Дисертації з теми "5205 Social and personality psychology"

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)."

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.

A new type of terrorist has emerged in the last decade. Inspired by jihadi ideology, these individuals are born and raised in the very country they wish to attack. Such homegrown terrorism has become the primary concern of security agencies in Western countries. While many theories purport to describe the exact stages involved in the radicalization leading to homegrown terrorism, very little empirical data exists on the psychology of those who become radicalized. In the present dissertation, I propose and test a novel model of the social psychological factors contributing to radicalization: the two-factor model of homegrown terrorism. The origins of the two-factor model are discussed in Manuscript 1, where I reviewed five major models of radicalization and analyzed them through the lens of terrorism studies and social psychology. This analysis yielded several avenues for future research, including the importance of the jihadi narrative and of personality traits. These two themes then formed the basis of the two-factor model of homegrown terrorism tested in Manuscript 2. In order to derive specific, testable hypotheses, social identity theory was used to deconstruct the jihadi narrative and social dominance theory was used to inform the theme of personality. I hypothesized that the jihadi narrative, which underscores a threat to Islam, is interpreted on an individual level as a threat to collective pride, and that low social dominance orientation (SDO) is linked to increased support for the use of violence. Together, a threat to collective pride and low SDO formed the two-factor model of homegrown terrorism. The initial test of the two-factor model consisted of a survey conducted with Canadian Muslims. Results supported one factor in the model but not the other. Respondents who perceived a greater threat to Islam reported less collective pride, which in turn lead to more aggressive action tendencies towards non-Muslim Canadians. Moreover, it was high SDO, rather than low SDO, that were linked to more aggressive action tendencies towards non-Muslim Canadians. A similar pattern of results was found in two laboratory experiments where participants were deceived into thinking that group members had either truly planned, or successfully carried out, acts of terrorism. When this violence was presented as a response against a threat to group pride, strongly identified group members viewed terrorism more positively. Moreover, during these experiments, higher levels of SDO were associated with more positive appraisals of terrorism. Manuscript 3 describes additional testing of the link between high SDO and terrorism. Capitalizing on an annual large-scale civil-war simulation, I investigated if participants' personality characteristics predicted their selection of simulation role. For two consecutive years, students who requested to enact terrorists and insurgents rated significantly higher on SDO than students requesting other roles. Overall, the results identify collective pride and high SDO as key factors in the radicalization process leading to terrorism. Implications for future research and counter-terrorism strategies are discussed.
Un nouveau type de terroristes est apparu au cours de la dernière décennie. Ces individus, inspirés par l'idéologie djihadiste, tentent de s'attaquer au pays local dans lequel ils sont nés et ont grandi. Ce terrorisme local est au cœur des préoccupations des agences de sécurité occidentales. Bien que de nombreuses théories visent à décrire les étapes du processus de radicalisation menant au terrorisme local, très peu de données empiriques existent concernant la psychologie de ceux qui se radicalisent. Dans cette thèse doctorale, j'adopte une perspective fondée sur la psychologie sociale pour élaborer et tester un nouveau modèle théorique de la radicalisation : le modèle bifactoriel du terrorisme local. Les origines du modèle bifactoriel font l'objet du Manuscrit 1, dans lequel cinq grands modèles théoriques de la radicalisation sont analysés par le bais de la psychologie sociale et d'études sur le terrorisme. Cette analyse a généré plusieurs avenues de recherche potentielles, incluant l'importance du récit djihadiste et des traits de personnalité du terroriste. Ces deux éléments ont ensuite formé la base du modèle bifactoriel du terrorisme local qui a été testé dans le Manuscrit 2. Afin de tirer des hypothèses précises et vérifiables, la théorie de l'identité sociale a été appliquée afin de déconstruire le récit djihadiste et la théorie de la dominance sociale a alimenté la réflexion portant sur les traits de personnalité du terroriste. J'ai proposé l'hypothèse que le récit djihadiste, qui souligne la notion de menace à l'Islam, soit interprété à un niveau personnel comme une menace à l'estime collective. J'ai également proposé l'hypothèse qu'une faible orientation à la dominance sociale (ODS) soit reliée à un soutien accru pour l'utilisation de la violence. Ensemble, la menace à l'estime collective et une ODS faible composent le modèle bifactoriel du terrorisme local. Le modèle bifactoriel a initialement été testé grâce à un sondage effectué auprès de Canadiens musulmans. Les résultats ont confirmé un seul des deux facteurs du modèle : les participants qui percevaient une menace à l'Islam se disaient moins fiers de leur groupe, ce qui à son tour était associé à une tendance agressive envers les Canadiens non-musulmans plus élevée. De plus, c'était une ODS forte, plutôt que faible, qui menait à une tendance plus élevée à vouloir poser des gestes agressifs envers les Canadiens non-musulmans. Des résultats similaires ont été obtenus lors de deux études expérimentales où les participants étaient amenés à croire que des membres de leur groupe avaient soit vraisemblablement planifié, ou véritablement réussi, à perpétrer des actes terroristes. Lorsque cette violence était présentée comme étant une réponse face à une menace à l'estime collective, les membres qui s'identifiaient plus fortement à leur groupe percevaient le terrorisme plus positivement. De plus, dans ces deux études expérimentales, une ODS forte était associée à une évaluation plus positive du terrorisme. Le Manuscrit 3 décrit une autre évaluation du lien entre l'ODS et le terrorisme. Ainsi, profitant de l'occasion unique offerte par une simulation à grande échelle de guerre civile, j'ai cherché à savoir si les traits de personnalité des participants prédiraient le rôle qu'ils allaient choisir lors de la simulation. Durant deux années consécutives, les participants qui souhaitaient tenir les rôles de terroristes et d'insurgés présentaient une ODS plus forte que les participants qui souhaitaient tenir d'autres rôles lors de ces simulations. Dans l'ensemble, les résultats de mes études indiquent que l'estime collective et l'ODS sont deux facteurs clés dans le processus de radicalisation qui mène au terrorisme. Les implications de ces résultats pour la recherche future et pour les stratégies anti-terrorisme font l'objet de discussion.

