Individual differences in intuitive–experiential and analytical–rational thinking styles.

Two studies provide evidence for the reliability and validity of a new self-report measure of individual differences in intuitive–experiential and analytical–rational thinking based on cognitive–experiential self-theory (CEST). The Rational–Experiential Inventory (REI) was constructed to measure the 2 independent processing modes with a modified Need for Cognition Scale (NFC, J. T. Cacioppo & R. E. Petty, 1982) and a new scale, Faith in Intuition (FI). In Study 1, a factor analysis yielded 2 orthogonal factors corresponding to NFC and FI. Although heuristic processing was determined primarily by FI, NFC also contributed to heuristic responding, in line with CEST. The relation of FI and NFC to coping ability also was examined. In Study 2, the factor structure of the REI was replicated (N?=?973). NFC and FI were differentially related to measures of personality, adjustment, achievement, and interpersonal relations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dual processing and organizational justice: The role of rational versus experiential processing in third-party reactions to workplace mistreatment.

The moral perspective of justice proposes that when confronted by another person's mistreatment, third parties can experience a deontic response, that is, an evolutionary-based emotional reaction that motivates them to engage in retribution toward the transgressor. In this article, we tested whether the third party's deontic reaction is less strong when a rational (vs. experiential) processing frame is primed. Further, we tested whether third parties high (vs. low) in moral identity are more resistant to the effects of processing frames. Results from a sample of 185 French managers revealed that following an injustice, managers primed to use rational processing reported lower retribution tendencies compared with managers primed to use experiential processing. Third parties high in moral identity, however, were less affected by the framing; they reported a high retribution response regardless of processing frame. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Projective and repressive styles of processing aversive information.

Examined the relationship between projective and repressive styles of dealing with aversive information about the self, and sex differences in the use of these 2 defensive syles, in 47 normal undergraduates, using the Adjective Check List. Results show an inverse relation between the use of projective attribution and repressive forgetting of negative traits that was independent of sex, supporting the assumption of individual differences in the utilization of the major defense mechanisms. Females used repression more than males, but no sex difference in projection was shown. Implications for personality theory and research methodology are presented. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation between exposure to violence and social information processing among incarcerated adolescents.

Combining evidence from social learning theory with reports of the association between community violence exposure and aggressive behavior development, the authors examined the link between specific characteristics of violence exposure and social information-processing mechanisms (N. R. Crick & K. A. Dodge, 1994; K. A. Dodge, 1980, 1986) in a sample of highly aggressive, incarcerated adolescent boys (N?=?110). Results demonstrated that victimization by severe violence was significantly related to approval of aggression as a social response, problems with the interpretation of social cues, and maladaptive social goals. Witnessing severe violence, in contrast, was related to perceived positive outcomes for the use of aggression. These data suggest the importance of examining the severity and modality of exposure to community violence for understanding patterns of social–cognitive functioning among adolescents exposed to violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Three experiential practices and their relation to psychoanalysis.

In this article, the author compares three experiential practices: the use of psychoanalytic evenly suspended attention, the adoption of the philosophical attitude of the phenomenological reduction, and the practice of Buddhist bare attention. Convergences and differences between these practices with respect to their uses, aims, and attendant qualities of consciousness are noted. Samples of patient-therapist interaction are used to demonstrate how these three experiential sets can operate synergistically in the course of psychoanalytic therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The rational treatment of multiple personality disorder.

The complex symptomatology of patients who have survived profound childhood abuse, particularly the severe dissociative and posttraumatic symptoms of patients with multiple personality disorder (MPD), may predispose therapists to engage in poorly considered psychotherapeutic practices. Therapists should be careful to keep a rational clinical perspective and not to be distracted by patients' unusual and dramatic clinical presentation. This article discusses the particular problematic areas often encountered in the treatment of MPD patients, including the necessity for pacing the therapy, keeping the focus on the patient as a whole, and avoiding preoccupation with individual personalities or with MPD phenomenology. Clinical vignettes illustrate these areas of difficulty. Good clinical judgment and sound therapeutic principles permit rational and productive treatment even for challenging MPD patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dual-task information processing in schizotypal personality disorder: Evidence of impaired processing capacity.

Working memory theories heavily rely on the concept of processing resources and the their efficient deployment. Some recent work with schizophrenia-spectrum patients has suggested that many associated cognitive impairments may be reduced to deficits in working memory, possibly related to reductions in information-processing capacity resources. In this study, 38 patients with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), 22 patients with other personality disorders, and 14 healthy comparison participants performed a dual-task processing assessment that was designed specifically for use in this type of study. Participants recalled lists of digits at their predetermined maximum digit span and performed box-checking tests, first alone and then in a dual-task format. Instructions included equal prioritization of both tasks. SPD patients had significantly shorter digit spans, and they also showed more deterioration on both tasks. Performance operating characteristics curves indicated that SPD patients' reduced performance was not due to abnormal resource allocation strategies leading to strategic failures. The authors discuss the implications of these processing capacity limitations for understanding both the signature of cognitive impairment within the schizophrenia spectrum and general abnormalities in working memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive personality: Reliability, validity, and relation to dysthymia.

