Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Social psychology|Psychology|Personality psychology'

Content: 1 Persons and Situations: Cornerstones of Modern Personality Psychology 2 The Issue of Consistency in Personality:Sixty Years of Controversy 3 In Defence of Traits: New (and Revived) Perspectives 4 Modern Interactionism: An Alternative Framework for Personality Research 5 Implementing the Interactionist Programme:Three Exemplary Areas of Research 6 Improving Personality Measurement:The Nomothetic Road to the Study of Consistency 7 Personality Psychology is about Individuals:Rediscovering the Idiographic Legacy 8 The Role of the Situation in Personality Research 9 Personality Psychology in the Nineties: An Outlook

Three main theoretical approaches to the study of the causation of prejudice can be distinguished within psychological research. The cognitive approach suggests that prejudice is a function of cognitive processes where stereotypic information about social groups, stored in memory, is automatically activated and affects people’s judgements and behavior toward members of the target group. The personality approach suggests that prejudice is a function of people’s personality characteristics. Finally, the social psychological approach emphasizes people’s group membership and group identification as the as major source of causation.

Previous research has almost entirely focused on only one approach of causation at a time. The focus has also shifted periodically – with attention paid to one approach at each period of time. The present thesis is an attempt to integrate these approaches and suggests an integrative model where the relative contribution of each approach could be assessed. The underlying assumption is that all three approaches are meaningful and that prejudice is a complex phenomenon that is best explained by taking into account all approaches jointly.

Examining the cognitive approach, Paper I revealed that people are knowledgeable of the cultural stereotypes and that stereotypic information is automatically activated and affects people’s judgments. Paper II (and Paper III) supported the personality approach and revealed that prejudice is highly related to primary personality characteristics and, in line with a central idea in this approach, different types of prejudice (ethnic prejudice, sexism, homophobia, and prejudice toward disabled people) are highly correlated. The results of Paper III revealed the importance of group membership and group identification, supporting the social psychology approach.

The findings are discussed in relation to previous research and the necessity to integrate various approaches and disciplines to explain psychological phenomena in general and prejudice in particular. Also, implications of the findings for prejudice prevention are discussed.

Psychology graduate trainees are exposed to a variety of stressors during their education, such as costly tuition, long hours of study, and demanding clinical work. There is a need for graduate institutions to help trainees build self-care skills; however, there is little agreement about the best approach for boosting these skills. The present study proposes that self-care training may benefit from helping students to build self-compassion (an attitude of warmth directed inward). To explore the possibility that self-compassion promotes student wellbeing, a sample of 122 mental health trainees was recruited from a large Midwestern training institution. Most participants were female (82.8%) and the mean age was 30.2 years. The sample was ethnically diverse. Over half identified as Caucasian (56.6%), with the reminder identifying as African American, Latino/a, Asian, Filipino, or American Indian or Alaska Native. All participants completed measures of three variables: self-compassion, self-care behavior, and perceived stress. The results showed that students with greater levels of self-compassion experience significantly lower levels of perceived stress (r = -.57, p < .001) and engaged in significantly more self-care behavior (r = .64, p < .001). Furthermore, self-care behavior partially mediated the effect of self-compassion on perceived stress, and this partial mediation effect was statistically significant (z = -3.42, p < .001). These findings indicate that greater self-compassion is associated with more self-care behavior, which, in turn, is associated with reduced stress levels. Therefore, graduate institutions that wish to promote student wellbeing can benefit from teaching students ways to build self-compassion.

Research demonstrates that cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) predicts hypertension and contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, social support can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. People with high levels of trait displaced aggression (TDA) aggress against innocent individuals, such as family and friends, thus pushing away important sources of social support. The current study was the first to manipulate social support and look at the interaction of TDA, provocation, and social support on CVR and displaced aggression. Contrary to expectations, social support did not moderate the effect of TDA on either systolic blood pressure (SBP) or displaced aggression. However, among provoked participants, those who received social support displayed significantly less displaced aggression than those in the no social support or no interaction control conditions. Implications of these findings for reducing aggression are discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 2007.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-05, Section: A, page: 2168. Adviser: Ruth V. Russell. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed Jan. 12, 2008)."

Relationship conflict in groups has been shown to be detrimental to group outcomes, and research notes that emotion or affect plays a significant part in its development. The Need for Affect (NFA) is a construct that reflects an individual’s attitude toward emotion and their level of desire to either approach or avoid emotion-inducing situations This study examined the relationship between NFA and relationship conflict in groups, then sought to determine whether the neuroticism personality trait was a moderator to that relationship. Members of 14 small workgroups (N = 68) in various organizations were administered a 67-question survey designed to (1) measure their individual need for affect level, (2) score their Big Five personality traits, and (3) measure intragroup conflict in their respective groups. Neuroticism was one of the five personality traits of interest because it has been shown to have a negative correlation with NFA. Pearson’s correlational analysis was run to test the neuroticism – NFA relationship, as well as the NFA – relationship conflict relationship. PROCESS moderation analysis was also conducted to test the moderation effect of neuroticism on the NFA – Conflict relationship. There was a significant negative correlation between neuroticism and NFA. However, no significant relationship existed between NFA and relationship conflict, and neuroticism did not significantly moderate that relationship.

The current study was conducted to examine the relationship between personal, internal variables, and various measures of video game ratings. Individual differences equated in the present study included trait aggression, video game preferences, sex, and gender identity. These measures were experimentally manipulated to evaluate various game ratings including ratings of violence, enjoyment, and age recommendations. Comparisons of ratings were made across E10+, T, and M rated video game conditions. Participants completed a demographic profile, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, and a video game questionnaire, which was administered after viewing video game clips. Correlational analyses revealed that trait aggression was not significantly related to video game ratings. However, video game preference was correlated with higher enjoyment ratings in all game conditions and lower violence and age recommendation ratings in the M game condition. The results further revealed that sex was a significant factor for enjoyment and age recommendation ratings, but not ratings of violence in the offered video games. Regarding gender identity differences, masculinity was found to be correlated with higher violence ratings for the violent video game conditions; femininity was correlated with lower enjoyment ratings and higher age ratings in the most violent game condition. Implications for the ESRB video game ratings process and media portrayal of violent video game players are discussed in the context of the present study.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 2009.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 8, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-10, Section: B, page: 6604. Adviser: Edward R. Hirt.

