Showing papers in "Journal of Personality Assessment in 1984"
TL;DR: A short form for assessing individual differences in need for cognition is described and its application in medicine is described.
Abstract: A short form for assessing individual differences in need for cognition is described.
2,756 citations
TL;DR: Factor analysis of the scale revealed that body esteem is a multidimensional construct which differs for males and females, and the three aspects of males' body esteem were more highly intercorrelated than those of the females.
Abstract: Norms and reliability and validity data are presented for an objectively scored Body Esteem Scale. Factor analysis of the scale revealed that body esteem is a multidimensional construct which differs for males and females. For males, the body esteem dimensions dealt with physical attractiveness, upper body strength, and physical condition. For females, the dimensions dealt with sexual attractiveness, weight concern, and physical condition. The three aspects of males' body esteem were more highly intercorrelated than those of the females, indicating a greater degree of body esteem differentiation for females than for males.
972 citations
TL;DR: Three studies are reported which provide evidence for the validity of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), and avenues for future research are suggested.
Abstract: Three studies are reported which provide evidence for the validity of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). Factor analysis of the NPI in Study 1 revealed four factors which were labelled: Exploitativeness/Entitlement, Leadership/Authority, Superiority/Arrogance, and Self-absorption/Self-admiration. In Study 2, scores on the NPI were correlated with basic dimensions of personality, and with relevant self-variables. Narcissism scores were positively related to dominance, exhibitionism, extraversion, self-esteem, and self-monitoring, among others; and negatively related to abasement, deference, and social anxiety, among others. Correlations between the NPI factors and personality variables are also examined. In Study 3, peer ratings of narcissism were obtained and it was found that these were strongly related to scores on the NPI. Taken together, the three studies provide considerable evidence for the construct validity of the NPI, and avenues for future research are suggested.
838 citations
TL;DR: Three empathy questionnaires were correlated with scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), and the predicted negative relationship was observed in two of the three cases, which support the construct validity of the NPI in general and of the Exploitiveness/Entitlement subscale in particular.
Abstract: Three empathy questionnaires were correlated with scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), and the predicted negative relationship was observed in two of the three cases. In addition, the Exploitiveness/Entitlement (E/E) subscale of the NPI was inversely related to all three empathy scales and directly related to another hypothesized measure of narcissism. Unexpected negative correlations between the E/E subscale and social desirability scales were interpreted as evidence of E/E subscale sensitivity to the manipulative dimension of narcissistic relationship styles. These data further support the construct validity of the NPI in general and of the Exploitiveness/Entitlement subscale in particular.
397 citations
TL;DR: Logical arguments, data from recent exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the revised STA1 (Form Y), and information about the construction and validation of the STAI were presented to refute criticisms.
Abstract: In a recent article in this Journal, Ramanaiah, Franzen, and Schill criticized the factor structure of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Form X) and the psychometric properties of individual state and trait anxiety items. Logical arguments, data from recent exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the revised STA1 (Form Y), and information about the construction and validation of the STAI were presented to refute these criticisms.
336 citations
292 citations
TL;DR: Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to examine the structure of the Fenigstein, Scheier, and Buss (1975) Self- Consciousness Scales and the resulting four-factor self-consciousness model fit the data more adequately than the three-factor model of FenIGstein et al.
Abstract: Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to examine the structure of the Fenigstein, Scheier, and Buss (1975) Self-consciousness Scales. Several weaknesses were identified and modifications were made to improve the representation of the underlying structure of the data. Five items were found to be relatively unreliable and were dropped. Two separate but correlated private self-consciousness dimensions, self-reflectiveness and internal state awareness, were identified. The resulting four-factor self-consciousness model fit the data more adequately than the three-factor model of Fenigstein et al.
151 citations
TL;DR: Comparisons with the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale revealed a divergent pattern of correlates with several measures of personality suggesting a basic difference between the MLAM and MCSD in their conceptualization of approval motivation.
