Effect of personality type in reducing specific anxiety with behavioral and psychodynamic therapy.

Investigated the effects of personality type on the effectiveness of various treatment procedures in reducing test anxiety. 77 undergraduates with high scores on the Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) were identified as extravert or introvert by the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Ss were randomly assigned to insight, desensitization, flooding treatment, and control groups. Ss also completed the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing Self Analysis Form. Analysis of variance assessed difference scores on pre- to postanxiety measures. These methods generally failed to reduce anxiety on most of the measures. The only significant change was on the TAS, on which the introverts demonstrated greater test anxiety reduction than did the extroverts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of self-esteem lability and low trait self-esteem as vulnerability factors for depression.

Self-esteem lability (SEL), defined as daily event-related variability in state self-esteem, and low trait self-esteem (TSE) were assessed among 205 male and female undergraduates who were currently depressed, previously depressed (PD), and never depressed (ND). SEL scores were derived for the effect of positive, negative, and combined events on state self-esteem over 30 days. Consistent with psychodynamic and cognitive theories, SEL was found to be a better index of depression proneness than TSE. PD Ss showed higher lability on all SEL scores than ND controls but did not differ from controls on TSE. Ss were reassessed 5 mo later, and new cases showed higher premorbid SEL than ND controls but did not differ from controls on premorbid TSE. SEL at Time 1 was found to increase risk for depression at Time 2 among Ss reporting high life stress at Time 2. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Handedness and approach-avoidance behavior in chipanzees (Pan).

The relationship between hand preference and approach–avoidance behavior was examined in 49 chimpanzees (Pan). Ss were presented with 2 sets of novel objects on 4 consecutive days. The objects were presented for 2 hrs during each session, and latency to touch any object was recorded for each S. Latency scores were then compared for chimpanzees that had been determined to be non-right- or right-handed. Right-handed Ss approached and touched the objects significantly faster than non-right-handed Ss did. In addition, males touched the objects significantly faster than did females. Correlations in approach–avoidance behavior were significant across stimulus sets and days of testing. The overall results support recent theoretical models linking hemispheric specialization with the expression of positive and negative affective behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Regulating affect interpersonally: When low esteem leads to greater enhancement.

We tested the hypothesis that low self-esteem persons use self-presentation to improve their affect. In Experiments 1–3, Ss high in self-esteem (HSE) and low in self-esteem (LSE) responded publicly or privately to positive or negative feedback from a computer "personality test" (Experiments 1 and 2) or from a peer (Experiment 3). In public, LSE Ss complimented positive sources and derogated negative sources more than their counterparts did. Experiment 2 showed that this was not due to another person's awareness of the feedback, ruling out a strict impression management interpretation. In Experiment 4, some Ss were coaxed to compliment the source of feedback and others were coaxed to derogate the source of feedback. When publicly complimenting positive feedback or derogating negative feedback, LSE Ss generally showed a rise in esteem relative to their counterparts. Based on these findings, a model of affect regulation in interpersonal relations is proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Denial of threat and emotional response to impending painful stimulation.

Significant negative correlations were obtained between scores on Byrne's Repression-Sensitization (R-S) scale and several indices of electrodermal activity in a paradigm in which Ss anticipated the presentation of strong electric shock. These results support the hypothesis that Ss who receive low scores on the R-S scale (repressers) exhibit greater disturbance than do those who receive high scores (sensitizers). Repressers reported a stronger tendency to avoid thinking about impending shock (suppression) than did sensitizers. This reported tendency to use suppression techniques was directly and significantly related to basal skin conductance, non-specific GSR activity, magnitude of anticipatory GSR activity, and the number of sec. by which this activity preceded shock. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality dynamics and accident proneness in an industrial setting.

"Two groups of Ss… [17 men with a total of 47 accidents over 2 years, and 17 accident-free men] were [compared] by means of a sentence completion test… . the high accident Ss, in comparison with the non-accident Ss, were significantly lower on the socially desirable personality dispositions of optimism, trust, and sociocentricity. In general, there were no statistically significant differences… on several negative personality dispositions, but there was a slight indication of positive association between high accident proneness and high scores on a cluster composed of the socially undesirable personality dispositions of egocentricity, anxiety, and resentment. There was highly significant association between high accident proneness and projective responses indicative of a negative attitude toward employment." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effectiveness of Whyte's rules: "How to Cheat on Personality Tests."

A study was conducted to determine the degree to which following Whyte's ("Organization Man") rules improves personality test scores. 94 undergraduates took the Bernreuter Personality Inventory twice, either following Whyte's rules (dishonest, or D) or responding normally (honest, or H), providing 4 conditions: HH, HD, DH, and DD. Results showed that: (a) H scores differed significantly from D scores. (b) D scores indicated Ss were significantly more extraverted and sociable and tended to be more self-sufficient and self-confident and less neurotic than did H scores. (c) Ss represented by D scores were not chosen by personnel supervisors for a supervisory position significantly more than were those represented by H scores. It was concluded that following Whyte's rules offers no great advantage when applying for a supervisory position. From Psyc Abstracts 36:05:5HF21S. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discussion as a function of attitudes and content of a persuasive communication.

