Unwrapping the organizational entry process: Disentangling multiple antecedents and their pathways to adjustment.

This 4-wave longitudinal study of newcomers in 7 organizations examined preentry knowledge, proactive personality, and socialization influences as antecedents of both proximal (task mastery, role clarity, work group integration, and political knowledge) and distal (organizational commitment, work withdrawal, and turnover) indicators of newcomer adjustment. Results suggest that preentry knowledge, proactive personality, and socialization influences from the organization, supervisors, and coworkers are independently related to proximal adjustment outcomes, consistent with a theoretical framework highlighting distinct dimensions of organizational and work task adjustment. The proximal adjustment outcomes partially mediated most of the relationships between the antecedents of adjustment and organizational commitment, work withdrawal, and turnover. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The self as a mediator between personality and adjustment.

The self can be conceptualized as a mediating agent that translates personality into situated goal-directed activities and adaptation. This research used a level-of-analysis approach to link personality dimensions (Level 1) to self-systems (Level II) and to teacher ratings of adjustment in African American, Mexican American, and European American students (N?=?317). The authors hypothesized that links among aspects of self-esteem and teacher ratings of adjustment would be domain specific, and those links to dimensions of the 5-factor model would reflect the domain specificity. Structural equation modeling corroborated hypotheses about domain specificity in links between adjustment and 5-factor dimensions. Results were discussed in terms of levels of analysis for personality structure, personality development, and age-related adaptations to social contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using theory to evaluate personality and job-performance relations: A socioanalytic perspective.

The authors used socioanalytic theory to understand individual differences in people's performance at work. Specifically, if predictors and criteria are aligned by using theory, then the meta-analytic validity of personality measures exceeds that of atheoretical approaches. As performance assessment moved from general to specific job criteria, all Big Five personality dimensions more precisely predicted relevant criterion variables, with estimated true validities of .43 (Emotional Stability), .35 (Extraversion-Ambition), .34 (Agreeableness), .36 (Conscientiousness), and .34 (Intellect-Openness to Experience). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work style and the expression of hostility in boys.

The concept of work style denotes the unique, idiosyncratic stylistic variations in how one works, variations which override the demands of the job and which express the person in relation to the task. 5 dimensions of work style are defined in the context of the role of early work experience in personality development. 52 white 8-14 yr. old males who worked at a variety of part-time jobs were rated on these dimensions on the basis of extensive interview data. Ratings correlated positively with both the pervasiveness and intensity of hostility expressed in imaginative though products (TAT stories). The relation between work-style dimensions and hostility expression is examined in the context of psychoanalytic ego-psychology theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The open and closed mind: A review of dogmatism.

Research on Rokeach's concept of dogmatism is reviewed and structured into 10 areas: authoritarianism, the Dogmatism scale, personality, adjustment, group behavior, parent-child relationships, time perception, cognitive inconsistency, problem solving, and learning. Findings generally support the validity of Rokeach's concept, particularly as a generalized theory of authoritarianism independent of ideological content. Evidence suggests that a "dogmatic personality" style exists and may be readily identified. Limitations of the work done on dogmatism are noted and suggestions for specific areas of future research are made. (4 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal problems, personality pathology, and social adjustment after cognitive therapy for depression.

The authors examined the level and structure- of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems--Circumplex version (IIP-C; L. M. Horowitz. L. E. Alden, J. S. Wiggins, & A. L. Pincus, 2000) before and after 20 sessions of acute-phase cognitive therapy for depression (N=118), as well as associations with the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (L. A. Clark, 1993b) and the Social Adjustment Scale--Self-Report version (M. M. Weissman & S. Bothwell, 1976). Interpersonal problems had a 3-factor structure (Interpersonal Distress, Love, and Dominance), with the latter 2 factors approximating a circumplex, both before and after therapy. Interpersonal Distress decreased and social adjustment increased with therapy, but the Love and Dominance dimensions were relatively stable, similar to personality constructs. Social adjustment related negatively to Interpersonal Distress but not to Love or Dominance. Personality pathology related broadly to Interpersonal Distress and discriminantly to Love and Dominance. These findings support the reliability and validity of the IIP-C and are discussed in the context of personality theory and measurement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Construct and Criterion Validity of Emotional Intelligence and Its Potential Utility for Management Studies.

In this study, the authors reviewed the definition of emotional intelligence (EI) and argued that El is conceptually distinct from personality. In Study 1, the authors showed that EI was related to yet distinct from personality dimensions and that it had incremental predictive power on life satisfaction. The authors examined the construct validity of self-reports and others' ratings of EI using two samples in Study 2. In a student sample, parents' ratings explained additional variance in the students' life satisfaction and feelings of powerlessness after controlling for the Big Five personality dimensions. In the work sample, peer ratings were found to be significant predictors of job performance ratings provided by supervisors after controlling for the Big Five personality dimensions. Other implications for future research on EI are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simulation of normal and psychopathic MMPI personality patterns.

