Showing papers on "Personality published in 1986"

The role of factor analysis in the development and evaluation of personality scales

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the usefulness of factor analysis in developing and evaluating personality scales that measure limited domain constructs The approach advocated follows from several assumptions that a single scale ought to measure a single construct, that factor analysis ought to be applied routinely to new personality scales, and that the factors of a scale are important if it can be demonstrated that they are differentially related to other measures A detailed study of the Self-Monitoring Scale illustrates how factor analysis can help us to understand what a scale measures A second example uses the self-esteem literature to illustrate how factor analysis can clarify the proliferation of scales within a single content domain Both examples show how factor analysis can be used to identify important conceptual distinctions Confirmatory techniques are also introduced as a means for testing specific hypotheses It is concluded that factor analysis can make an important contribution to programmatic research in personality psychology

The Psychology of Happiness

Abstract: Introduction. How to measure and study happiness. Joy and other positive emotions. Satisfaction. Humour and laughter. Social relationships. Work and employment. Leisure. Money, class and education. Personality, age and gender. Religion. National differences in happiness. Happiness enhancement. The effects of positive moods and happiness. Conclusions.

A meta-analysis of the relation between personality traits and leadership perceptions: an application of validity generalization procedures

Abstract: Re-examen de la relation entre des traits de personnalite issus de theories actuelles de la perception sociale et les perceptions du leadership ou l'etendue de l'emergence d'un leader

Personality, coping, and coping effectiveness in an adult sample

Abstract: Two studies of coping among community-dwelling adults (N= 255,151) were used to examine the influence of personality on coping responses, the perceived effectiveness of coping mechanisms, and the effects of coping and personality on well-being In both studies a wide range of potential stressors was examined, categorized as losses, threats, or challenges The personality dimensions of neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience, as measured by both self-reports and spouse- and peer-ratings, were systematically related to coping mechanisms in both studies There was general agreement across types of stressors on the use and perceived effectiveness of the 27 coping mechanisms, and individuals who used more effective ways of coping generally reported higher subsequent happiness and life satisfaction However, personality variables are also known to be determinants of well-being, and the associations between coping and well-being were reduced when personality measures were partialled out Some implications for the design and interpretation of coping effectiveness studies are discussed

The Psychology of the Chinese people

Abstract: The Chinese people constitute more than a quarter of the world's population. Until now there has been no single volume that summarizes the data available - both in English and Chinese - on the psychological functioning of Chinese people. This book aims to fill that gap, emphasizing the prime areas of research, both past and present, the theoretical models used to integrate the findings and areas for future research. It also provides a cross-cultural comparative perspective on the data. The topics covered include socialization, perception, cognition, personality, psychopathology, social behaviour and organization.

A unified biosocial theory of personality and its role in the development of anxiety states.

Abstract: A general theory of heritable personality traits and their neurobiological basis is described. Three independent dimensions of personality are defined and related to heritable variation in patterns of response to specific types of environmental stimuli: 'novelty seeking' is due to a heritable tendency toward frequent exploratory activity and intense excitement in response to novel stimuli; 'harm avoidance' is due to a heritable tendency to respond intensely to aversive stimuli and to learn to avoid punishment, novelty, and non-reward passively; and 'reward dependence' is due to a heritable tendency to respond intensely to reward and succorance and to learn to maintain rewarded behavior. Evidence suggests that variation in each dimension is strongly correlated with activity in a specific central monoaminergic pathway: novelty seeking with low basal dopaminergic activity, harm avoidance with high serotonergic activity, and reward dependence with low basal noradrenergic activity. These neurobiological dimensions interact to give rise to integrated patterns of differential responses to punishment, reward, and novelty. The combination of high novelty seeking, high reward dependence, and low harm avoidance (histrionic personality) or the combination of high harm avoidance, low reward dependence, and low novelty seeking (obsessional personality) are each associated with information-processing patterns that lead to unreliable discrimination of safe and dangerous situations and hence to chronic anxiety. In individuals with high novelty seeking, chronic anxiety is characterized by global uneasiness or alarm without specific premonitory cues, frequent bodily pains due to low pain and sensation thresholds, low sedation threshold, and slow fatigability. In contrast, in individuals with high harm avoidance, chronic anxiety is characterized by frequent anticipatory worries based on specific cues, high pain and sedation thresholds, and easy fatigability. In response to frustrative non-reward, individuals with high reward dependence are susceptible to compensatory noradrenergic hyperactivity and hence acute or recurrent states of agitated dysphoria associated with reward-seeking behaviors such as overeating and increased sexual activity. Specific predictions are made about normal personality development as well as the development and familial aggregation of anxiety, somatoform, depressive and personality disorders. These predictions are compared with available information, and recommendations are made for future research.

