It Reflects on You: Norms and Metanorms Regulating Teen Daughters and Parents.” Journal of Marriage and Family. doi:10.1111/jomf.13090
Hitlin, Steven and Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson. 2015. “Reconceptualizing Agency
within the Life Course: The Power of Looking Ahead.” American Journal of Sociology
120:1429-1472.