The reliability and validity of K. Schneider's (1958) construct of depressive personality was evaluated in a sample of 177 outpatients, who were administered structured diagnostic and family history interviews, an extensive battery of inventories, and a 6-mo follow-up assessment. The criteria for depressive personality had moderate to good interrater reliability, internal consistency, and test–retest stability, and the assessment of depressive personality traits was not influenced by patients' clinical states. In addition, preliminary support for the convergent and discriminant validity of the depressive personality construct was obtained. Although there were significant relations between the depressive personality and diagnoses of dysthymia from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) and DSM-III—Revised (DSM-III—R), the depressive personality was not entirely subsumed by existing mood disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual differences in perceptual information processing and their relation to automobile accident involvement.

Used a perceptual-information-processing model of driver decision making as a framework to select and devise predictors of accident involvement. 75 commercial drivers were tested in a driving simulator and were given the Embedded Figures Test, Selective Attention Test, and rod-and-frame test. The predictors of field dependence, selective attention, and complex reaction time significantly related to accident involvement. Initial, simple, and choice reaction time did not relate to accident rate. The visual measures of field dependence and the auditory measure of selective attention were related in the predicted direction, with the field-independent drivers making fewer errors in selective perception. This finding lends support to the importance of the further development of an information-processing model of the driving task. Since evidence is accumulating that stable individual differences in information processing relate to accident involvement, consideration should be given to devising techniques to develop these skills. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive personality styles, dysphoria, and social comparisons in everyday life.

"Sociotropic" people are supposedly vulnerable to dysphoria after negative interpersonal events, whereas "autonomous" people are supposedly vulnerable to achievement-related failures. The present study examined whether these personality styles are borne out in social comparison processes. For 3 weeks, 27 sociotropic and 35 autonomous undergraduates completed records of their social comparisons. Depressive personality style moderated comparison frequency and the affective consequences of comparisons, especially for dysphoric individuals: Dysphoric respondents were especially likely to make comparisons in domains that were congruent with their personalities, and comparisons in congruent domains were associated with greater mood change than comparisons in other domains, perhaps especially for dysphoric respondents. These results have implications for the literatures on social comparison and on depressive personality styles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult attachment styles: Their relations to family context and personality.

This study used a sample of 304 adults to examine mean differences in family climate and personality variables on the basis of individuals' attachment styles. Also examined was whether mean differences varied by age group. Findings showed significant main effects of attachment style, but no Attachment Style X Age Group interactions. Compared with adults with an insecure attachment style, persons with a secure attachment style described their family of origin and their current family more positively and scored higher on personality variables indicative of self-confidence, psychological well-being, and functioning in the social world. When the family climate and personality variables were included in a discriminant function analysis, 2 significant functions were obtained. The 1st function discriminated adults with a positive self-model from those with a negative self-model. The 2nd function contrasted participants with a positive other-model from those with a negative other-model. Thus, this study provided evidence in support of the self- and other-models as the fundamental dimensions of adults' attachment system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation between limb dominance, acceptance of disability, and the phantom limb phenomenon.

Examined 2 hypotheses regarding the phantom limb sensation (PLS). One predicted that the frequency of PLS would be greater for the dominant than the nondominant limb. The 2nd hypothesized that there is an inverse relation between acceptance of the disability and frequency of PLS. 18 double-amputees who had lost 2 homologous limbs while in military service were administered questionnaires examining limb dominance, frequency of the PLS, and acceptance of disability. Results confirm only the 1st hypothesis. The PLS is discussed in light of the present findings, and it is concluded that the role of physiological factors seems to be clearer than that of psychological ones. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stressful life events and personality styles: relation to impairment and treatment outcome in patients with social phobia

Forty-five patients with social phobia and 15 individuals with no mental disorder were compared on number and type of life events experienced. Social phobia patients were further examined to evaluate the effect of negative life events and of the interaction between personality style and life events on severity of impairment and reactions to cognitive-behavioral group therapy. Patients with social phobia reported more negative life events than participants with no mental disorder. Among patients with social phobia, more frequent negative life events were associated with higher scores on measures of depression and general anxiety. Patients high on autonomy who reported more negative autonomous (i.e., achievement-oriented) life events also scored higher on measures of social anxiety and general anxiety. There were no significant interactions between sociotropy and the frequency of reported socially oriented negative life events. However, patients high on sociotropy scored higher on measures of social anxiety, depression, and general anxiety. Patients who had experienced more negative life events improved more after treatment on measures of social anxiety than did those who had experienced fewer negative life events. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Involuntary subordination and its relation to personality, mood, and submissive behavior.