Abstract: Existing measures of approval motivation attempt to assess this dimension of personality indirectly through evaluation of socially desirable response tendencies. The Martin-Larsen Approval Motivation (MLAM) Scale takes a more direct approach by focusing on individual differences in need for social approval. Since the original version of the MLAM scale is subject to acquiescence response bias, fully balanced and partially balanced scales were created to minimize this response style. Results indicated that the revised measures arc equivalent to the original version and that balancing affects the magnitude but not the pattern of correlates with other scales. Comparisons with the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability (MCSD) Scale revealed a divergent pattern of correlates with several measures of personality suggesting a basic difference between the MLAM and MCSD in their conceptualization of approval motivation.
107 citations
TL;DR: Positive empirical evidence supports the MBTI item validity, however, several measurement issues on item construction were raised to caution the future users.
Abstract: The present study presents a brief summary of four extensive psychometric analyses of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) items. Positive empirical evidence supports the MBTI item validity. However, several measurement issues on item construction were raised to caution the future users.
102 citations
TL;DR: A review of the psychological tests and methodology employed, the search for an adequate control group, and an analysis of the findings are presented in this article, where it is argued that researchers must reconsider the "hit or miss" approach to psychological testing with transsexuals and relate psychological testing to the actual clinical phenomenon of transsexualism.
Abstract: This paper critically reviews over 30 years of psychological testing of transsexualism, during which time 41 studies have been published. A review of the psychological tests and methodology employed, the search for an adequate control group, and an analysis of the findings are presented. It is argued that we have reached a critical point in transsexual research. Researchers must reconsider the "hit or miss" approach to psychological testing with transsexuals and relate psychological testing to the actual clinical phenomenon of transsexualism; addressing the newer conceptualizations of transsexualism as a variant of borderline pathology.
78 citations
TL;DR: The assessment of violence potential was studied using the following scales: The Novaco Anger Inventory, the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory,The MMPI Hostility Control Scale, the MMPi Overt Hostility Scale, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale.
Abstract: The assessment of violence potential was studied using the following scales: The Novaco Anger Inventory, the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, the MMPI Hostility Control Scale (Hc), the MMPI Overt Hostility Scale (Ho), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. The five measures were evaluated for their ability to discriminate between violent and nonviolent criminals, and between criminal and normal population samples. Normative data was collected for 204 adult male felons. A correlation matrix presents interrelationships among the five scales. A comparison of mean scale scores between violent and nonviolent groups resulted in a significant discrimination in the expected direction for all but the Hc scale. A discriminant analysis procedure applied to individual items from the Novaco Anger Inventory resulted in the selection of 25 variables which identified violence prone individuals with 90% accuracy. Clinical implications are noted and recommendations for future research are made.
TL;DR: Results further the search for a reliable, valid, and easily administered test for NPD while leaving open the question of the relationship between this syndrome and concern with self-presentation.
Abstract: The many theoretical accounts of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) provide no widely accepted method of identifying persons having this syndrome. Undergraduate scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) Narcissistic scale were intercorrelated and were also correlated with the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS). NPI and the MCMI subtests correlated significantly with each other, r(146) = .55, p < .001, but not with the MCSDS. These results further the search, for a reliable, valid, and easily administered test for NPD while leaving open the question of the relationship between this syndrome and concern with self-presentation.
TL;DR: Results of a factor analytic procedure suggest that the LRS contains four affective dimensions: Depletion, Isolation, Agitation, and Dejection.
Abstract: Interest in the topic of loneliness has resulted in the development of a number of global, unidimensional instruments used for measuring current levels of loneliness. A new, multidimensional scale, the Loneliness Rating Scale (LRS), is introduced. This 40-item scale assesses the frequency and intensity of particular affects reported by lonely individuals. Results of a factor analytic procedure suggest that the LRS contains four affective dimensions: Depletion, Isolation, Agitation, and Dejection. The theoretical implications of these results are presented, along with information concerning the usage and scoring of the LRS.
TL;DR: In this article, a comparison of the factor structure of the MCMI in: a general psychiatric sample, a substance misuse sample, and a drug misuse sample was conducted, and the authors found evidence for a sturdy factor measuring a negativistic-avoidant personality style with associated anxiety, depression, and somatization.