Chief executive personality and corporate strategy and structure in small firms

Abstract: An empirical investigation of 97 firms was conducted to determine the relationships that three aspects of the chief executive's CEO's personality have with the strategies, structures, decision making methods and performance of their firms. CEO flexibility was associated with niche strategies, simple, informal structures, and intuitive, risk-embracing decision making. CEO need for achievement was related to broadly focussed, marketing-oriented strategies, formal and sophisticated structures, and proactive, analytical decision making. Executives with an internal locus of control pursued more product innovation, were more future oriented, and tailored their approaches to the circumstances facing their firms. The relationships between personality and organizational characteristics were found to be by far the strongest in small firms and also somewhat more significant in dynamic environments. Flexibility and locus of control related to corporate performance under certain conditions; need for achievement did not.

Verbal aggressiveness: An interpersonal model and measure

Abstract: Verbal agressiveness is conceptualized as a personality trait that predisposes persons to attack the self‐concepts of other people instead of, or in addition to, their positions on topics of communication. This conception is positioned with respect to the trait structure of personality and also in relation to other aggressive personality traits: hostility, assertiveness, and argumentativeness. An interpersonal model is developed that specifies the types of verbally aggressive messages in interpersonal relations, their effects, and their causes. A rationale is developed for studying verbal aggression apart from other types of aggression, and several studies developing a Verbal Aggressiveness Scale are reported. Results indicate that the Scale is valid and reliable. Implications are discussed, especially in terms of understanding and controlling physical aggression.

Schematic Assessments of Presidential Candidates

Abstract: This article applies theories of social cognition in an investigation of the dimensions of the assessments of candidates employed by voters in the United States. An empirical description of the public's cognitive representations of presidential candidates, derived from responses to open-ended questions in the American National Election Studies from 1952 to 1984, reveals that perceptions of candidates are generally focused on “personality” characteristics rather than on issue concerns or partisan group connections. Contrary to the implications of past research, higher education is found to be correlated with a greater likelihood of using personality categories rather than with making issue statements. While previous models have interpreted voting on the basis of candidate personality as indicative of superficial and idiosyncratic assessments, the data examined here indicate that they predominately reflect performance-relevant criteria such as competence, integrity, and reliability. In addition, both panel and aggregate time series data suggest that the categories that voters have used in the past influence how they will perceive future candidates, implying the application of schematic judgments. The reinterpretation presented here argues that these judgments reflect a rich cognitive representation of the candidates from which instrumental inferences are made.

Self-Deception and Impression Management in Test Responses

Abstract: In psychological assessment, we aim for the most accurate description of some cognitive or behavioral attribute In assessment involving self-reports, this objective is invariably haunted by the possibility of misrepresentation Certainly we would be sceptical of self-reports of intelligence, perhaps because of its universal desirability Among the few qualities typically rated as even more desirable than intelligence is having a good personality Thus it seems dangerous to ignore the possibility that at least some respondents systematically misrepresent their own personality

Coping in stressful episodes: the role of individual differences, environmental factors, and situational characteristics