There are many factors that influence the success of employees in organizations, one of which is the perception of interactional justice. Interactional justice combines two forms of justice: informational justice (the degree to which employees are given relevant information) and interpersonal justice (whether employees are treated with dignity and respect) (Bies & Moag, 1986; Patient & Skarlicki, 2014). The present study sought to explore how perceptions of interactional justice during a performance review influence appraisal satisfaction, workplace self-efficacy, and counterproductive work behaviors. A survey was designed to measure the degree to which 138 employees perceived interactional justice during their performance appraisal as well as their appraisal satisfaction, workplace self-efficacy, and their prevalence in engaging in counterproductive work behaviors. Correlational analyses revealed that employees who perceive high levels of interactional justice during their performance appraisal feel more satisfied with the appraisal, more capable or self-efficacious at work, and engage in counterproductive work behaviors less often than those who perceive low levels of interactional justice. Also, a mediated regression revealed that appraisal satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between interactional justice and self-efficacy. Ultimately, these findings demonstrate the impact that interpersonal exchanges have on employees and their work behaviors.

Both self-control and disinhibition (an aspect of sensation seeking) are associated with alcohol use. Self-control is negatively related to alcohol use while disinhibition is positively related to alcohol use. However it is unknown whether disinhibition and self-control each predict unique variance in alcohol use. Objective: The objective was to test for independent and joint effects of disinhibition and self-control on alcohol use. Methods: College-enrolled young adults (n = 259; 198 = female) participated in a longitudinal study where questionnaires were administered at each of 2 time points, separated by 3 weeks. Questionnaires assessed disinhibition, self-control, heavy episodic drinking (HED), social weekend drinking (SWD) and demographic information. Results: Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed the presence of a statistically significant interaction between self-control and disinhibition predicting both HED (β = -.14, p < .01, sr = -.13) and SWD (β = -.10, p < .05, sr = -.09). The nature of the interaction was such that disinhibition was a positive predictor of alcohol use when self-control was low, but not when self-control was high. Conclusions: Results suggest that when both disinhibition and self-control are considered simultaneously, self-control moderates the relationship between disinhibition and alcohol use.

Social media posts are used to examine what people experience in their everyday lives. A new method is developed for assessing the situational characteristics of social media posts based on the words used in these posts. To accomplish this, machine learning models are built that accurately approximate the judgments of human raters. This new method of situational assessment is applied on two of the most popular social media sites: Twitter and Facebook. Millions of Tweets and Facebook statuses are analyzed. Temporal patterns of situational experiences are found. Geographic and gender differences in experience are examined. Relationships between personality and situation experience were also assessed. Implications of these finding and future applications of this new method of situational assessment are discussed.

A good deal of research suggests that high self-esteem individuals cope with failure by engaging in self-serving biases that allow them to deny the negative implications of failure. If high self-esteem individuals cope successfully with failure through a process of denial, then making it easier for low self-esteem individuals to deny negative feedback might allow them to cope successfully with failure too. To test this notion, high and low self-esteem participants took a test of creativity and were given feedback that they were either creative or non-creative. Following this procedure, the ease of denial of the feedback was manipulated by telling the participants that the creativity test was either highly valid or invalid. Participants' evaluations of the test, positive and negative mood, and self-ratings on creativity were then assessed. It was expected that high self-esteem participants would generally make more self-serving evaluations of the test than low self-esteem individuals, and as a result, experience more pleasant affect and view themselves more positively on creativity than low self-esteem individuals following negative feedback. However, it was also expected that if the negative feedback was easy to deny, low self-esteem individuals would be just as self-serving as high self-esteem individuals in their evaluations of the test and experience a similar increase in positive mood, and rate themselves higher on creativity. The results did not support these predictions. Both high and low self-esteem individuals made self-serving evaluations of the test regardless of the ease of denial manipulation. Limitations of the current research and directions for future research are discussed.

The Fullerton Ontological Confusion (FOC) scale was constructed to address the issues of inconsistent theory and inadequate measurement regarding paranormal, superstitious, magical, and supernatural (PSMS) beliefs. For the FOC scale, PSMS beliefs were defined as confusions of ontology, or the misattribution of core knowledge belief categories. The FOC was empirically evaluated under an Item Response Theory framework using the nominal response model (NRM) to estimate item parameters and the Wald test to evaluate within-item category variation. Using the NRM and the Wald test, the FOC scale items were revised to yield a measure that was optimally formatted and informative. Correlational analysis was used to validate the FOC scale by testing the hypothesized relationships to theoretically related and unrelated constructs. The FOC scale was found to have a good degree of validity with most of the testable validation hypotheses being supported. Compared to the available existing measures, the FOC scale could be used as a more pure and informative measure for PSMS beliefs.

