Conceptual and empirical analysis of some assumptions of an explicitly typological theory.

Argues that the 1st of the 2 criteria for single-variable typologies, multimodality, offered by G. A. Mendelsohn et al (see record 1983-00168-001) is a weak one for psychological data and that only the 2nd criterion, discontinuity against an external variable, is telling. The present author agrees that the requirement of Mendelsohn et al that multiple-variable typologies combine interactively to predict external variables is a mandatory one, although it is not one that is diagnostic of typology. These issues are illustrated by a multiple-variable, explicitly typological system specified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). 104 rural public school employees (mean age 37.4 yrs) were administered the MBTI to determine bookishness and to give the typological theory a fair hearing. Results show no predictor bimodality, although the distribution displayed platykurosis, the index of which is maximized with bimodal distributions. A review of relevant MBTI research, coupled with these findings, challenges pessimism about the verifiability of all typological systems. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptual and empirical analysis of military recruit training attrition.

A role choice model, which included attraction, expectancy, and intention indexes for both civilian and military roles, was used to analyze the recruit training turnover behavior of 1,521 male Marine Corps recruits. Demographic, expected leadership, and expected job content were also measured at the beginning of recruit training. It was found that on the way into recruit training, subsequent graduates and dropouts differed significantly on 20 of 29 variables, including intention to complete their enlistments, expectancy of completing their enlistments, attraction to the Marine role, and a number of other expected organizational and demographic variables. When the variables were subjected to stepwise multiple regression, a multiple R of .30 was observed for 11-wk recruit training attrition, with expectancy of completing, education, Marine role outcome expectancies, expectancy of finding an acceptable civilian role, and intention to complete being the 1st 5 variables to enter the equation. Results support the usefulness of moving beyond demographic prediction of attrition, including perception and evaluation of alternative roles, and exploring more closely the organizational entry process. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptual and empirical bases of conjoint behavioral consultation.

This article describes "conjoint behavioral consultation," a model of service delivery that addresses the shared responsibility among school personnel, families, and other important systems in educational problem solving. In conjoint behavioral consultation parents and teachers are joined to work together to address the academic, social, or behavioral needs of a child for whom both parties bear some responsibility. The conceptual background (incorporating ecological-systems and behavioral theories) and important features of the model are reviewed briefly. Findings from a number of empirical studies, including outcome studies, case studies, process research, and acceptability research, are reviewed. Directions for future research are also explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal and behavioral analysis of masculinity and femininity in marriage.

Spouses' masculinity and femininity were examined in relation to longitudinal change in marital satisfaction and behavior displayed in a problem-solving discussion. Results indicated, first, that wives' satisfaction declined to the extent that their husband endorsed fewer desirable masculine traits (Study 1) and more undesirable masculine traits (Study 2). Second, masculinity and femininity covaried with problem-solving behavior, particularly for behavioral sequences involving husbands' responses to wives' negative behavior. Finally, the relation between husbands' masculinity and change in wives' satisfaction was not mediated by husbands' behavior; instead, sex role and behavioral variables made independent contributions to change in wives' satisfaction. These results are important because they highlight the value of examining intraindividual and interpersonal variables when determining how marriages improve and deteriorate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

IQ and ego-resiliency: Conceptual and empirical connections and separateness.

The constructs of intelligence and ego-resiliency are discussed. The personality implications of "pure intelligence" and "pure ego-resilience" were identified. Intelligence (IQ) was indexed by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS—R) and ego-resiliency by an inventory scale. Residual scores measuring "pure intelligence" and "pure ego-resilience" were correlated with the items of the observer based California Q-sort, used to describe participants. Persons relatively high on ego-resilience tend to be more competent and comfortable in the "fuzzier" interpersonal world; persons defined primarily by raw IQ tend to be effective in the "clearer" world of structured work but tend also to be uneasy with affect and less able to realize satisfying human connections. Gender differences exist in the relations of ego-resilience and intelligence and in their adaptive relevance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Goal commitment and the goal-setting process: Conceptual clarification and empirical synthesis.

Goals are central to current treatments of work motivation, and goal commitment is a critical construct in understanding the relationship between goals and task performance. Despite this importance, there is confusion about the role of goal commitment and only recently has this key construct received the empirical attention it warrants. This meta-analysis, based on 83 independent samples, updates the goal commitment literature by summarizing the accumulated evidence on the antecedents and consequences of goal commitment. Using this aggregate empirical evidence, the role of goal commitment in the goal-setting process is clarified and key areas for future research are identified. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex-role and socialization patterns: Some personality concomitants and environmental antecedents.

