Attributions of personality based on physical appearance, speech, and handwriting.

Examined the effect of facial appearance, speech style, and handwriting on personality attributions made by 40 undergraduates to test 2 hypotheses: the source consistency hypothesis, which predicts that an actor will receive consistent attributions across all 3 types of information; and the differential information hypothesis, which predicts that different personality dimensions are used to differentiate the actors within each type of information. In a 3?×?6 multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) design, each S rated a single actor/information combination on scales of social evaluation, intellectual evaluation, activity, potency, emotionality, and sociability. Photographs of actors were differentiated primarily in terms of positive social and intellectual evaluation; the speech of actors was differentiated primarily along an activity dimension; and the writing of the actors was differentiated primarily along a potency dimension. Results support the differential information hypothesis and suggest that these 3 types of information about an actor may lead judges to use different personality dimensions. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

"“Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model”: Correction.

Reports an error in "Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model" by Jonathon R. B. Halbesleben (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2006[Sep], Vol 91[5], 1134-1145). There were errors in transcribing the ρ values from Table 2 to the results section. In the second paragraph of page 1138, the second and third sentences should read “In the present study, work-related support was more strongly related to exhaustion (ρ = -.26) than depersonalization (ρ = -.23) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .24; F(2, 111) = 24.13, p > .01). On the other hand, non-work support was more strongly related to depersonalization (ρ = -.16) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .19) than exhaustion (ρ = -.12; F(2, 38) = 3.83, p > .05).” The values in Table 2 are correct and the substantive conclusions have not changed. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2006-11397-012.) The Conservation of Resources (COR) model of burnout (Hobfoll & Freedy, 1993) suggests that resources are differentially related to burnout dimensions. In this paper, I provide a meta-analysis of the social support and burnout literature, finding that social support, as a resource, did not yield different relationships across the 3 burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment), challenging the COR model. However, when considering the source of the social support (work vs. nonwork) as a moderator, I found that work-related sources of social support, because of their more direct relationship to work demands, were more closely associated with exhaustion than depersonalization or personal accomplishment; the opposite pattern was found with nonwork sources of support. I discuss the implications of this finding in relation to the COR model and suggest future research directions to clarify the relationship between resources and burnout dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and emotional performance: Extraversion, neuroticism, and self-monitoring.

Using an experimental design, the authors linked personality to performance on two emotional regulation tasks requiring the expression of either anger or enthusiasm. Across tasks, self-monitoring was associated with effective emotional performance. High self-monitors reported less stress and more deep acting than low self-monitors and did not experience elevated heart rate during emotional performance. The authors also examined affective traits, positing that emotional regulation would be less stressful for individuals who were asked to perform personality congruent emotions. As expected, individuals high on extraversion experienced elevated heart rates when asked to express personality incongruent emotions (i.e., anger). However, the association between extraversion and emotional performance was not significantly different for the two types of emotional regulation (anger and enthusiasm). Neuroticism was associated with increased heart rate and poor performance in both tasks. Overall, these data provide partial support for our personality congruency hypotheses and suggest that personality plays an important role in effective emotional performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Direct and interaction effects among the dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory: Results from two German longitudinal samples.

Inspired by the idea that the three dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) are causally related to each other, five models have been proposed in the literature to explain the main processes of burnout development. Latest empirical findings based on model comparisons suggest that emotional exhaustion exerts positive lagged effects on depersonalization and that depersonalization conceptualized as a coping strategy in turn leads to exhaustion and a low sense of personal accomplishment. The present study offers a more thorough test of various models of burnout development with longitudinal data from two German samples (total N = 643). The analyses, based on structural equation modeling, showed that exhaustion is longitudinally associated with depersonalization and that accomplishment is longitudinally predicted by depersonalization and exhaustion. Furthermore, and going beyond prior research, three moderator effects of depersonalization were identified in predicting all three burnout dimensions at a later point in time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sources of social support and burnout: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 96(1) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2010-24169-001). There were errors in transcribing the ρ values from Table 2 to the results section. In the second paragraph of page 1138, the second and third sentences should read “In the present study, work-related support was more strongly related to exhaustion (ρ = -.26) than depersonalization (ρ = -.23) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .24; F(2, 111) = 24.13, p > .01). On the other hand, non-work support was more strongly related to depersonalization (ρ = .16) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .19) than exhaustion (ρ = -.12; F(2, 38) = 3.83, p > .05).” The values in Table 2 are correct and the substantive conclusions have not changed.] [Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2010-24169-001). There were errors in transcribing the ρ values from Table 2 to the results section. In the second paragraph of page 1138, the second and third sentences should read “In the present study, work-related support was more strongly related to exhaustion (ρ = -.26) than depersonalization (ρ = -.23) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .24; F(2, 111) = 24.13, p > .01). On the other hand, non-work support was more strongly related to depersonalization (ρ = -.16) and personal accomplishment (ρ = .19) than exhaustion (ρ = -.12; F(2, 38) = 3.83, p > .05).” The values in Table 2 are correct and the substantive conclusions have not changed.] The Conservation of Resources (COR) model of burnout (Hobfoll & Freedy, 1993) suggests that resources are differentially related to burnout dimensions. In this paper, I provide a meta-analysis of the social support and burnout literature, finding that social support, as a resource, did not yield different relationships across the 3 burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment), challenging the COR model. However, when considering the source of the social support (work vs. nonwork) as a moderator, I found that work-related sources of social support, because of their more direct relationship to work demands, were more closely associated with exhaustion than depersonalization or personal accomplishment; the opposite pattern was found with nonwork sources of support. I discuss the implications of this finding in relation to the COR model and suggest future research directions to clarify the relationship between resources and burnout dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Narrating personality change.