Previous research indicates that ecstasy use is positively associated with higher levels of impulsivity and risky sexual behaviors. In addition, methamphetamine use, which is chemically related to ecstasy, has been associated with higher levels of adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. This study adds to the existing literature by investigating the relationship between adult ADHD symptoms, impulsivity, ecstasy use, and unprotected anal sex. Participants were recruited from the Center for Behavioral Research and Services in Long Beach, California. Adult ADHD symptoms were associated with unprotected anal sex among women, but not for men. Furthermore, ecstasy use was found to be associated with unprotected anal sex among men who have sex with men (MSM) but not for women or men who have sex with women (MSW). In addition, higher levels of impulsivity were associated with both ecstasy use and unprotected anal sex among women, MSM, and MSW.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Counseling and Educational Psychology, 2007.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 19, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-02, Section: B, page: 1325. Adviser: Rex Stockton.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive multiple case study was to understand what were a group of former company-grade leaders? perspectives of Army resilience training and how these perspectives impacted training transfer of resilience training in their former units. The theoretical framework underpinning this research was Holton?s human resource development evaluation research and measurement model. Two research questions were posed in this study: 1. What were a group of former Army company-grade leaders? perspectives of resilience training? 2. How did former Army company-grade leaders? perspectives of resilience training relate to their prioritization, implementation, and fostering of a supportive climate for resilience training within their former units? A homogeneous purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit 10 former company-grade leaders near an Army installation in the southwestern United States. Data was collected from three sources using within-method triangulation: focus groups, open-ended in-depth individual interviews, and historical documents. Data analysis included thematic analysis and both deductive and inductive coding. Four themes emerged from the data relating to the training transfer of Army resilience training: perception of training, transfer climate, external events, and organizational training management indiscipline. Ineffective resilience training instructors were the catalyst driving negative affective reactions from former company-grade leaders. This, in turn, contributed to their negative utility perception of Army resilience training. This negative perspective of resilience training transcended individual leaders and permeated their unit?s climate, creating a barrier to the transfer of resilience training to soldiers within these leaders? former units. Keywords: resilience, training transfer, perception of training, transfer climate

Narcissism is a well-known psychological construct that bears implications for personality, development, adjustment, and relationships. Insecure attachment is also a part of well-developed psychoanalytic theory in psychology. Much research has been conducted on the two constructs, but little has been empirically discovered about how the two relate to each other, particularly for the developing age group of early adolescence. Morf and Rhodewalt [Psychological Inquiry, 12, 4, (2001)] propose that narcissism and insecure attachment are associated, and that whereas narcissistic boys are more likely to report an avoidant attachment, narcissistic girls are more likely to report an anxious attachment. Further, the associations between narcissism and insecure attachment may hinge on the degree to which individuals have internalized prevailing gender stereotypes regarding attachment styles (i.e., that an avoidant style is normative for boys and that an anxious style is normative for girls). A sample of early adolescents (N = 159, 77 boys, 82 girls, Mean age = 12.05 years) responded to measures of narcissism, own-gender stereotypes in attachment styles, and insecure relationship styles to a close friend. Results from hierarchical regression analyses countered what was hypothesized, finding that narcissism negatively predicated the avoidant style, and that gender did not moderate this relationship. Further, results indicated that for the anxious style, narcissistic children who endorsed having an own-gender stereotype of the anxious style were less likely to endorse having an anxious style. Results suggest that there may be something unique about attachment to a close friend and narcissism in early adolescence that warrants further investigation.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Counseling and Educational Psychology, 2006.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 17, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-12, Section: A, page: 4452. Adviser: Thomas J. Huberty.

Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical perspective that is increasingly supported by empirical studies, but its potential to be applied to personality psychology remains largely unfulfilled (Buss, 1999). The current dissertation sought to bring the perspective of evolutionary psychology to bear on personality psychology. Zuroff and colleagues (2010) proposed that an evolutionary theory of personality could seek to identify individual differences in the core social domains that are postulated by evolutionary psychologists. Following this line of thinking, the Social Exchange Styles Questionnaire (SESQ) was developed to assess individual differences within the reciprocity domain (Leybman et al., 2011a). For this dissertation, the social exchange style model was further developed and explored. Article 1 presented an expanded social exchange style model, along with the revised Social Exchange Styles Questionnaire (SESQ-II), which assesses individual differences in ways that people approach and maintain exchange relationships in terms of five dimensions: Tracking, Fairness, Individualism, Benefit-Seeking, and Overinvestment. The SESQ-II showed good internal consistency, retest reliability, and construct validity. Regarding construct validity, multiple regressions demonstrated that none of the social exchange style dimensions was redundant with the Personal Norms of Reciprocity Scale (Perugini et al., 2003), nor with dimensions of adult attachment styles. Additionally, multiple regressions demonstrated that the social exchange style dimensions had predictable relationships with the five-factor traits, and with variables related to perceptions of oneself and others. Article 1 also addressed the relationship between social exchange style dimensions and perceived and received social support in a second study that used a daily diary method. Multilevel modeling showed that Tracking and Overinvestment each negatively predicted perceived support, while Fairness positively predicted perceived support. Additionally, Individualism negatively predicted received support. Social exchange style dimensions predicted social support over and above the five-factor traits.Article 2 sought to extend the social exchange style model and did this by focusing on a single social exchange dimension: Tracking. The developmental antecedents and affective consequences of Tracking were explored. Biological market theory (Noë & Hammerstein, 1994; 1995) was used to identify potential developmental antecedents to Tracking. Multiple regression analyses showed that Tracking was predicted by recalled experiences of having less access to resources than one's peers, having low control over resources, and parental overprotectiveness. Tracking was also predicted by an interaction of low parental warmth and being spoiled. To test the affective consequences of Tracking, we examined the relationship between people's Tracking levels and their emotional reactions to received social support. Using the same sample that was used in the second study of Article 1, multilevel analyses showed that people who were high in Tracking experienced more Joviality on days when they experienced particularly high levels of received support, and that they experienced high Hostility on days when they experienced less received support than usual. Similar results were not obtained with Serenity, Fear, or Guilt as the dependent variables, demonstrating the specificity of the effects to Joviality and Hostility.The results of these studies are discussed in terms of theoretical contributions that stem from integrating evolutionary psychology with personality psychology. Additionally, avenues for future research to elaborate both the content and process components of our model of social exchange styles are identified. Finally, practical applications of social exchange styles are discussed with a focus on implications for conceptualization and treatment of disorders within clinical psychology.
La psychologie évolutionniste est une perspective théorique de plus en plus consolidée par des études empiriques, mais son application potentielle à la psychologie de la personnalité demeure inassouvie (Buss, 1999). La présente thèse se veut une conciliation de la psychologie évolutionniste et la psychologie de la personnalité. Zuroff et ses collègues (2010) suggèrent qu'une théorie évolutionnaire de la personnalité pourrait permettre l'identification de différences individuelles existant dans les domaines sociaux fondamentaux postulé par la psychologie évolutionniste. Le questionnaire des styles d'échanges sociaux (Social Exchange Styles Questionnaire) fut développé dans le but d'évaluer les différences individuels dans le domaine de la réciprocité (Leybman et al., 2011a). Dans cette thèse, le modèle de style d'échange social fut développé et exploré en plus de détails. L'article 1 a présenté un modèle plus détaillé des styles d'échanges sociaux, ainsi que la version révisée du questionnaire des styles d'échanges sociaux (SESQ-II), lequel évalue les différences individuels selon 5 dimensions: Poursuite, Justice, Individualisme, Recherche de Bénéfices et Surinvestissement. Le SESQ-II a démontré une bonne cohérence interne et validité du construit. Aucune des dimensions n'étaient redondantes avec l'échelle de réciprocité de normes personnelles, ni avec les dimensions de styles d'attaches adultes. De plus, les dimensions avaient de relations prévisibles avec les cinq facteurs de trait, et avec des variables liées aux perceptions de soi et d'autrui. L'Article 1 adresse aussi le lien entre les dimensions et le support sociale reçu et perçue. La Poursuite et le Surinvestissement prédissent de façon négative la perception de support, tandis que la Justice prédit positivement la perception de support. De plus, l'Individualisme prédit négativement la réception de support. Nos dimensions prédissent le support social au-delà des cinq facteurs de trait.L'article 2 tentait d'enrichir le model d'échange social en en étudiant une seule dimension d'échange: la Poursuite. Les antécédents développementaux et conséquences affectives de la Poursuites ont été explorés. La théorie du Marcher Biologique (Noe & Hammerstein, 1994; 1995) a été utilisé pour identifier de potentiels antécédents développementaux de la Poursuite. La Poursuite pouvais être prédite par les mémoires d'instances d'avoir eu moins de ressources que ses pairs, d'avoir eu peu de control de ressources, ainsi que de surprotection parentale. La poursuite a aussi été prédite par une interaction entre peu de chaleur parentale et être gâté. Afin de tester les conséquences affectives de la Poursuite, nous avons examiné la relation entre le niveau de Poursuite des gens et leurs réactions émotionnelles face au support sociale reçu. En utilisant la même sous-population qui a été utilisé ultérieurement durant la deuxième étude de l'Article 1, des analyses a multiniveaux ont démontré que les gens qui avaient de haut niveaux de Poursuite ressenti plus de Jovialité durant les jours durant lesquels ils ont reçu des niveaux de support particulièrement élevés. Ils ont aussi ressenti de hauts niveaux d'Hostilité durant les jours ou ils rapportent d'avoir reçu de plus bas niveaux de support qu'à l'habitude. De résultats similaires n'ont pas été obtenus avec les mesures de Sérénité, de Peur, ou de Culpabilité en tant que variables dépendantes, démontrant ainsi la spécificité des effets à la Jovialité et l'Hostilité. Les résultats sont adressés en termes de contributions théorique qui surviennent de l'intégration de la psychologie évolutionniste et la psychologie de la personnalité. De plus, nous avons identifiés des pistes de recherche pour le futur. Finalement des applications pratiques de styles d'échange social sont discutées en mettant de l'emphase sur les implications pour la conceptualisation et le traitement de troubles mentaux dans le contexte de la psychologie clinique.

Educators perceive female bullies differently than male bullies. Despite evidence that bullying is a serious problem within schools in the United States, there is little research which focuses on how educators perceive differences and similarities of adolescent bullies based upon the gender of the bully. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine how educators perceive male and female bullies when they are described as exhibiting identical behavior. Goffman's theory of frames formed the theoretical foundation for this study. The independent variable of this study was gender of bully, and the three dependent variables were internalizing behavior, externalizing behavior, and social skills. Seventy-nine educators read one of two scenarios, featuring either a male bully or a female bully and then completed the Clinical Assessment of Behavior - Teacher Rating Form to reflect how they perceived the personality of the bully depicted in the scenario. The data collected were statistically analyzed using Analysis of Variance, Chi-square tests of independence and regression analyses. The results showed that educators do perceive male and female bullying behavior differently. The female bully was seen as more pathological, displaying higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors whereas the male bully was perceived as exhibiting normal levels of both internalizing and externalizing behavior. There was no difference in perceived social skills. Implications for positive social change are that the results could be used to sensitize teachers about the importance of considering gender issues when intervening in bullying incidents.

Although the current literature calls for generally increased attention to culture-specific influences in therapeutic settings, much more needs to be known regarding specific groups. Accordingly, this exploratory phenomenological study addressed the lack of awareness of the pendejo construct and its perceived threat as a stigmatizing attribute among indigenous Puerto Ricans. Since this phenomenon is believed to jeopardize self-other relationships including therapeutic relationships, the purpose of the study was to describe the pendejo concept as a cultural dimension of Puerto Rican psychology. The research focus included participants' personal and collective experiences of the pendejo construct, with attention directed to how this phenomenon was represented as a cognitive distortion, a self-referent in discourse, and manifested behaviorally. The study employed data collected via in-depth interviews with 8 successful, college-educated native Puerto Ricans. Transcribed data was organized by categories, coded by significant statements and distilled into structural and textural descriptions that revealed a marked similarity of participants' descriptions of the pendejo experience in terms of definitions, assumptions, emotional and behavioral responses, propensity and consequences. Psychological manifestations included escapist behaviors, cognitive distortions (people are out to "take me for pendejo"), and negative self-referents ("I am a pendejo") that translate into nonclinical paranoid tendencies and introjected hurt feelings. Awareness of this phenomenon can help culturally oriented therapists assist Puerto Rican clients toward becoming more assertive and proactive persons. This can lead to positive social change by enhancing mental health and interpersonal behavior within this population at the individual and the collective levels, as well as adding new insight to the literature.