Abstract: This study involved a comparison of the factor structure of the MCMI in: a general psychiatric sample, a substance misuse sample, and a drug misuse sample. Examination of the factor matrices for the three clinical samples provided evidence for a sturdy factor measuring a negativistic-avoidant personality style with associated anxiety, depression, and somatization. Evidence was also available in all three samples for factors measuring: a) a paranoid cognitive and interpersonal pattern, and b) an asocial-avoidant personal orientation.
TL;DR: Looking toward the future, the paper proposes a series of comprehensive and parallel diagnostic criteria for the personality disorders to be included in either DSM-IIIR or DSM-IV.
Abstract: Both personality assessment and personality theory have experienced a significant decline in the past two or three decades, giving way to alternate professional interests by some. and being attacked as both empirically unsupportable and devoid of conceptual merit by others. Several tangible signs suggest that a resurrection is underway owing to position reversals by former critics, the changing character of patient populations, refinements in personality-oriented psychometric techniques, the refurbishing of analytic, interpersonal, and learning theories of personality, and the central role assigned personality disorders in the multiaxial format of the DSM-III. Looking toward the future, the paper proposes a series of comprehensive and parallel diagnostic criteria for the personality disorders to be included in either DSM-IIIR or DSM-IV.
TL;DR: Factor analysis of variables derived from several new conceptual approaches to the RORSchach provide the basis for integrating the multitude of Rorschach scores into more molar variables that can be scored reliably and that measure central dimensions of personality organization.
Abstract: Traditional approaches to the Rorschach produce a myriad of isolated but overlapping variables and ratios which limit the utilization of the Rorschach in research. Several new conceptual approaches to the Rorschach provide the basis for integrating the multitude of Rorschach scores into more molar variables that can be scored reliably and that measure central dimensions of personality organization. These new approaches assess dimensions of explicit personality theories rather than being derived from the test alone. Factor analysis of variables derived from several of these new approaches along with several more traditional scores, indicate seven basic factors which assess important dimensions on the Rorschach: degree of reality testing, primary experiential mode (action or ideation), degree of access to primitive modes of thought and the extent to which these modes are integrated effectively, degree of the investment in appropriate and inappropriate interpersonal relationships, and severity of pathological thinking. These seven empirically independent, orthogonal factors can be assessed by single variables that significantly differentiate opiate addicts and psychiatric patients and significantly correlate with independent estimates of ego functioning and development as evaluated in the Bellak clinical interview and on the Loevinger Sentence Completion Test.
TL;DR: The Discrepancy Between Private and Public Selves: Public Self-Consciousness and Its Correlates as discussed by the authors is a seminal work in the field of self-awareness.
Abstract: (1984). The Discrepancy Between Private and Public Selves: Public Self-Consciousness and Its Correlates. Journal of Personality Assessment: Vol. 48, No. 5, pp. 549-555.
TL;DR: It was found that the inmates did correctly manipulate the obvious scales, but the subtle scales did not consistently show the hypothesized trend, and possible reasons for this are discussed, including the nature of the scales used and characteristics of the population.
Abstract: Fifty-eight adult male felons were given the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), and the Draw-a-Person Test (DAP) to test the relative sensitivity of subtlety or obviousness of items to response Sets. The inmates were randomly assigned to three response set groups: a fake-aggressive group, a fake-nonaggressive group, and a standard-instruction control group. The MMPIs were scored for five obvious and five subtle aggression or hostility research scales. The BDHI is a totally obvious test, whereas the DAP is a very subtle measure. A paradoxical relationship between response set and subtlety of the scales was hypothesized, such that the obvious scales could be successfully faked, hut the subtle scales would show scores in the opposite from the intended direction. It was found that the inmates did correctly manipulate the obvious scales, but the subtle scales did not consistently show the hypothesized trend. Possible reasons for this are discussed, i...
TL;DR: Trait anxiety, but not state anxiety, was found to be significantly related to academic performance: low trait anxious subjects performed better than medium and high traits anxious subjects when controlled for academic aptitude.