Personality testing can be an adequate instrument for prediction of future job performance. However, the predictive ability of these tests has been only moderate at best. This researcher attempted to determine if feedback would help improve the predictive ability of personality tests. The results indicated that feedback did not moderate the relationship between the personality dimensions and job performance for all of the personality construct s except Openness to Experience. This researcher also attempted to replicate the findings of the Barrick and Mount (1993) study which found that autonomy moderated the relationship between Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and job performance. This researcher found support for Barrick and Mount's findings for Extraversion and Conscientiousness, but not for Agreeableness.

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.

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.

This research explored personality correlates of social cohesion. Groups of two were given a task to perform that required cooperation between the two team members. This task exposed each team member to the other's personality. Upon completion of the task, the individual perceptions of social cohesion were assessed by each individual. We hypothesized that extraversion, emotional stability, and agreeableness of one team member will correlate positively with the other team member's perception of social cohesion. These hypotheses were not supported. However an exploratory analysis showed that an individual's level of extraversion and conscientiousness were positively correlated to that same individual's cohesion rating. Additionally, an individual's level of neuroticism was negatively correlated with that same individual's cohesion rating.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Since social identity theory and authoritarian personality theory have been presented as opposing theories of discrimination, the present experiment explored whether authoritarianism could explain discrimination in social identity theory's minimal group paradigm. High, high average, low average, and low authoritarians were given three measures of in-group favoritism in minimal groups (two point -distribution tasks and a group -rating task). An authoritarianism main effect and an authoritarianism by order interaction on the point -distribution tasks indicated that authoritarianism significantly enhanced discrimination, but only when these tasks followed the group-rating measure. This interaction indicates that authoritarianism has greater influence on discrimination as in-group/out-group distinctions are made more salient. Authoritarianism did not influence discrimination in group ratings. Social identity theory proposes that individuals use discrimination to enhance their self-esteem, but only high authoritarians appeared to do so in this study.

Research in moral psychology has focused on understanding what factors assist in the development of moral action and decision making. Examples of these research factors include educational experiences (Rest et al, 1986), intelligence (Rest, 1979), and social networking (Derryberry & Thoma, 2000). Personality factors facilitating moral judgment have also receive attention in recent years with Damon and Hart (1988) exploring self-understanding as a possible factor in moral judgment and Baumeister and Exline (1999) proposing that exercising self-control is often characteristic of those who often employ prosocial behavior. Pizarro (2000) suggested that those who fail to utilize empathy may think about moral issues just as those who do employ empathy but find them easier to ignore. This study attempted to explore this research from a different angle by examining the relationships between antisocial personality traits as opposed to prosocial personality traits. To measure these traits, data were collected from two samples comprised of 120 college students and 24 prisoners from a state-inmate facility. The Defining Issues Test (DIT) was used to measure moral judgment and the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) was used to measure the desired personality factors. The results indicated that antisocial personality characteristics do not inhibit moral judgment development. However, the results showed that individuals with antisocial personality characteristics were more likely to endorse self-serving decisions in situations that call for moral decision-making.

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.