The current study was conducted to examine whether priming for a need for assimilation or the need for differentiation influences an individual’s identification with a particular team. Team Identification is defined as “the level of psychological attachment felt by a sports fan toward his or her favorite team” (Kim & Kim, 2009; Wann, Melnick, Russell, & Pease, 2001). Participants for the current study included 80 undergraduate psychology students, recruited through Study Board at Western Kentucky University. Participants completed the Sport Fandom Questionnaire (SFQ) and were randomly assigned one of two scenarios where they were asked to transcribe two memories based upon their scenario. Then participants filled out the Need for Affiliation Scale (nAff) to assess whether the scenarios elicited a need for affiliation. Following the nAff, participants filled out the Fan Scale (FS) for both teams based on which team they were going to cheer for to win a fictional football game. The participants finished by filling out two Sport Spectator Identification Scales (SSIS), one for the underdog football team and one for the favored football team, to measure how identified they were with each team. Results indicated that the hypotheses were not supported. There were no significant differences between condition for the Fan Scale or the Sport Spectator Identification Scale. However, it was found that, regardless of condition, participants were more likely to cheer for the underdog football team than they were the favored football team. There were no significant differences between the need for affiliation and the need for differentiation and their influences on team identification. The finding that participants were more likely to cheer for the underdog football team than they were the favored team has added another stepping stone for examining motives for team identification.

Detroit has high rates of criminal activities and significant numbers of at-risk residents who have challenges with different types of hardship that include economic issues. Although hardships may include various types of challenges, at-risk residents of Detroit are economically challenged because of Detroit’s economic downfall. The economic hardships lead to the inability to provide for dependent family members, to battle poverty and addiction, and to possibly other family and societal problems. In larger cities, particularly those economically challenged such as Detroit, because of the inability to hire more patrol officers as the result of insufficient financial resources, police seek the collaboration efforts of community members in the form of community policing to reduce crime. Community policing programs are used to reduce the crime and improve the perception of the police among the residents of Detroit, but they are not effective community policing programs as they do not relate to the needs of economically challenged at-risk citizens. The problem is that ineffective community policing increases the crime in Detroit. The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify the needs of the economically challenged at-risk residents of Detroit as perceived by those at-risk residents of Detroit who are identified through private-public organizations and to compare those needs with those perceived by the police pertaining to community policing programs. This may help in developing effective community policing programs. It was important in this study to identify the needs of the community residents who may perceive that there is no other way to survive but to commit crime that should be considered in developing community policing programs. The study identified education and training as the most significant issues that challenge the economically at-risk residents of Detroit. This study found that the economically at-risk residents of Detroit believe no help is available to them, but the members of the community police officers stated that some help is available for the economically at-risk residents; however, they are unaware of the programs that can benefit them. Police stated that various programs that can feed, clothe, educate, and teach various skills to the economically at-risk residents of Detroit are available and the community policing officers through current neighborhood policing programs can direct the residents to proper resources that they may need. The research instrument consisted of semi-structured interviews of at-risk residents focusing on issues that could identify the people’s needs and attempt to understand if the current community policing programs have been addressing these needs of Detroit’s at-risk residents. In this study, the results of the interviews and the questionnaires’ responses were used to identify, code, and categorize patterns found in the improving the community policing in Detroit data.

Media outlets perpetuate an ultra-thin feminine ideal which has been linked to body dissatisfaction among women (Lew, Mann, Myers, Taylor, & Bower, 2007). The present study focused on the inclusion of warning labels, similar to those in cigarette ads, on advertisements. Previous research indicates that these labels might have a protective factor for women's body satisfaction, but results are inconsistent (Slater, Tiggemann, Firth, & Hawkins, 2012; Tiggemann, Slater, Bury, Hawkins, & Firth, 2013). The purpose of this study was to resolve inconsistencies from past research and extend the findings to Women of Color (WOC). Participants of this study included 161 female college students at a Midwestern university. Results indicated that warning labels may serve to decrease body dissatisfaction within both White Women and WOC. Implications for practice were also discussed.

This study examined the propensity to engage in Organizational Retaliation Behaviors (ORBs) when perceiving organizational injustices in a group context. Situational scenarios were developed that incorporated distributive, procedural, and interactional justice and were administered to 211 individuals, along with a measure of the propensity to engage in ORBs directed towards group members and group leaders distinctly. Moreover, an individual's degree of narcissism was also assessed to explore its relationship to one's propensity to engage in ORBs. Analysis of Variance revealed a strong relationship between the condition exemplifying injustice and ORBs, in addition to a higher tendency of expressing ORBs towards group members when compared to group leaders. Furthermore, narcissism did not significantly impact the degree to which individuals expressed their propensity to engage in ORBs.

The present study examined factors for priestly commitment and the relationship between priestly commitment and well-being of Catholic priests and seminarians. While evidence for the effectiveness of assessment in identifying the suitability of applicants to the priesthood and evaluating the general psychological health of priests and seminarians has been well documented, the effectiveness of assessment in predicting commitment to the priesthood remains under question. This study addressed such an issue by identifying the individual and sets of factors for priestly commitment using a sample of 120 priests and 52 seminarians.

Through Hierarchical Multiple Regression analyses, the present study examined the extent to which demographic factors (e.g., age and vocational status), social factors (e.g., parental environment, family religiosity, and religious experience), psychological factors (e.g., big five personality traits, defensiveness, gender characteristics, and loneliness), and religious factors (e.g., religious orientation, religious coping, spiritual support, sacred view of the priesthood, and relationship with bishop/superior) affect priestly commitment. And, through Multiple Regression, this study examined a correlation between priestly commitment and well-being.