The present research investigated the longitudinal relations between personality traits and narratives. Specifically, the authors examined how individual differences in 170 college students' narratives of personality change (a) were predicted by personality traits at the beginning of college, (b) related to actual changes and perceived changes in personality traits during college, and (c) related to changes in emotional health during college. Individual differences in narratives of personality trait change told in the 4th year of college fell into 2 dimensions: affective processing, characterized by positive emotions, and exploratory processing, characterized by meaning making and causal processing. Conscientious, open, and extraverted freshmen told exploratory stories of change as seniors. Emotionally healthy freshmen told stories of change that were high in positive affect. Both positive affective and exploratory stories corresponded to change in emotional stability and conscientiousness during college above and beyond the effects of perceived changes in these traits. In addition, both positive affective and exploratory narratives corresponded to increases in emotional health during college independent of the effects of changes in personality traits. These findings improve our understanding of how individuals conceptualize their changing identity over time. (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)     

Emotional exhaustion and job performance: The mediating role of motivation.

The literature concerning the relationship between emotional exhaustion and performance led researchers to raise questions about the extent to which the variables are related. In 2 time-lagged samples, the authors found that motivation mediates the emotional exhaustion-job performance relationship. Moreover, the authors found that participants appear to target their investment of resources in response to emotional exhaustion to develop social support through social exchange; specifically, emotional exhaustion was associated with communion striving resources that were manifest in the form of organizational citizenship behaviors targeted at individuals. Implications of this relationship for theories of burnout and for management practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dual temperamental risk factors for psychopathic personality: Evidence from self-report and skin conductance.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder consisting of dysfunctional affective interpersonal features (Factor 1) and impulsive-antisocial behavior (Factor 2) that exhibit differential associations with palmar skin conductance (SC) reactivity. The goal of this study was to determine whether the distinct SC reactivity observed in incarcerated psychopaths generalizes to university students who score high on personality dimensions hypothesized to be the risk factors for these psychopathy factors. Lilienfeld's Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; Lilienfeld & Andrews, 1996) was used to compute scores on 2 factor-analytically derived dimensions that have been the focus of recent research in psychopathy. PPI-1 is hypothesized to relate to the low-fear temperamental risk factor, whereas PPI-2 is hypothesized to relate to regulatory dysfunction. SC reactivity was measured during tasks previously used in studies of diagnosed psychopaths. Results indicated that PPI-1 was associated with reduced SC during anticipation of an aversive noise and PPI-2 was associated with enhanced SC reactivity during presentation of a speech about one's faults. Additional analyses explored an 8-factor solution of the PPI and 3 temperament dimensions derived from factor analysis of several personality measures. Together, the SC results suggest that the Factor 1 pathway, best captured with refined assessments of behavioral fearlessness, related to reduced SC reactivity to an aversive noise—consistent with a weak defense system. The Factor 2 pathway, best captured by higher order dimensions reflecting externalizing, disinhibited forms of negative temperament, related to enhanced SC reactivity to a speech stressor—consistent with high stress reactivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional Labor Demands and Compensating Wage Differentials.

The concept of emotional labor demands and their effects on workers has received considerable attention in recent years, with most studies concentrating on stress, burnout, satisfaction, or other affective outcomes. This study extends the literature by examining the relationship between emotional labor demands and wages at the occupational level. Theories describing the expected effects of job demands and working conditions on wages are described. Results suggest that higher levels of emotional labor demands are associated with lower wage rates for jobs low in cognitive demands and with higher wage rates for jobs high in cognitive demands. Implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What you feel is how you compare: How comparisons influence the social induction of affect.

Concordant and discordant affective reactions can occur after the mere perception of another person's affective expression. Most previous theorizing has been concerned with the explanation of affective concordance, typically referred to as emotional contagion, although discordant affect has received little attention. The authors propose an integrative account for the explanation of both outcomes based on a social comparison framework. Studies 1 and 2 suggest that two distinct types of comparison processes can trigger concordant or discordant affective reactions. Study 3 extends these findings by demonstrating that the influence of comparison processes on affect in an established mood contagion paradigm. The authors attempt to integrate previous research into the present account. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Temperament and personality: Origins and outcomes.

