Introversion, neuroticism, rigidity, and dogmatism.

There are two problems concerning the often hypothesized relationship between neuroticism and behavioral rigidity. First, are there personality dimensions other than neuroticism which affect the relationship? Eysenck (1947) hypothesized that introverted neurotics are rigid, but that extroverted neurotics are not. Second, Rokeach (1960) offered a distinction between rigidity and dogmatism, in which rigidity can be defined as the inability to produce novel or changed responses while dogmatism can be defined as an inability to utilize novel responses which have been produced. Which of these two types of inflexibility characterizes neurotics? To explore for answers for these two questions, a 2 × 2 experimental design was set up. Two conclusions follow from this study. The first is that it is inappropriate to speak loosely of the "rigidity" or "inflexibility" of neurotic behavior, as it was shown that neurotics are not different from non-neurotics in their ability to produce novel responses, but only in their ability to utilize such responses. Secondly, not all neurotics manifest this inability; it is shown by introverted neurotics only. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Person perception, marriage adjustment, and social desirability.

Extended B. Murstein's (see record 1971-26678-001) stimulus-value-role theory to account for the relationship of person perception scores to marital adjustment. The hypotheses predicted that (a) similarity, self-acceptance, accuracy of predicting other's responses, and role compatibility would be correlated with marital adjustment; (b) when the perceptual target was the man, the correlation with marital adjustment would be higher than when it was a woman; (c) women would show a higher self-acceptance-marital-adjustment correlation than men; and (d) intraperceptions would be more highly correlated with marital adjustment than interperceptions. 60 young married middle-class couples took a 20 adjective bipolar checklist under 8 different "sets" (self, ideal self, spouse, ideal spouse, and predictions of these 4 sets for the partner). Results generally support the hypotheses. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consistency of self-descriptions under different role sets in neurotic and normal adolescents and adults.

15 male Ss in each of 4 groups (neurotic adolescents, normal adolescents, neurotic adults, and normal adults) described themselves with a Q sort as they saw themselves in 3 different situations (self in general, self with family, and self with friends). The tendency to describe themselves inconsistently was characteristic of neurotic adolescents specifically and not of adolescents or of neurotics in general. Results were discussed in relation to adolescence as a time of "identity crisis" and with previously reported findings that neurotics tend to have inconsistent self-concepts. (27 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and placebo effects upon timing behavior.

4groups of Ss, scoring in the extremes of Neuroticism and Extraversion scales, participated in 3 sessions of 100 learning and 25 extinction trials of timing behavior. ? of the Ss of each group took a placebo at Session 2, the other ? at Session 3. A repeated measurement, 2 X 2 Latin square design, was incorporated. Accuracy was significantly greater for Low than High neurotics during reinforcement trials. Accuracy significantly decreased for High neurotic introverts and increased for the High neurotic extraverts, and Low neurotic introverts and extraverts groups. Under placebo conditions, introverts' accuracy was significantly greater than extraverts'. High neurotic introverts were considered positive placebo reactors, and High neurotic extraverts were negative placebo reactors. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hostility and aversion for expressing hostility in neurotics and controls.

"Freud proposed that the superego in neurotics is overly severe in its suppressive effect on socially disapproved impulses. Mowrer contended that… the superego is not severe enough. To investigate these proposals, neurotics and control Ss were required to construct and report one sentence each from a series of scrambled words… . the findings suggest that… aversion for expressing disapproved hostility is… approximately equally strong in… neurotic and control groups… . hostile tendencies are stronger in neurotics than in controls and… stronger hostility in neurotics is specifically associated with human content." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding the relationship between religiosity and marriage: An investigation of the immediate and longitudinal effects of religiosity on newlywed couples.

The association between religiosity and marital outcome has been repeatedly demonstrated, but a complete understanding of this relationship is hindered by limitations of theory and method. The purpose of the current study was to test 3 explanatory models by assessing 2 samples of newlywed couples. Findings indicated that religiosity was associated with attitudes toward divorce, commitment, and help seeking cross-sectionally. Longitudinal effects, however, were most consistent with a moderating model, wherein religiosity had a positive impact on husbands' and wives' marital satisfaction for couples with less neurotic husbands and a negative impact for couples with more neurotic husbands. Overall, the impact of religiosity was weak over the first 4 years of marriage. Theoretical propositions are offered to guide future research in delineating the types of marriages that may be most affected by religiosity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discrepant substance use and marital functioning in newlywed couples.