Previous work with the simulation of normalcy on personality tests has suggested that good adjustment involves an adequate understanding of socially approved behavior. 27 well-adjusted and 42 maladjusted college males took the MMPI under instructions to simulate very good adjustment, and again under instructions to simulate psychopathic personality. Both groups simulated very good adjustment satisfactorily; however, well-adjusted Ss were superior to maladjusted Ss in the simulation of psychopathic personality. The findings were consistent with the literature on role-taking and empathy, supporting the view that good adjustment involves an ability to understand and predict socially adequate and inadequate behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adjustment to occupational stress: The relationship of perceived control to effectiveness of coping strategies.

A sample of 187 medical center nurses described 2 stressful occupational episodes varying in perceived controllability and provided information regarding the coping strategies used. Outcome measures assessed effectiveness of coping across 3 dimensions: perceived coping effectiveness, job affect, and psychological adjustment. Negative affectivity was measured to control for its tendency to inflate stress-adjustment relationships. Use of problem-solving strategies was related to perceived coping effectiveness only for high-control episodes. However, differential use of coping across levels of controllability was not related to job affect or psychological adjustment. Avoidant coping was strongly associated with negative affect at work. In contrast, problem-reappraisal and problem-solving strategies were related to positive affect at work. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Polarities of experience: Relatedness and self-definition in personality development, psychopathology, and the therapeutic process.

Reviews the book, Polarities of experience: Relatedness and self-definition in personality development, psychopathology, and the therapeutic process by Sidney J. Blatt (see record 2008-01813-000). In this book, Blatt sets forth a model of personality and psychopathology that is unique in its systematic, multifaceted attempt to understand a person’s dynamic experiences. The model, which is framed by psychoanalytic theory and practice, also includes forays into cognitive–emotional development, social theory, and culture. The qualitative and quantitative examination of the model relies on observations and methods used in personality assessment, as well as in treatment process–outcome research. The combination of a complex and nuanced model, with a seemingly endless field of data to support it, contributes to this successful work. The book is centered on the idea that self-definition and interpersonal relatedness are essential interacting dimensions of a person’s experience. It offers a sweeping and systematic model of dynamic interactions between self and other, as they appear in personality development and organization, in psychopathology, and in treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of work adjustment in bipolar I patients: A naturalistic longitudinal follow-up.

This study explored the clinical and psychosocial predictors of work adjustment in 52 Bipolar I patients over a 2-year longitudinal period and examined associations between work functioning and social relationships, personality features, stressful life events, and clinical variables. Analyses indicated that psychosocial variables (personality disorder symptoms and social functioning) added significantly to prediction of work functioning after clinical variables were entered. Stressful life events were not associated with work adjustment. Overall, presence of a good quality supportive relationship was the strongest unique predictor of work. The results highlight the need to study functional outcomes in patients, especially because they appear only modestly associated with clinical status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The “CEO” of women's work lives: How Big Five Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Openness predict 50 years of work experiences in a changing sociocultural context.

Few long-term longitudinal studies have examined how dimensions of personality are related to work lives, especially in women. We propose a life-course framework for studying work over time, from preparatory activities (in the 20s) to descending work involvement (after age 60), using 50 years of life data from the women in the Mills Longitudinal Study. We hypothesized differential work effects for Extraversion (work as pursuit of rewards), Openness (work as self-actualization), and Conscientiousness (work as duty) and measured these 3 traits as predictor variables when the women were still in college. In a prospective longitudinal design, we then studied how these traits predicted the women's subsequent work lives from young adulthood to age 70 and how these effects depended on the changing sociocultural context. Specifically, the young adulthood of the Mills women in the mid-1960s was rigidly gender typed and family oriented; neither work nor education variables at that time were predicted from earlier personality traits. However, as women's roles changed, later work variables became related to all 3 traits, as expected from current Big Five theory and research. For example, early personality traits predicted the timing of involvement in work, the kinds of jobs chosen, and the status and satisfaction achieved, as well as continued work participation and financial security in late adulthood. Early traits were also linked to specific cultural influences, such as the traditional feminine role, the women's movement, and graduate education for careers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adaptation level, personality theory, and psychopathology.

Adaptation-level (AL) theory represents a quantitative approach to the concept of adjustment and offers an experimental psychological point of departure for a science of personal and social behavior. It is suggested that a personality theory develop from classification of response types specifying relevant aspects of the focal, background, and residual factors. The various psychopathologies may be similarly viewed in terms of specific behavioral excesses or impairments within the framework of AL theory. A proposal for the use of AL theory in regard to personality and psychopathology is outlined and representative studies are cited. (58 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of temporal stability and cross-situational consistency in personality: Comment on the Mischel-Epstein debate.