Millions of selfies are posted on social media every day. Past research has attempted to explain this behavior, though inconsistent results have necessitated further investigation. The present study broadened the scope of selfie research by using electronic survey methods in a sample of active social media users to examine the relationships between narcissism, extraversion, purpose in life, prevalence of posting, and two novel constructs: number of selfie drafts taken before final selection, and immediacy of posting after taking a selfie. Higher prevalence was significantly related to greater number of drafts and belief that selfies facilitate self-expression and self-discovery. Greater number of drafts was also associated with lower feelings of purpose, greater immediacy, and younger age. These findings, together with an absence of strong links between selfies and narcissism or extraversion, suggest that selfie sharing is more nuanced than previous studies have shown. The present data’s correlational nature precludes causal inference, but informs future research on selfies and human behavior on social media.

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.

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.

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

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.

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, 2007.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 19, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-02, Section: B, page: 1325. Adviser: Rex Stockton.

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.

Historically, kinky sexualities and sexual behaviors have been understood as pathological or perverse. Such misunderstandings and misrepresentations have contributed to the development and perpetuation of kink stigma. The aim of this retrospective, cross-sectional, correlational research study was to explore the potential relationship(s) between pathology, personality, and kinky sexual behaviors/roles in adulthood. Guided by queer-feminist theory, the research questions addressed whether personality traits, experiences of childhood trauma, or a combination thereof, were predictors for kinky behaviors/roles in adulthood. A multi measure, anonymous, and confidential survey was distributed online including the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale as a childhood trauma questionnaire, the Mini-IPIP, and the sadomasochism checklist. Multiple regression analyses were used, and the results showed that experiences of childhood trauma, personality characteristics, or the combination of both were not significant predictors for kinky sexual behaviors in adulthood. Among the sample surveyed, there were no significant relationships found between the variables to provide sufficient evidence to support the negative perceptions and stigmatization of the kinky population. These findings contribute to social change by better informing deficiencies in the historical pathology-based and personality-based academic literature on kinky sexualities. Additionally, the findings of the present study provide others with an increased awareness and understanding of the kink community and lifestyles which benefits evolving society and psychological professionals, scholars, and the kink community.

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.

The current study examined the relationship between psychopathic personality traits and various forms of deception. Through the use of the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment to measure psychopathy, and several different assessment tools to measure deception, including the Multidimensional Deception Inventory (MDI), the relationship between psychopathic personality traits and deception was examined. Using an undergraduate sample of 261 participants at a large research university in the Southeastern United States, the relationship between the aforementioned constructs was explored. Results indicated that the overarching personality traits of Antagonism and Disinhibition were positively related to multiple dimensions of lying behavior. Frequency of lies told, Duping Delight (lies told for enjoyment), and lies told for personal gain/impression management and to avoid disclosing pertinent information were positively related to both Antagonism and Disinhibition. Results point to the need for future study in this area, as limited previous research has looked at the overlap between psychopathic personality traits and deception.

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.

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.

Research on self-determination theory has established that the amount of autonomy support and control in a given situation can enhance or thwart intrinsic motivation. Meanwhile, research in social cognition has shown that people form schemas of significant others which can generalize to new situations. This thesis examines how external cues which activate nonconscious representations of autonomy-supportive and controlling significant others interact with individuals' personality to influence intrinsic motivation on a novel task. Two studies with approximately two hundred participants were conducted to address this question. Participants were primed with either an autonomy-supportive or controlling significant other who they previously nominated as such on an online questionnaire, and engaged in a novel picture-search task. Self-report and behavioural measures of intrinsic motivation for the task were obtained. Participants' causality orientations and attachment anxiety and avoidance were also assessed earlier in the semester. We found that in some instances causality orientations moderated the effect of the primes, as did anxious attachment.
La théorie de l'autodétermination a révélé que le support de l'autonomie ainsi quele contrôle éprouvés dans une situation peuvent augmenter ou diminuer la motivationintrinsèque. La recherche en cognition sociale a démontré que les personnes forment desreprésentations mentales (schémas) d'autres qui peuvent généraliser à des nouvellessituations. Cette thèse examine la manière dont l'activation des représentations despersonnes qui supportent ou contrecarrent l'autonomie interagit avec la personnalité pourinfluencer la motivation intrinsèque dans une nouvelle tache. Les participants ont fournides noms de personnes qui supportent et contrecarrent leur autonomie, puis quelquessemaines après ont été amorcés avec une représentation d'une de ces personnes. Lesparticipants étaient ensuite engagés dans un casse-tête d'objets caches, où leurmotivation intrinsèque pour la tache était mesurée. Les orientations générales à lacausalité et les niveaux d'attachement anxieux et évitant ont également été évalués plustôt dans le semestre. Nous avons trouvé que dans certain cas, les orientations à lacausalité et l'attachement anxieux ont modéré l'effet de l'amorçage sur la motivation.