The configuration of partners' drinking patterns may be most critical to marital functioning. Implications of discrepant husband and wife smoking, drinking, and drug use for relationship quality at the transition to marriage were examined. Participants were 642 couples entering into their 1st marriage. Separate, self-administered questionnaires were completed at home by each partner. Both husbands and wives in couples in which only 1 partner drank heavily or used drugs reported significantly lower marital quality than other spouses. Husband Use?×?Wife Use interactions were not significant for cigarette use, alcohol use, or regular drinking. Discrepancies in more deviant substance use behaviors may be most relevant to marital functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recall of parental behaviors in female neurotic depressives

Twenty-four neurotic depressive females and 24 female anxiety neurotics were compared on a 90-item questionnaire that concerned recall of parental behavior. Relative to anxiety neurotics, the neurotic depressives recalled fathers as unloving disciplinarians and recalled mothers as difficult to please, intrusive and controlling, and possibly more concerned with their own than with their children's needs. Previous findings that parents of depressives are recalled as depriving were supported, and a methodology for differentiating neurotic depressives from anxiety neurotics was described.     

Self-ideal-self discrepancy and the choice of marital partner.

Theorized that marital choice occurs as a result of marital bargaining of which self-acceptance is a key negotiable asset. 4 hypotheses were formulated for 99 undergraduate couples who were "going steady" or were engaged: (a) persons became engaged to partners of similar degree of self-ideal-self acceptance, (b) the perception of the partner as similar or different depends on the degree of self-acceptance, (c) persons of low self-acceptance marry those whom they perceive as less desirable, (d) perceived role fit between perception of fiance and ideal spouse will be significantly greater than actual role fit (self-perception by 1 partner and ideal spouse desired by other partner). All hypotheses are confirmed. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Defensive style in the families of schizophrenics and controls.

Biological parents of groups of Good and Poor Premorbid schizophrenics and neurotic controls were administered the Rorschach test in order to evaluate the relative level of ego maturity between parental groups. A rating schedule designed to reflect styles of defensive behavior was devised in an effort to objectify the dimension of ego maturity. It was found that this scale correlated significantly with age, intelligence, and Rorschach response total of the parents employed in the sample. The level of maturity of defensive behavior manifested by the parents was found to differ significantly. Parents of Poor Premorbid schizophrenics produced a greater amount of immature defensive behavior than parents of Good Premorbids, with the parents of neurotic controls falling intermediate between the schizophrenic groups. The difference between parents of "Poors" and neurotics approach significance, while the difference between parents of "Goods" and neurotics was clearly unreliable. (27 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A-B therapist distinction, patient diagnosis, and outcome of brief psychotherapy in a college clinic.

Prior studies suggest that therapists' A-B status (types catagorized by the Whitehorn-Betz A-B scale) interacts with patient diagnosis in determining the outcome of psychotherapy (A > B with schizophrenics, B > A with neurotics). To discern whether the hypothesis would apply to brief psychotherapy in a college clinic, the "outcomes" obtained by 3 A and 3 B therapists with their schizoid and neurotic patients (N = 57) were examined in a 2 * 2 factorial design. Analysis of 3 dependent measures based on therapists' and patients' posttherapy ratings reveal considerable support for the hypothesis, particularly for therapists' appraisals of their own effectiveness (interaction, p     

Effects of social reinforcement on dependency and aggressive responses of psychopathic neurotic, and subcultural delinquents.

78 male 16-22 yr. old psychopathic, neurotic, and subcultural delinquents were verbally conditioned to dependency and aggressive verbs under conditions of frustration and no frustration. It was hypothesized that neurotics and subculturals, in contrast to psychopaths, would significantly increase socially reinforced verbalizations, especially under frustration. Further hypotheses concerning each delinquent subgroup's selection of dependency and aggressive verbalizations were made. Results support the major hypotheses indicating that (a) neurotics and subculturals significantly increased and psychopaths significantly decreased reinforced responses, (b) neurotics made significantly more dependency verbalizations, (c) subculturals made significantly more aggressive verbalizations, and (d) frustration effects magnified differences in performance among subgroups. (34 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Growth hormone and cortisol responses to psychological stress: comparison of normal and neurotic subjects

The mirror drawing test (MDT) was performed to induce acute psychological stress in 9 normal controls and 10 neurotic subjects. Plasma growth hormone (GH) and cortisol were determined serially before, during, and after the test. In controls the MDT caused no significant change in plasma GH level, while in neurotics plasma GH increased progressively following the test. The increase of cortisol also tended to be greater in neurotics as a group, but there was considerable overlap in individual responses. The maximum increments of GH in neurotics correlated inversely with those of cortisol. The results indicate: 1) effective psychological coping mechanisms operate in normal man to keep the hormonal response minimum. 2) GH response is a more adequate indicator than cortisol response to psychological stress in neurotics. 3) GH and cortisol may have different psychological correlates in neurotics.     