Suggests that in W. Mischel and P. K. Peake's (see record 1983-05642-001) treatment of the problem of personality consistency, the statistical estimates of the temporal and situational dimensions were confounded, resulting in a serious underestimation of the cross-situational consistency of behavior. This work and the personality consistency studies of H. Hartshorne and M. A. May (1928), T. M. Newcomb (1929), G. W. Allport and P. E. Vernon (1933), and G. J. Dudycha (1936), are reanalyzed to provide comparable estimates for the temporal and cross-situational dimensions. When properly operationalized, temporal stability and cross-situational consistency are characterized by roughly similar levels of correlation. For both dimensions, correlations among particular instances average in the .2–.3 range, and aggregate coefficients are generally in the .6–.9 range. A naturalistic Situation?×?Occasion matrix is proposed as a framework for future studies of personality consistency. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perspective taking as a predictor of marital adjustment.

Recently, theorists have argued that positive personality dispositions may facilitate the maintenance of satisfying personal relationships. On a sample of 159 couples (married an average of 23.8 years) it was hypothesized that perspective taking, defined as the cognitive tendency to put oneself in another person's place, would be positively predictive of marital adjustment. Three dimensions of perspective taking were measured. A general measure assessed self perspective taking in general social interaction. A second instrument assessed the perspective taking of the self, and the third assessed the perspective taking of another within the marriage relationship. Results indicated that for both husbands and wives, all 3 dimensions of perspective taking were predictive of marital adjustment. Wives had significantly higher scores than did husbands on all 3 perspective-taking scales. The results are discussed within the context of a model of relational competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting actual behavior from the explicit and implicit self-concept of personality.

The authors present a behavioral process model of personality that specifies explicit and implicit aspects of the self-concept of personality as predictors of actual behavior. An extensive behavioral study (N = 130) including a variety of relevant social situations was conducted. This approach allowed reliable measurement of more than 50 behavioral indicators. A priori assignment of indicators to the Big Five dimensions was conducted on the basis of theory and expert ratings. In line with the authors’ model, 3 main findings were revealed: First, direct measures (questionnaires) of personality predicted actual behavior for all Big Five dimensions. Second, indirect measures (implicit association tests) of neuroticism and extraversion also predicted actual behavior. Third, the predictive validity of these indirect measures was incremental. The authors were additionally able to show that controlling for valence did not affect any of these results. Implications and future prospects for the study of personality and actual behavior are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The enigma of androgyny: Differential implications for males and females?

A program of studies, comprising a total population of 1,404 college students, tested the hypothesis that psychological androgyny (i.e., a balance of masculine and feminine characteristics) permits greater behavioral flexibility and consequently leads to better adjustment. A variety of methods were used to compare androgynous with sex-typed and opposite sex-typed Ss (determined by the Bem Sex-Role Inventory) along several attitudinal, personality, and behavioral dimensions. Contrary to expectation a pattern of findings replicated across measures of attitudes toward women's issues, gender identification, neurosis, introversion–extraversion, locus of control, self-esteem, problems with alcohol, creativity, political awareness, confidence in one's own ability, helplessness, and sexual maturity indicated that flexibility and adjustment were generally associated with masculinity rather than androgyny for both males and females. Feminine Ss, independent of gender, would prefer to become more masculine were that possible. These results are interpreted as suggesting an alternative to S. L. Bem's theory of androgyny. Additional analyses indicated few differences between the additive and the original definitions of androgyny. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual and contextual correlates of marital change across the transition to parenthood.

To explore multiple prenatal antecedents and postnatal correlates of change in marital adjustment and satisfaction in men and women across the transition to parenthood, 102 couples from diverse sociocultural backgrounds were studied longitudinally from pregnancy to the 9th postpartum month. Guided by an ecological model, the pre- and postnatal assessments included questionnaires of marital adjustment, personality traits, attitudes toward parenthood, work role centrality, social support, as well as observations and ratings of infant behaviors, maternal and paternal behaviors, and marital communication. Fathers' caregiving behaviors and play and affiliative behaviors were the most powerful, positive predictors for both spouses. Additional positive predictors for women were personality traits of impulse control and non-Western ethnicity, whereas negative predictors were work role centrality and personality trait of autonomy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Get smarty pants: Cognitive ability, personality, and victimization.

Drawing on the victim precipitation model, this study provides an empirical investigation of the relationship between cognitive ability and victimization at work. We propose that people high in cognitive ability are more prone to victimization. In this study, we also examine the direct and moderating effects of victims' personality traits, specifically the 2 interpersonally oriented personality dimensions of agency and communion. Results support the direct positive relationship of cognitive ability and victimization. The positive relationship between high cognitive ability and victimization is moderated by the victims' personality traits; agency personality traits strengthen the relationship of cognitive ability and victimization, whereas communion personality traits weaken this relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)