Distinguished between sex-role typing, socialization, and identification in 66 male and 69 female 30-40 yr old Ss using the Femininity and Socialization scales of the California Psychological Inventory. Ss were grouped according to their sex-role and socialization pattern: sex appropriate-socialized, sex appropriate-unsocialized, sex inappropriate-socialized, and sex inappropriate-unsocialized. The personality correlates of these patternings were highly informative, as were the family and childhood data available for these Ss. The relationships were interpreted employing an articulated version of the concept of identification. It is noted that sex-role typing for men appears to expand the personal options available to them; for women, sex-role typing seems to restrict the alternatives of action and expression that are available. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Female and male personality styles: A typological and developmental analysis.

The personality styles of 137 women and 138 men aged 27 yrs were examined in an ongoing Finnish longitudinal study in which the participants were first assessed at age 8. Data were collected by means of a mailed questionnaire, personality inventories, and a semistructured interview. Variables covered personality characteristics, life orientation, and behavioral activities. Both women and men fell into two major clusters, the adjusted (3/4) and the conflicted (1/4). Both clusters divided into subclusters; altogether, 7 were extracted for women and men replicating the personality types obtained by J. Block (1971) despite the use of a different methodology in a different culture. The clusters had roots in individuals' emotional and behavioral regulation from the early school years onward, and they also predicted personality characteristics over a period of 6 years when the Big Five personality factors were used as criteria. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pancultural factor analysis of reported socialization practices.

A factor analysis of the responses of mothers from 6 different countries on a questionnaire relating to child-rearing practices was performed. The analysis eventuated in 10 factors. Analysis of variance indicated that differences in child-rearing practices were due primarily to differences between mothers rather than between cultures, and the factors isolated were suggestive of a pancultural meaning to the data. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4GB31T. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individuation: Conceptual analysis and assessment.

Reviews the literature on public individuation, in which people choose to act differently than others, which is an important process in interpersonal behavior that has received little attention from researchers. A new individual difference measure, the Individual Scale, is proposed. The scale is designed to assess people's willingness to engage in behaviors that publicly differentiate themselves from others. Various psychometric analyses demonstrate that the scale is a reliable and valid assessment instrument. The potential utility of this measure for several areas of social psychological research is discussed. (66 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Character structure and jury behavior: Conceptual and applied implications.

Using mail questionnaire data from 197 out of 550 randomly selected jurors, a model of character structure, conceptualized in terms of socialization, empathy, and autonomy, was used to analyze Ss' verdict patterns and self-reported perceptions of their role, their performance in that role, and the outcome of the jury process. Mail questionnaires including short forms of the Socialization, Empathy, and Autonomy scales of the California Psychological Inventory were returned from 117 females and 80 males out of a possible 324 female and 226 male juriors who had been selected randomly. Measures of character structure were significantly related to voting behavior, juror effectiveness, and perception of duty, as well as outcome. Sex, race, age, and education are shown to be important modifiers of the personality effects. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptual analysis and measurement of the construct of ego-resiliency.

This investigation explored the meaning, measurement, and validity of the ego-resiliency construct ([ER] J. H. Block and J. Block, 1980) in 3 samples. Study 1 explored the internal structure of ER in observer and self-report data, and the development of a self-report measure is described. Study 2 tested convergent and discriminant relations of ER with personality attributes. Study 3 investigated implications of ER for adjustment and effective functioning in adulthood. Components of ER obtained through exploratory factor analyses (confident optimism, productive and autonomous activity, interpersonal warmth and insight, and skilled expressiveness) formed a unitary construct and mirrored the relations found between ER and other trait domains. Across samples, there were strong relations between ER and effective functioning in diverse areas of life. ER is discussed in relation to generally accepted criteria of adjustment and effective functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the relationship of CPI femininity and intelligence.

Notes that the California Psychological Inventory includes a masculinity-femininity (M-F) measure, Fe, similar to other M-F scales. Although the test author suggests that Fe is positively related to intelligence for females but negatively for males, a review of the literature failed to substantiate this claim. The correlation of Fe and intellectual measures was low in magnitude and was not different in direction for the sexes. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In search of the unifying principles of psychotherapy: Conceptual, empirical, and clinical convergence.