Too much of a good thing: Underprovision versus overprovision of partner support.

We examined whether support underprovision (receiving less support than is desired) and support overprovision (receiving more support than is desired) should be examined as qualitatively distinct forms of inadequate support in marriage. Underprovision of partner support, overprovision of partner support, and marital satisfaction were assessed 5 times over the first 5 years of marriage in a sample of newlywed husbands and wives (N = 103 couples), and were analyzed via actor-partner interdependence modeling (APIM) and growth curve analytic techniques. Increases in underprovision and overprovision of support were each uniquely associated with declines in marital satisfaction over the first 5 years of marriage; however, overprovision of support was a greater risk factor for marital decline than underprovision. Further, when examining support from a multidimensional perspective, overprovision was at least as detrimental, if not more detrimental, than underprovision for each of 4 support types (i.e., informational, emotional, esteem, and tangible support). The present study is the first to examine the utility of differentiating between underprovision and overprovision of partner support. Theoretical, empirical, and clinical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital stability, mental health, and marital satisfaction.

Administered a test of emotional stability and a marital satisfaction scale to 50 couples seeking help with their marriage and to 50 couples with stable marriages. The stable group scored significantly higher on each of the 4 subtests of the emotional stability test as well as on the total score. For the stable group there was a significant relationship between marital satisfaction and emotional stability, but this finding did not hold for the group seeking help. The hypothesis was not supported that women who marry men with emotional problems are more unstable themselves, or that if 1 partner in a marriage is emotionally unstable the other tends to also become emotionally unstable. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between dyadic coping and marital quality: A 2-year longitudinal study.

Previous studies have revealed that the ways couples deal with stress in their lives are significantly associated with their marital quality and overall marital functioning. However, there has been little empirical evidence linking dyadic coping with marital quality over time. This study addresses the relationship between dyadic coping and marital quality among 90 couples over a period of 2 years. The results reveal that dyadic coping was significantly associated with marital quality over 2 years. For women, both their own dyadic coping and that of their partner were significant predictors, whereas for men only their own dyadic coping was predictive. The results are discussed with regard to prevention of marital distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital interactions of depressed men and women.

This article examined marital interactions in 50 couples with a depressed husband, 41 couples with a depressed wife, and 50 nondepressed control couples. As expected, couples with a depressed partner evidenced more disturbed marital interaction than control couples. Furthermore, couples with a depressed wife demonstrated less positive communication than couples with a depressed husband, notwithstanding the fact the depressed husbands exhibited greater depression severity than depressed wives. Findings are integrated with recent research on gender differences in affective expression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital locus of control and marital problem solving.

Examined the relation between 88 couples' (mean age 32.67 yrs) marital locus of control and their approach to marital problem solving. Ss completed Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale and the Miller Marital Locus of Control Scale. It was predicted that internals for marital satisfaction would more actively engage in problem solving than externals and that couples who confronted problems in a constructive rather than an avoidant or destructive style would arrive at better solutions and would be happier with them. Behavioral measures of conflict resolution style and problem-solving ability were derived from videotapes of the couples as they dealt with commonly encountered marital conflict situations. The data support the hypotheses and suggest that internals for marital satisfaction are more active and direct in their problem solving than are externals. Internals were more effective in communicating and achieving their desired goals and reported higher levels of marital satisfaction than externals. Active engagement in the discussion of marital issues by couples resulted in more effective problem solving than styles characterized by avoidance. Destructive marital interaction was related to poor problem solutions and lower self-reported ratings of solution satisfaction. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of A and B therapists with schizophrenics and neurotics: A referral study.

A basic assumption in the therapist A-B variable literature has been that A therapists are more effective with schizophrenic patients and that B therapists are more effective with neurotic patients. This has not been adequately demonstrated among experienced, practicing therapists since the original work of J. C. Whitehorn and B. J. Betz (1954, 1957, 1960) and D. McNair et al (1962). The current study attempted such a demonstration. Assuming a close relationship between a therapist's effectiveness and his/her reputation among professional colleagues, the study asked each of 60 psychologists to "refer" each of 6 case vignettes (2 schizophrenic, 2 neurotic, and 2 "other") to the colleague he/she believed would be most effective with that case. 41 Ss (20 As and 21 Bs, as determined by the Schiffman et al A-B scale reported by D. E. Kemp and J. H. Stephens, 1972) completed the task. A therapists received more schizophrenic than neurotic referrals, whereas B therapists received more neurotic than schizophrenic referrals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)