Abstract: Theoretical models emphasize the importance of person and environmental variables in stress and coping processes. This article examines individual differences (extraversion and neuroticism), environmental factors (social support and work demand), and situational characteristics (type of stressful episode and its perceived importance) as predictors of three self-report measures of coping (general coping, direct coping, and suppression) derived from the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The data analyzed were collected from 135 first-year female student nurses. Individual differences were assessed prior to exposure to the ward environment, and information about stressful episodes was obtained during the initial period of nursing practice. Multiple regression analyses showed that individual differences and environmental and situational factors were significant predictors of the coping scores and that patterns of main and interactive effects were different for each type of coping. For direct coping and suppression, predicted interactions across person, environmental, and situational variables contributed significantly to the explained variance. Curvilinear interactions between work demand and neuroticism were significant for both direct coping and suppression; interactions of social support and extraversion with perceived importance predicted direct coping; and interactions between neuroticism and extraversion and between work demand and importance predicted suppression. These findings are discussed in relation to current substantive and methodological issues in the study of coping and adaptation.

Evaluating comprehensiveness in personality systems: The California Q‐Set and the five‐factor model

Abstract: The analysis of natural language trait names and questionnaire scales has suggested that the five factors of Neuroticism, Extroversion, Openness, Agreeable-ness, and Conscientiousness constitute an adequate taxonomy of personality An alternative approach to comprehensive personality assessment based on clinical judgments is given by the California Q-Set (CQS, Block, 1961) When self-Q-sorts from 403 adult men and women were factored, the five factors closely resembled those found in adjectives, and showed convergent and discriminant validity against self-reports and peer- and spouse-ratings on measures of the five-factor model Results were replicated when interviewer Q-sort ratings were examined for a subset of subjects These findings strongly support the claim to comprehensiveness of the five-factor model

The Impulsivist: a multi‐impulsive personality disorder

Abstract: Summary The authors report a literature review of impulsivity in the substance abuse disorders, eating disorders, classical disorders of impulse control, self-harm and personality disorders. They suggest that within each of these clinic populations there is a significant number of patients who have a very poor prognosis and are characterised not just by the specific presenting symptom but by multiple impulsive behaviours. It is suggested that this group, who place very large demands both on the psychiatric and emergency services, form a unitary ‘multi-impulsive personality’ group and that they would repay detailed research which cuts across the boundaries of the specialist services.

Psychosocial stress : trends in theory and research

Abstract: In the past ten years, research on stress has increased dramatically. Psychosocial Stress: Perspectives on Structure, Theory, Life-Course, and Methods brings researchers, clinicians, and academics up-to-date on the many facets of this research. Key Features * The components of stress: factors, situations, and personality variables that elicit and mediate stress * Theoretical perspectives in the study of stress * Life-course perspectives on stress * Methodology used in stress research

Category breadth and hierarchical structure in personality: studies of asymmetries in judgments of trait implications.

Abstract: Trait breadth and hierarchical organization are central structural principles in personality theory and research. We assume that personality traits serve as categories of behavioral events, and we define the breadth of traits as the diversity of their behavioral manifestations. We show that trait breadth can be measured reliably both by ratings and by direct comparisons within trait pairs. We assess the hierarchical relations between traits differing in breadth, using a task in which subjects select the most meaningful of two statements, such as "To be talkative is a way of being extroverted" versus "To be extroverted is a way of being talkative." The extent of asymmetry in the choices of the subject sample provides an index of the degree of class inclusion. In four studies, we demonstrate that the size of the asymmetry effect is highly predictable from differences in trait breadth, even when the effects of social desirability, familiarity, and meaningfulness are controlled. Moreover, we replicate these findings in two cultural contexts, and even at the level of individual subjects. The availability of traits at different hierarchical levels requires personality psychologists to make an explicit choice about level of abstraction, especially when studying behavioral consistency. We discuss the prospect for identifying a generally preferred or "basic" level of personality description.

Personality, coping, and family resources in stress resistance: a longitudinal analysis.

Abstract: Earlier cross-sectional analyses have made causal inferences about stress-resistance variables problematic This study used a longitudinal analysis where stress-resistance factors in the areas of personality, coping, and family support assessed at an initial testing were used to predict psychological and physical adjustment one year later, controlling for initial adjustment The study involved a survey of 245 men and 248 women in randomly selected families in the San Francisco Bay area Findings demonstrated that feelings of self-confidence, an easy-going disposition, a disinclination to use avoidance coping, and the availability of family support operate jointly to protect individuals from negative psychological consequences of life stress For women the stress-resistance index also predicted psychosomatic complaints experienced one year after initial testing

The personality of children prior to divorce: a prospective study.