Abstract: The relationship between trait and state anxiety and performance was studied in two ego threatening situations among 312 subjects. Candidates with high scores in trait and state anxiety measured just prior to a selection interview for medical school were predicted to receive poorer interview ratings than those candidates with low scores. High trait anxiety, but not state anxiety, measured prior to selection interviews was predicted to be negatively related to academic performance measured up to 1 year later. Neither trait nor state anxiety was found to be significantly related to interview performance ratings. Trait anxiety, but not state anxiety, was found to be significantly related to academic performance: low trait anxious subjects performed better than medium and high trait anxious subjects. This relationship was found to be sustained when controlled for academic aptitude.
TL;DR: Because they have been constructed from the MMPI and CPI, the scales described can be used to address important questions in research on schizophrenia, depression, and normal personality with a wide variety of data that has already been collected.
Abstract: Hedonic capacity — an individuals ability to experience pleasurable affect — is important, not Only in accounting for the development of psychopathology but in understanding normal personality as well. In this article, the development and validation of three scales of hedonic capacity are described. One scale consists of MMPI items, a second consists of CPI items, and the third combines items from both inventories. These scales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Initial support for the construct validity of the scales was also obtained. Because they have been constructed from the MMPI and CPI, the scales described in this article can be used to address important questions in research on schizophrenia, depression, and normal personality with a wide variety of data that has already been collected.
TL;DR: Comparisons were made among dance students in university and conservatory settings, college students and art students to demonstrate that dance students are creative, show strong preference for dynamic figures, and have distinct personality characteristics.
Abstract: What are dance students' creative potential, Special personality characteristics and preferences for high energy activities? Using standardized and original paper and pencil instruments, comparisons were made among dance students in university and conservatory settings, college students and art students. The results demonstrated that dance students are creative, show strong preference for dynamic figures, and have distinct personality characteristics. The university dance students differed from the conservatory students in several important ways.
TL;DR: A case study of a Vietnam combat veteran with episodic rage attacks is discussed with emphasis on Rorschach formal scoring and content analysis, and dissociative states are posited to represent a developmental level of ego organization midway between borderline and neurotic levels.
Abstract: A case study of a Vietnam combat veteran with episodic rage attacks is discussed with emphasis on Rorschach formal scoring and content analysis. Rorschach data suggest a near neurotic level of ego organization with massive repression in the form of dissociated violent outbursts. Vietnam combat trauma appears to be a precipitant. Developmental differences between preoedipal splitting and higher level dissociation are discussed. Dissociative states are posited to represent a developmental level of ego organization midway between borderline and neurotic levels and are not easily encompassed by either borderline or neurotic classifications.
TL;DR: The Assertiveness Self-Report Inventory (ASRI) was devised with concern for endorsement frequency, internal consistency, and independence from social desirability response bias and the scale's reliability and convergent and discriminant validity are adequate.
Abstract: The development of a self-report measure of assertiveness is described. The Assertiveness Self-Report Inventory (ASRI) was devised with concern for endorsement frequency, internal consistency, and independence from social desirability response bias. The scale's reliability and convergent and discriminant validity are adequate. Further tests of validity support the use of the scale as a measure that taps behavior related to the construct of assertiveness.
TL;DR: Results demonstrated that sleep onset insomniacs, regardless of degree of severity, differed significantly from noninsomniac ; and that mild and severe insomNIacs differed from each other on only one MMPI scale.
Abstract: Past research has attempted to delineate personality differences between insomniacs and good sleepers but has failed to control for type of insomnia or severity of the disorder. The purpose of this study was to compare MMPI scores of mild and severe sleep onset insomniacs with a control group of noninsomniacs. Results demonstrated that sleep onset insomniacs, regardless of degree of severity, differed significantly from noninsomniacs; and that mild and severe insomniacs differed from each other on only one MMPI scale.
TL;DR: A comprehensive study of the human response on the Rorschach utilizing three dimensions of Blatt's Concept of the Object Scale demonstrates that a systematic assessment of object relations is an important core issue in personality development and useful in making distinctions among diagnostic groups.
Abstract: Developmental theory, cognitive psychology, and object relations theory now offer a general conceptual framework for integrating diverse research findings on the Rorschach human response and for highlighting the developmental significance of interpersonal relationships and their formative contribution to building psychological structure. A comprehensive study of the human response on the Rorschach utilizing three dimensions of Blatt's Concept of the Object Scale (accuracy, differentiation, content) demonstrates that a systematic assessment of object relations — of concepts of self and others — is an important core issue in personality development and useful in making distinctions among diagnostic groups (neurotics, outpatient borderlines, inpatient borderlines, schizophrenics). The results illustrate that particular developmental and cognitive properties of human responses produced on the Rorschach show distinct patterns of differential impairment related to type and severity of psychopathology.