The results indicated that, when demographic, social, and psychological variables were controlled, an increased level of agreeableness, defensiveness, masculinity, intrinsic religious orientation, sacred view of the priesthood, and relationship with bishop/superior were associated with an increased level of affective commitment, whereas the increased level of parental care, extraversion, and loneliness were associated with a decreased level of affective commitment. Parental overprotection, extraversion, and loneliness positively correlated with thought of leaving the priesthood, whereas masculinity, sacred view of the priesthood, and relationship with bishop/superior had negative correlations. Extrinsic religious orientation had a positive correlation with continuance commitment. In contrast to the previous studies, demographic variables were insignificant. The study also found indirect effects of religious variables on the significant correlations between parental care and affective commitment and between agreeableness and affective commitment.

Specific to well-being, this study found that affective commitment was positively correlated with affect balance, psychological well-being, and religious well-being, while continuance commitment and thought of leaving the priesthood had negative correlations with psychological well-being. Finally, thought of leaving the priesthood was correlated negatively with affect balance.

Divorce can significantly and negatively impact a child's well-being (Emery, Otto, & O'Donohue, 2005; Kelly, 2000; Kushner, 2009). Although the majority of divorce disputes are settled with minimal court involvement, approximately 10% of divorcing couples require child custody evaluations. Typically, parents undergoing child custody evaluations are labeled "high-conflict," but some anecdotal evidence suggests that one parent may be driving the conflict while the other is reluctantly dragged into battle (Friedman, 2004; Kelly, 2003). Custody litigants (N = 137; 69 males, 68 females) were classified into categories of high- and low-conflict based on the presence or absence of certain variables, using archived data from a forensic psychology practice, and a rating system developed for the purposes of this study. Groups were then compared separately on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), using three different methods of high- and low- conflict group distribution. Custody litigants tended to demonstrate profiles that were not elevated on clinical scales. Multiple t-tests did not reveal significant differences between high-conflict and low-conflict parents on MMPI-2 and MCMI-III Clinical scales. However, correlational analysis of MMPI-2 scales and Conflict Scores did show significance for a few of the scales (Scales F, 3, 6, and 8), whereas only one MCMI- III scale (Scale 7) was significant. Results were discussed in relation to a profile of MMPI-2 and MCMI-III respondents and conflict valence.

The purpose of this research was to explore concepts and perceptions in the area of visual resource management via geographic information systems. A scenic assessment of Interstate 17 was conducted, then a digital database was built for a subset of the study area. Theoretical frameworks were explored and expanded. Review of the current literature resulted in a methodologically alternate conceptual model which utilized spatial analysis. After checking for issues of validity and accuracy, data visualization products were developed which aided in understanding the procedures and results. The results showed that given the readily available data an automated scenic assessment was not currently feasible.

This study used qualitative methods to investigate successful individuals who had a learning disability. Six participants, three men and three women, along with their family members and significant others were interviewed. A participant observation was also conducted during each participant's typical day at work. Four common characteristics were found among the participants. These characteristics were organizational skills, drive, a match between strengths and career, and interpersonal competence. The characteristics identified by the study were similar to those found by Gerber and Ginsberg (1990); however, it was noted that over-reliance on one characteristic and an inability to adjust to success often created difficulties. Further, job satisfaction and eminence in one's field did not always mean self-fulfillment, happiness, and psychological maturity. A definition of success which suggests a balance between career, family, and social activities was given. The study noted that a key element in coping with a learning disability was that the individuals understood both their strengths and weakness. Family members indicated that the transition from school to adult life was critical and that the role of parent and family members' perceptions about the participants usually needed to be adjusted. Older participants indicated that having a son or a daughter who had a learning disability helped them to come to terms with their disability. They also noted the importance of having a diagnosis, so they could reframe their self-perception in terms of a condition rather than a sense of mental incompetence or laziness. Recommendations for future research in this field were presented.

This study examines the linkage between similarity and relational satisfaction within friendship dyads. The central proposition states that both actual and perceived similarity between relational partners will be positively associated with relational satisfaction. Actual and perceived similarity were measured using a conflict that had occurred between the relational partners. It was further posited that perceived similarity (PS) will be a better indicator of relational satisfaction than actual similarity (AS). It was found that when both length of relationship and amount of PS were held constant, AS was moderately associated with relational satisfaction. It was also found that PS was negatively associated with relational satisfaction. Furthermore, the findings indicate that PS is a better indicator of relational satisfaction than AS. These findings raise questions about operationalizing perceived and actual similarity, the relationship between relational type, similarity, and satisfaction, and the use of accounts in this type of research.

Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms often struggle with heightened sensitivity and arousal in response to perceived threats. Moreover, interpersonal dysfunction in GAD has become increasingly a focus of empirical investigation and treatment, given the possibility that responses to social interactions may contribute to GAD symptom maintenance. Laboratory studies and cross-sectional trait assessments of interpersonal problems comprise most of our understanding of interpersonal dysfunction in GAD. However, how GAD symptoms interact with perceived interpersonal threats to predict affective responses (increased arousal, lower valence) within daily life remains poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine effects of in vivo social perceptions on state affect, and how GAD symptoms may moderate those relationships. Participants (N = 161) completed baseline measures of trait GAD and depression symptoms (as a covariate). Then participants completed 30 social interaction surveys over the subsequent 10 days. In each survey, participants rated interaction partners’ dominant, cold, and immoral behavior (each conceptualized as interpersonal threats) as well as their own arousal and valence in response to the behavior. Multilevel modeling analyses of between- and within-person effects revealed that mean perceptions of cold and immoral behavior predicted higher arousal and lower valence as hypothesized, whereas mean perceived dominance unexpectedly predicted only lower valence. All within-person fluctuations in social perceptions predicted both higher arousal and lower valence. Regarding the moderating effects, GAD symptoms unexpectedly buffered the effect of average perceived cold behavior on valence and strengthened the effect of average perceived immoral behavior on valence. These results provide a deeper understanding of how social perceptions may contribute to affect in naturalistic interactions, and add to the literature on interpersonal correlates of GAD symptoms.