Abstract: In a longitudinal study, the personalities of children from intact families at ages 3, 4, and 7 were reliably assessed by independent sets of raters using Q-items reflecting important psychological characteristics of children. A number of these families subsequently experienced divorce. The behavior of boys was found, as early as 11 years prior to parental separation or formal dissolution of marriage, to be consistently affected by what can be presumed to be predivorce familial stress. The behavior of boys from subsequently divorcing families was characterized by undercontrol of impulse, aggression, and excessive energy prior to parental divorce. The behavior of girls from subsequently divorcing families was found to be notably less affected by the stresses in families prior to parental divorce. The prospective relations afforded by the longitudinal analyses suggest that the behavior of conflicting, inaccessible parents during the preseparation period may have serious consequences for personality development, especially for boys. Hence, some characteristics of children commonly seen to be a consequence of divorce may be present prior to marital dissolution.

Social cognition in parents: inferential and affective reactions to children of three age levels.

Abstract: The present research proposes and tests an attributional model of parent cognition. Derived from correspondent inference theory, the model emphasizes that parents assess children's behavior primarily by determining whether that behavior reflects children's intentions and dispositions or, instead, constraints on children's control of behavior from situational pressures or developmental limitations in knowledge and ability. In 2 studies, support was obtained for 4 predictions. First, findings show that parents' assessments of children's behavior are closely tied to the developmental level of the child. As children developed, parents thought children's behavior was increasingly caused by personality dispositions and was increasingly intentional, under the child's control, and, for misconduct, understood to be wrong. Second, parents' affective reactions to misconduct were related to their assessments of its cause and, third, became increasingly negative as children developed. Positive affect, in contrast, was unrelated to attributions for children's positive behavior. Fourth, parents' assessments of children's behavior were affected by the behavior's desirability. Parents thought children's altruism was more intentional, dispositional, and under the child's control than children's misconduct. Implications for how parents assess and react to children's behavior are discussed.

Personality correlates of men who abuse their partners: A cross-validation study

Abstract: The present study was designed to replicate a previous investigation of personality profiles of men who abused their partners. The initial study found personality profiles reflecting general categories related to schizoidal /borderline, narcissistic/anti-social, and dependent/compulsive personality disorders. Cross-validation revealed a nearly identical replication of the initial findings. Further, as with the initial study, only about 12% of the subjects in the present effort showed no discernable psychopathology. It was concluded that (1) there is no unitary “batterer profile”, (2) the vast majority of batterers examined evidenced personality disordered profiles, and (3) personality and psychopathological processes must be considered as part of the constellation of psychosocial factors related to spouse abuse.

The Instrumentality of Attitudes: Toward a Neofunctional Theory.

Abstract: This paper proposes that attitudes should be viewed as strategies for meeting personal needs; they serve psychological functions. After reviewing the early functional attitude theories proposed by Katz and by Smith, and some of the problems associated with them, a new functional approach is outlined. This neofunctional approach distinguishes two principal sources for the benefit related to attitudes: the attitude's object and the attitude's expression. Within these two major categories, specific functions are described based on the author's research and that of earlier functional theorists. The personality, situational, and domain characteristics likely to influence the functional value of attitudes are also discussed. Strategies suggested by this approach for changing attitudes are briefly considered.

Personality, Culture, and Organization

Abstract: In a previous paper, the links between executive personality and the strategic and organizational orientations of troubled firms were examined. In the present paper, original typologies of neurotic styles and corporate pathology are used, but the two are related using the concept of organizational culture which provides a useful vehicle for linking personality with strategy. In the previous paper it was argued that the personality of the top executive could influence strategy only in centralized firms; now, it is believed that through culture this can happen even in decentralized organizations. Several sets of hypotheses are generated to formalize this position.