TL;DR: Results were strong and confirming, suggesting that considerable relationship may exist between certain sex role socialization practices and general personality development, and the lack of masculine instrumentality in the personality, not the feminine role per se, which is implicated in mental illness.
Abstract: In an effort to clarify and expand the theoretical foundation for behavioral researches on androgyny the present study, through an extensive literature review, attempted to establish personality structure as a function of masculine instrumentality (M) and feminine expressivity (F) in females. Results were strong and confirming, suggesting that considerable relationship may exist between certain sex role socialization practices and general personality development. In addition, the implications of instrumentality and expressivity for adjustment were investigated through a planned contrast of clinical and normal groups, with the expectation that feminine females would appear more frequently in the clinical group. However, results clarified that it is the lack of masculine instrumentality in the personality, not the feminine role per se, which is implicated in mental illness. These findings lend clarity to previous researches on androgyny and adjustment. Implications for feminine socialization and ego psychology are considered.
TL;DR: Findings are limited due to the student sample, replication of these findings with treatment-seeking clients is needed, but small yet significant differences were noted with respect to ratings of the assessment experience.
Abstract: Examined the effects of a computer-based administration procedure on reliability and validity of a personality questionnaire. Utilizing a counterbalanced repeated-measures design, Form A of the 16PF was administered to 80 undergraduates who had been randomly assigned to either computer-computer, computer-booklet, booklet-computer, or booklet-booklet administration conditions. Subjects also completed a self-report anxiety measure before and after each administration of the 16PF. Multivariate analyses revealed no significant differences in score reliability, validity, or self-reported anxiety among the four administration conditions. Small yet significant differences were noted with respect to ratings of the assessment experience. Subjects in the two groups which were exposed to both administration formats rated the computer procedure as more positive in comparison to the booklet format. Due to the student sample, replication of these findings with treatment-seeking clients is needed.
TL;DR: A continuous metric is proposed which ameliorates information loss and unreliability in high density regions of the data and is suitable for correlational analyses.
Abstract: When considering psychological constructs in a pairwise fashion, a 2 x 2 category system, based on median splits, is often adopted for analytic convenience. If theoretical focus is on an individual's integration of the two constructs, then categorical procedures are subject to information loss and unreliability in high density regions of the data. A continuous metric is proposed which ameliorates these problems and is suitable for correlational analyses. The construct of psychological androgyny is used for illustrative purposes.
TL;DR: Findings strongly suggest that experiencing a parental divorce in childhood has a significant influence on generalized perceptions of personal control and effectance, perceptions which may ultimately mediate both short- and long-term outcomes in children's post-divorce adjustment.
Abstract: Scores on the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children (N-SLOCSC) were compared for third and fifth grad e boys and girls from intact versus maritally disrupted family backgrounds. Significant main effects for each independent variable revealed that fifth graders more than third, boys more than girls, and the marital disruption more than the intact group. exhibited higher internality in their locus of control scores. These findings strongly suggest that experiencing a parental divorce in childhood has a significant influence on generalized perceptions of personal control and effectance, perceptions which may ultimately mediate both short- and long-term outcomes in children's post-divorce adjustment.
TL;DR: Contrary to predictions, there was no interaction between the type of assessment device and the favorability factors and subjects rated the favorable description as being more appropriate for themselves than for people in general.
Abstract: The effects of type of assessment device (computer vs. human) on subjects' acceptance of a favorable or unfavorable personality feedback were investigated. Forty-four French-speaking subjects were administered a fictitious personality questionnaire and were asked to evaluate how appropriate the personality feedback was as a description of themselves and people in general. Contrary to predictions, there was no interaction between the type of assessment device and the favorability factors. Two previous findings were nevertheless replicated: (a) in all conditions the favorable description was better accepted than the unfavorable one and, (b) subjects rated the favorable description as being more appropriate for themselves than for people in general.