En este trabajo presentamos un análisis sobre la colaboración cientifica de la psicologia social y de la personalidad, configurada desde el Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP), desde su inicio en 1965, hasta el año 2000. Lo realizamos desde una doble perspectiva: un análisis cuantitativo bibliométrico y un análisis histórico descriptivo. Además, presentamos un análisis de la colaboración institucional y los colegios invisibles desde la teoria "Small Worlds". Desde la psicologia social y de la personalidad, analizamos las teorías y los autores más significativos para su desarrollo histórico en disciplinas cientificas, y las áreas más relevantes por las que discurren. Desde una perspectiva bibliométrica, se analizan las variables habituales para un estudio bibliométrico. Para el análisis de colaboración, nos basamos en el modelo "Small Worlds". Comprobamos que puede ser un instrumento muy útil para analizar la concentración en redes sociales" y en este caso, la colaboración cientifica.
In this research we present an analysis concerning the scientific collaboration of social and personality psychology, shaped from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP) since its beginning in 1965 until the year 2000. We made it from a double prospective: a bibliometric cuantitative analysis and a descriptive historical analysis of social and personality psychology. Moreover, we present an analysis of the insti tutional cooperation and the invisible colleges of the "Small Worlds" theory. We analyse the most significative theories and authors to its historical development in some scientific subjects and the most important areas in which they are developed. From a bibliometric prospective, usual options to make a bibliometric research are studied.

Although there has been increased understanding of the dynamics of intense perfectionism and self-criticism, studies need to address more directly the mechanisms or processes through which perfectionism has its ill effects. The present research examined the roles of daily stress, coping, and perceived social support in the relation between two different perfectionism dimensions and distress symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, negative affect, low positive affect). In two studies, confirmatory factor analysis supported the existence of two perfectionism factors, which were referred to as evaluative concerns perfectionism and personal standards perfectionism. In Study One, university students (136 men; 307 women) completed measures of perfectionism, hassles, coping, perceived social support, depression, and anxiety. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the measurement model used in this study. Structural equation modeling indicated that hassles, avoidant coping, and perceived social support were each unique mediators which together fully explained the strong relation between evaluative concerns perfectionism and distress. Personal standards perfectionism had a unique association with active coping only. Hassles and social support also moderated the relation between both dimensions of perfectionism and distress. Study Two examined daily event appraisals, avoidant coping, and perceived social support as trait mediators in the relation between the evaluative concerns dimension of perfectionism and high negative affect and low positive affect. University students (66 men; 104 women) completed questionnaires at the end of the day for seven consecutive days. Trait influences were found in the daily reports of event appraisals, coping styles, and social support. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the construct validity of the perfectionism and aggregated daily measures. Structural equation modeling indicated that avoidant coping fully explained the relation between

This thesis is a constructive attempt to unravel the dilemma posed by Mischel's (1968) work with trait and state theories of personality, through the use of a novel design. Mischel found a failure to predict behavior incrementally from inferences about underlying traits (personalities) and states (situations). This impasse is demonstrated in attribution theory by the difference between Kelley's (1967) emphasis on environmental cues (i.e., consistency, consensus, and distinctiveness) in attributional situations, and Russell's (1982) search for an attributional style (specific to the individual). This thesis shows the relative influence of the situation and one's personality in attributions to a successful subordinate. Subjects were 527 psychology students at Florida International University (FIU). They completed James' (1957) Internal-External (I-E) Locus of Control Scale, to distinguish between internal, mid-range, and external personalities. Each subject read one of the vignettes about an army event that varied according to Kelley's (1967) (1) internal, (2) ambiguous, and (3) external patterns, and was asked to make an attribution about the depicted event (i.e., they completed the locus of causality subscale of the Causal Dimension Scale [CDS]). These attribution making scores constitute a major dependent variable of interest. The degree of attributional difficulty experienced by the subject and the evaluative disposition of the subject toward the actions in the vignette were tapped as opportunistic dependent variables. Afterwards, subjects indicated their willingness to complete evaluative forms on the subordinates in the vignettes. This measured the subject's willingness to reward the subordinate, and constitutes another dependent variable of major interest in this study. MANOVA was used to account for the variance in the dependent variables (i.e., attribution making, attributional difficulty, evaluative disposition, and evaluative behavior). The 3 X 4 (personality X situation) MANOVA showed that the situation significantly accounted for the variance in all four dependent variables, while the subjects' personality significantly accounted for attributional difficulty and evaluative disposition. I discuss the possibility that personality distinguished the more private cognitions (since those analyses were significant) from the more public cognitions (which were not significant). I conclude that the strong situational influence supports Mischel's findings. Future researchers would do well to utilize an integrated research design (as this study has done) with processes involving personality and situation antecedents.

To prove a hostile environment sexual harassment claim, a plaintiff must show that the alleged conduct was sufficiently severe or pervasive to have created a hostile, intimidating, or abusive work environment. In determining whether that standard has been met, courts ask whether a reasonable person in the same or similar circumstances would have found the conduct harassing. Since 1991, some courts have determined that this objective standard can best be operationalized by asking the triers of fact to view the behavior from a "reasonable woman's" perspective. In the landmark case, Ellison v. Brady, the court justified the need for a sex-specific standard by implicitly relying on findings from social science research suggesting that men and women differ in how they define sexual harassment. A meta-analysis of 79 studies that examined male/female differences on definition of sexual harassment was conducted. A small but persistent sex effect was found (r=.1635) such that women tend to have broader definitions of sexual harassment than men. A closer look at male/female differences on individual stimuli showed that they varied considerably, however, suggesting that the important differences may relate more to the type of behavior being evaluated than to the sex of the evaluator. Additional research exploring these stimulus effects should be conducted.

Repeated exposure to stress has been associated with negative health outcomes. The present study investigated how different emotion regulation strategies—cognitive reappraisal and suppression—are associated with stress and how executive function may influence these relationships. Thirty two women, all mothers with young children, were assessed using the emotion regulation questionnaire, the affective go/no go task, and salivary cortisol collection. Cognitive reappraisal was not significantly related to stress. Greater endorsement of suppression was significantly associated with two measures of stress—increased output of daily cortisol and increased cortisol awakening response. Executive function was not a significant moderator. This is the first study to date to examine these questions and to assess them in a naturalistic setting with a sample of mothers with young children. Given that mothers regularly experience emotion-eliciting situations, these results have several implications for how emotion regulation strategies may impact stress (cortisol levels) in this population.