According to social rank theory, involuntary subordination may be adaptive in species that compete for resources as a mechanism to switch off fighting behaviors when loss is imminent (thus saving an organism from injury). In humans, major depression is thought to occur when involuntary subordination becomes prolonged. The present study sought to operationalize involuntary subordination. Study 1 involved a reanalysis of a Gilbert and Allan (1998) study, with the hypothesis that social comparison (i.e., perceived status), submissive behavior, feelings of defeat, and entrapment would load on a common factor (interpreted as involuntary subordination). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported this model. In Study 2 measures of these same variables were administered to a group of undergraduate students. Eight items were selected from each measure (on the basis of item-total correlations) to form the Involuntary Subordination Questionnaire (ISQ). In Study 3 scores on the ISQ showed high levels of internal consistency and test–retest reliability in a sample of undergraduate students. Scores on the ISQ were significantly positively correlated with various neurotic personality styles and negatively correlated with variables indicating dominance or mastery. Involuntary subordination scores also significantly predicted change in social anxiety symptoms over 9 weeks. In Study 4 scores on the ISQ were examined in relation to nonverbal behaviors. In men, the ISQ was correlated with behaviors indicating a lack of confidence and submissiveness. Involuntary subordination appears to be a relatively stable trait with implications for personality, mood, and real-world behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response to cognitive therapy in depression: The role of maladaptive beliefs and personality disorders.

This study examined whether personality disorder status and beliefs that characterize personality disorders affect response to cognitive therapy. In a naturalistic study, 162 depressed outpatients with and without a personality disorder were followed over the course of cognitive therapy. As would be hypothesized by cognitive theory (A. T. Beck & A. Freeman, 1990), it was not personality disorder status but rather maladaptive avoidant and paranoid beliefs that predicted variance in outcome. However, pre- to posttherapy comparisons suggested that although patients with or without comorbidity respond comparably to "real-world" cognitive therapy, they report more severe depressive symptomatology at intake and more residual symptoms at termination. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using the five-factor model to identify a new personality disorder domain: The case for experiential permeability.

Two studies were conducted to demonstrate that maladaptive aspects of high and low Openness to Experience were related to characterological impairment and that this aspect of personality may define a new domain of personality dysfunction. The 55-item Experiential Permeability Inventory (EPI; containing 4 scales) was developed and demonstrated to have acceptable psychometric properties. Evidence of convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity was provided. These studies provide a methodological framework for identifying and developing aspects of personality dysfunction that can expand the comprehensiveness of the current set of Axis II disorders. Theoretical implications of the EPI are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social perceptions and borderline personality disorder: The relation to mood disorders.

Used the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior to compare the social perceptions of borderline, unipolar, and bipolar-depressed inpatients. As predicted, borderline Ss differed from bipolar-depressed and unipolar Ss in their social perceptions. Borderline Ss viewed their relationships to their mother, hospital staff, and other patients as more hostile and autonomous than did mood disordered Ss. The results are discussed in terms of an integrative theory of borderline personality that considers the psychobiology of interpersonal relationships and attachment disruptions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Machiavellian beliefs and personality: Construct invalidity of the Machiavellianism dimension.

R. Christie and F. C. Geiss (1970) implicitly assume that the component beliefs of Machiavelli's philosophy are linked to other personality traits only as mediated by a central dimension of Machiavellianism. This assertion was cast in the form of a causal model and shown to be false among 351 undergraduates. Ss completed a test battery that included the Mach IV Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis identified 4 component beliefs: flattery, rejection of honesty, rejection of the belief that people are moral, and the belief that people are vicious and untrustworthy. These beliefs differentially relate to personality traits, including dogmatism, self-esteem, and locus of control. A path analysis supported a developmental theory in which the key events are the development of cynicism and the consequent adoption of a competitive stance toward others. Some of the component beliefs were causally antecedent to variables such as competitiveness, whereas other component beliefs were causally dependent on the same variables. Thus, the Machiavellianism total score cannot enter into a logically consistent causal relation with these variables. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional arousal, client perceptual processing, and the working alliance in experiential psychotherapy for depression.

Early-, middle-, and late-phase client emotional arousal, perceptual processing strategies, and working alliance were examined in relation to treatment outcome on 4 measures in 32 clients who previously underwent experiential therapy for depression. Hierarchical regression analyses relating these variables to outcome indicated that results varied depending on the therapeutic process, phase of treatment, and outcome measure involved in the analyses. Mid-therapy arousal predicted improvements in self-esteem, whereas mid- and late treatment perceptual processing predicted reductions in client interpersonal dysfunction. Emotional arousal in conjunction with perceptual processing during mid-therapy predicted reductions in depressive and psychopathological symptomatology better than either of these variables alone. The implications of these findings for psychotherapy research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)