The search for the principles of unified psychotherapy is an important stage in the advancement of the field. Converging evidence from various streams of clinical science allows the identification of some of the major domains of human functioning, adaptation, and dysfunction. These principles, supported by animal modeling, neuroscience, and developmental psychopathology, along with new theoretical constructs, are demonstrating that human functioning is best conceptualized as holistic and highly interrelated at all domain levels of the total ecological system. Incorporating these findings with evidence accrued over the past century of psychotherapy practice and study allows psychologists to begin to explore the development of a unified system of psychotherapy that is rooted in the clinical sciences. One such attempt to develop a unified framework is presented as a starting point. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early childhood socialization in Hispanic families: Context, culture, and practice implications.

Research on early childhood socialization suggests that Hispanic parents differ from parents of other ethnic groups in their child rearing values and the interpersonal behavior they want their children to display at home and school. In this article, the influence of context and culture on child rearing is shown through a review of conceptual frameworks for understanding child socialization in both minority and nonminority families and research on infant–mother attachment and parental beliefs about young children's behavior. This review indicates that parent and child behaviors are a result of different socialization processes that encompass specific cultural values. Implications for professional practice are drawn for child assessment and psychotherapy, family therapy, and parenting skills programs conducted with Hispanics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Eating lightly" and the self-presentation of femininity.

In Experiment 1, male and female subjects were given an opportunity to snack as they participated in a "get-acquainted study" with a same-sex or opposite-sex partner (confederate) whose social desirability was manipulated. Consistent with the hypothesis that women may eat less when motivated to present themselves in a feminine light, female subjects ate significantly less with a desirable male partner than in the remaining three conditions. In contrast, male subjects did not eat more (or less) with a desirable woman, although they did show an overall tendency to eat less with female (vs. male) partners. In Experiment 2, female subjects snacked as they got acquainted with a desirable male partner (confederate). Before this interaction, subjects received feedback indicating that they had either very masculine or very feminine interests. In addition, subjects believed either that their male partner was aware of their gender feedback or that he was unaware. Consistent with predictions derived from Schlenker's (1982) analytic-identity theory of social conduct, subjects in the partner-aware conditions ate less when they had received masculine (vs. feminine) feedback, whereas subjects in the partner-unaware conditions ate less when they had received feminine (vs. masculine) feedback. Implications for understanding eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Masochism: An empirical analysis.

Masochistic behavior is defined as a change in response to punishing stimuli which may take the form of simple desensitization at one extreme to continued, self-aversive stimulation at the other. Experimental findings reflecting such changes are cited and some of the conditions necessary for demonstrating these effects are analyzed. The manner in which the scheduling of events may be involved is also suggested. The approach which is advocated seems to offer a fruitful alternative to current popular conceptions of masochism. (35 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Masculinity–femininity and encoding of nonverbal cues.

Three studies examined the within-sex relationship between masculinity–femininity and accuracy of encoding (sending) nonverbal cues. 246 undergraduates performed a variety of encodings tasks, and completed instruments including the Personal Attributes Questionnaire, Perceived Encoding Ability Scale, and Affective Communication Test. Encoding was operationally defined as intentional expression or involuntary "leakage" of affect. Both auditory (standard-content speech or content-filtered speech) and visual (facial expressions) channels were examined. More accurate encoders of intentional cues in both channels scored higher on femininity and lower on masculinity. Auditory leakage was also positively correlated with femininity and negatively correlated with masculinity; facial leakage was not correlated with the masculinity–femininity measures. Because the face is a highly controlled channel, facial leakage may be a relatively poor indicator of encoding ability and insensitive to the individual differences tapped by the masculinity–femininity measures. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting and the socialization of religiousness and spirituality.

This study examined parenting style dimensions as moderators of relations between family religiousness and individual religiousness and spirituality. Participants were 122 emerging adults ages 17–31 (M = 20.90, SD = 2.75). Cross-sectional data were obtained through an online survey. Participants rated the frequency with which they engaged in various religious activities with their families when they were younger, the frequency with which they personally do those behaviors currently, their current spirituality, and the parenting styles used by their parents when they were younger. Family religiousness positively predicted individual religiousness and spirituality. Rejection and autonomy-support moderated the association between family religiousness and individual religiousness, while warmth, rejection, structure, chaos, and autonomy-support moderated the relationship between family religiousness and individual spirituality. Thus, religious beliefs and practices, at whatever level, may be more readily appropriated by the next generation in families characterized by authoritative parenting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)