The thesis investigated debated intelligence theories: Cattell’s (1943) “Theory of Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence” and Gardner’s (1983) “Theory of M.I.” The research asks: Which existing theory-based and hypothetically based measurement models of intelligence fit the measurement data better? How does a traditional vs. modified M.I. Theory measurement model fit? How does a combined measurement model of the theories fit? Participants (n=287) were students (age 18-25) from a top-tier East-Coast university. Approximate statistical power is .90 with effect size of .5 (p≤.05). Participants were administered the Reynolds Adaptable Intelligence Test and Multiple Intelligence Developmental Assessment Scales. Structural equation modeling revealed better fit for the “Theory of Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence” data (χ²(4) =8.08, p=.09; CMIN/d.f.=2.02; RMSEA= .06; TLI= .98; CFI= .99; IFI=.99; SRMR=.0221). The traditional Theory of M.I.” model fit was insupportable (χ ²(300) =1441.448, p<.000; CMIN/d.f.=4.80; RMSEA= .12; TLI= .61; CFI= .64; IFI=.65; SRMR=.2239), but alternative M.I. models were supported. A correlated M.I. model (χ²(264) =569.09, p<.001; CMIN/d.f.=2.16; RMSEA= .06; TLI= .88; CFI= .90; IFI= .91; SRMR=.06) and 4-factor model M.I. with distinct bodily-kinesthetic and musical talent (χ²(267) =526.32, p<.001; CMIN/d.f.=2.12; RMSEA= .06; GFI=.91; TLI= .92; CFI= .94; IFI= .94; SRMR=.06) show acceptable to good fit. A M.I. Indicator & R.A.I.T. TII to g SCU Model shows good fit (χ²(120) =247.56, p<.001; CMIN/d.f.=2.06; RMSEA= .06; TLI= .89; GFI=.94; CFI= .96; IFI= .96; SRMR=.10). Current findings are further discussed in relation to analogous studies.

Psychological assessment relies on accurate and forthright reporting to determine valid clinical presentations. However, it has long been recognized that examinees may be motivated to present a "better picture" through Positive Impression Management (PIM). Within the PIM domain, two distinct motivations (i.e., defensiveness and social desirability) emerge that have not been clearly differentiated in empirical literature. This thesis addressed the research gap for detecting PIM distortion of personality pathology, utilizing the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5). In this investigation, 106 psychiatric inpatients were recruited from the adult Co-Occurring Disorders and Trauma Programs at University Behavioral Health. Using a mixed within- and between-subjects design, participants engaged in simulation via scenarios to be considered for a highly valued rehabilitation program (defensiveness) or employment (social desirability). As expected, inpatients showed elevated levels of problematic personality traits when reporting genuinely, but suppressed them under PIM conditions. These findings highlight that the PID-5, like all multiscale inventories, is highly vulnerable to intentional PIM distortion. Interestingly, respondents in the social desirability condition generally engaged in more total denial than those in the defensiveness condition. Empirically- and theoretically-based validity scales were developed to identify simulators and differentiate between conditions. Besides PIM, higher levels of experienced stigma were associated with more personality pathology, particularly the domain of Detachment. In addition, ancillary analyses showed strong convergence of the PID-5 with its hierarchical trait model to the DSM-IV categorical model. Continued research to detect PIM distortion, and more importantly to differentiate between PIM motivations, is essential for accurate clinical assessment of personality disorder traits and effective treatment planning.

Parents play a critical role in their infants’ social and emotional development (Zeifman, 2003). High parental sensitivity contributes to greater infant attachment security (De Wolff & van IJzendoorn, 1997), as well as better compliance later in life (van Berkel et al., 2015). Personality influences how parents respond to their infants, such that parents higher in neuroticism are more controlling and less stimulating (Clark, Kochanska, & Ready, 2000), and less responsive (Kochanska, Friesenborg, Lange, & Martel, 2004). However, previous studies have found mixed results with parent extraversion. Some studies found that high parental extraversion could lead to more parent responsiveness (Clark et al., 2000), whereas others have found that these parents are more controlling (Metsepelto & Pulkkinen, 2002). The three components of infant temperament (negative reactivity, orienting, and surgency) have been found to differentially predict parenting (Bridgett et al., 2009; Rothbart & Bates, 2006; Planalp, Braungart-Rieker, Lickenbrock, & Zentall, 2013). In addition, the majority of the research examining predictors of parental sensitivity has involved predominantly mother-infant dyads; father-infant dyads are examined less often. The current study aimed to longitudinally examine how parent personality and infant temperament contribute to parental sensitivity over time in 4 (n = 49), 6 (n = 41), and 8 month old (n = 35) infants in both mothers and fathers. Parent personality and infant temperament were assessed via questionnaires filled out by each parent. Parental sensitivity was observationally coded during a dyadic, parent-infant face-to-face play task. Regression analyses revealed differential predictors of parental sensitivity for mothers and fathers and showed partial support for the goodness of fit perspective between the parent’s personality and infant’s temperament.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Telecommunications, 2009.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 8, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-10, Section: B, page: 6598. Adviser: Annie Lang.

One hundred eighty five college students (75 male and 110 female) solved 12 anagrams, completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory, and completed a posttest which measured participant's internal and external attributions about the success or failure outcome of the anagram solutions. A 4 x 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA with gender-role type (masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated), biological sex, and outcome as the independent variables was used to analyze the outcome scores for internal and external attributions. Contrary to prediction, there was no significant interaction between gender-role identity and outcome. The internal attributions in the success condition for all subjects were significantly greater than internal attributions in the failure condition. There were no other significant main effects or interactions. Results of this study are in agreement with meta-analytic findings which state there are no significant differences between males and females in success/failure attributions.