This article reviews how a temperament approach emphasizing biological and developmental processes can integrate constructs from subdisciplines of psychology to further the study of personality. Basic measurement strategies and findings in the investigation of temperament in infancy and childhood are reviewed. These include linkage of temperament dimensions with basic affective–motivational and attentional systems, including positive affect/approach, fear, frustration/anger, and effortful control. Contributions of biological models that may support these processes are then reviewed. Research indicating how a temperament approach can lead researchers of social and personality development to investigate important person–environment interactions is also discussed. Lastly, adult research suggesting links between temperament dispositions and the Big Five personality factors is described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differentiation of emotions in laughter at the behavioral level.

Although laughter is important in human social interaction, its role as a communicative signal is poorly understood. Because laughter is expressed in various emotional contexts, the question arises as to whether different emotions are communicated. In the present study, participants had to appraise 4 types of laughter sounds (joy, tickling, taunting, schadenfreude) either by classifying them according to the underlying emotion or by rating them according to different emotional dimensions. The authors found that emotions in laughter (a) can be classified into different emotional categories, and (b) can have distinctive profiles on W. Wundt’s (1905) emotional dimensions. This shows that laughter is a multifaceted social behavior that can adopt various emotional connotations. The findings support the postulated function of laughter in establishing group structure, whereby laughter is used either to include or to exclude individuals from group coherence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mood, personality, and self-monitoring: Negative affect and emotionality in relation to frontal lobe mechanisms of error monitoring.

A fundamental question in frontal lobe function is how motivational and emotional parameters of behavior apply to executive processes. Recent advances in mood and personality research and the technology and methodology of brain research provide opportunities to address this question empirically. Using event-related-potentials (ERPs) to track error monitoring in real time, the authors demonstrated that variability in the amplitude of the error-related negativity (ERN) is dependent on mood and personality variables. College students who are high on negative affect (NA) and negative emotionality (NEM) displayed larger ERN amplitudes early in the experiment than participants who are low on these dimensions. As the high-NA and -NEM participants disengaged from the task, the amplitude of the ERN decreased. These results reveal that affective distress and associated behavioral patterns are closely related with frontal lobe executive functions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Types of social support: Relation to stress and academic achievement among prospective teachers.

Examined the relationship between social support, anxiety and academic achievement among 3 groups differing along demographic variables of age, sex, and marital status. 81 students preparing to qualify as elementary teachers completed 2 anxiety measures and a social support questionnaire that measures a quantitative dimension and perceived satisfaction with 3 types of support (emotional, instrumental, and cognitive). Results indicate a positive correlation between the 2 anxiety measures, nonsignificant negative contribution of anxiety to GPA, and a differential effect of various support types to stress related anxiety among the 3 groups. Stepwise multiple regression analysis of social support variables to anxiety found emotional support negatively related to teaching anxiety, while satisfaction with instrumental support negatively related to trait anxiety. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress, social support, and distress in a statewide population of persons with AIDS in New Jersey

This study examined the effects of stress, social support, and health status on distress in a sample of 79 persons with AIDS in New Jersey. The study used New Jersey's AIDS Registry as a geographically based list sampling frame, with data gathered through in-person interviews. The study examined the effects of health status (operationalized as symptom burden), stress (operationalized with a stressful-life-events scale), social support from friends, and social support from family on depression as measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. We examined the differential effects of friend support and of family support at differing levels of stressful life events. Results indicate that health status and stressful life events both have substantial impact on distress. Friend support reduced distress under lower-stress conditions, while family support reduced distress under high-stress conditions. These results suggest that social support from peers is critical for emotional well-being of persons with HIV in many circumstances, but that in periods of crisis family support becomes a more important determinant of emotional well-being.     

Social and emotional loneliness: An examination of Weiss's typology of loneliness.

Examined R. S. Weiss's (1973) conceptualization of social and emotional loneliness, using survey data on 505 college students that included the UCLA Loneliness Scale—Revised. Social and emotional loneliness, Ss' affective and behavioral reactions to loneliness, Ss' social relationships, and their judgments of the degree to which their relationships supply the 6 social provisions described by Weiss were measured. There were differences in the subjective experiences of social and emotional loneliness, although both forms of loneliness were also characterized by a common core of experiences. Results generally support Weiss's ideas concerning the determinants of social and emotional loneliness. Predictions concerning the affective and behavioral consequences associated with each type of loneliness, however, were only partly supported, although the 2 forms of loneliness were associated with different affective reactions and coping behaviors. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A model of emergence and dysfunctional effects of emotional conflict in groups.

The current study tested a model of group effectiveness in which emotional conflict, negative affective tone in groups, and group mean agreeableness were proposed as key antecedent variables. Data collected from 84 project groups supported the proposition that group-level agreeableness was significantly related with emotional conflict, and that emotional conflict indirectly affects group outcomes through group-level negative affective tone and contextual-discretionary behaviors, as opposed to task-related behaviors. Findings are discussed in terms of how group members' personality foster emotional conflict in groups and the implications of these findings for group effectiveness research as well as the management of project groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)