5 statistical indices of group discussion behavior were applied to discussion protocols of 6 small groups of high school students, differing in degree of ethnocentrism. The measures which described group reaction to controversial communication were: verbal outuput, participation, rate of response, spontaneity, and recruitment. "Consistent differences among the three degrees of ethnocentrism represented in the discussion groups were reflected in the five indices. Those Ss favorably disposed toward the communication content showed a greater degree of discussion activity and spontaneity than did Ss who were antagonistic or neutral toward the communication." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Change in obsessive-compulsive and avoidant personality disorders following time-limited supportive-expressive therapy.

24 patients with avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) and 14 patients with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD; all Ss 20–65 yrs old) were assigned to 52 sessions of time-limited Supportive-Expressive dynamic psychotherapy. At intake, most Ss had least 1 concurrent depressive and/or anxiety disorder. OCPD Ss lost their personality disorder diagnoses significantly faster than did AVPD Ss. By the end of treatment, 39% of AVPD Ss still retained their diagnosis while only 15% of OCPD did so. Using hierarchical linear modeling, both patient groups improved significantly across time on measures of personality disorders, depression, anxiety, general functioning, and interpersonal problems. OCPD Ss remained in treatment significantly longer and tended to improve more than did AVPD Ss. Alliance ratings from both Ss and therapists increased significantly over time, expect for those OCPD Ss who remained constant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective and cross-sectional mood reports offer no evidence of a "blue Monday" phenomenon.

Conducted 3 studies, 2 using prospective and 1 using cross-sectional methods, to examine mood variation in married men over the days of the week. In Study 1, 46 Ss (mean age 42 yrs) kept a record of daily events, illnesses, and moods for 90 consecutive days. In Study 2, 58 Ss (mean age 43 yrs) also kept records, but for 112 days; severe dysphoric mood was also measured. 57 Ss in Study 2 also were asked on the telephone about which days of the week were worst and best for their mood. 21 Ss from this study also participated in a study in which they reported on their mood 5 times/day for 2 wks. In Study 3, 616 Ss (aged 18–60 yrs) completed 1 depressed mood scale. Although Ss thought that their mood was lowest on Monday, mood measures collected on a daily basis did not support the belief. Monday's mood was not different than mood on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, but positive mood was higher and negative mood was lower on the weekend; measures of depressed mood did not vary by day of the week. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal betrayal and cooperation: Effects on self-evaluation in depression.

Assessed the effect of interpersonal betrayal and cooperative social interaction on self-evaluation processes among 54 female undergraduates scored as depressed or nondepressed on the Self-Rating Depression Scale. Depressed Ss who experienced interpersonal betrayal in a prisoner's dilemma game were more critical of their performance on a subsequent task than were nondepressed Ss or depressed Ss who had experienced a cooperative interaction. Depressed Ss in the betrayal condition also behaved more aggressively toward their betraying partner than did nondepressed betrayed Ss. Depressed Ss were more critical of their own personality characteristics than were nondepressed Ss, regardless of condition. Results suggest that some negative cognitive schema among depressed persons may be altered by interpersonal factors, although it is not clear whether such effects are secondary to increases in self-criticism after conflict or to decreases in self-critical tendencies after positive interaction. Researchers are urged to use multiple, diverse measures of self-evaluation in future efforts to study variability in self-appraisal. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Person and situation factors influencing transgression in behavior-problem adolescents.

The transgression behavior (cheating) of 60 behavior-problem adolescents was observed in experimentally defined high-arousal and control situations. Congruent with predictions, more Ss exposed to a high-arousal situation transgressed. Scores on the Behavior Problem Checklist personality dimensions were compared for transgressors (34 Ss) and nontransgressors (26 Ss). As predicted, Conduct-Problem and Socialized-Delinquency subscale scores were significantly higher for transgressors than for nontransgressors. Personality-Problem subscale scores did not differ as predicted. 12 conduct-problem types and 12 personality-problem types were identified, and reanalysis of their data indicated that more conduct-problem types transgressed than did personality-problem types. The transgression behavior of personality-problem types varied across the high-arousal and control situations, whereas that of the conduct-problem types did not. The results are interpreted as further support for the dimensions of H. C. Quay and D. R. Peterson (1975) and for motivation-deficit theories of the behavior of conduct-problem types. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between variety of work experience and personality.

Compared Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI) scores and a measure of the variety of precollege work experience (Student Profile Report of the American College Test) for 1,330 male and 1,046 female undergraduates. Ss (separated by sex) were randomly selected in groups of 100 each from populations divided into below average, average, and above average work experience. Ss with above average work experience had higher OPI scores on Thinking Introversion and Social Extraversion than Ss with average or below average work scores. Ss with many work experiences had higher scores on Complexity and Impulse Expression and lower scores on Masculinity-Femininity than those Ss with few or average work experiences. There were no sex differences. Findings are interpreted as operationally defining the "work personality." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of matching treatment approaches and personality types in group vocational counseling.

40 university students were identified as either people oriented (PO) or task oriented (TO), on the basis of their responses to the Vocational Preference Inventory. Half of the PO Ss were given group vocational counseling using a learning through interaction method (LTI), and the other half were counseled through a learning through individual problem solving method (LTIPS). Similarly, half of the TO Ss were counseled through LTI and half through LTIPS. Counseling approaches that were congruent with personality types (i.e., LTIPS approach with TO Ss and LTI with PO Ss) were more effective than counseling approaches that did not match personality type. Effectiveness was measured in terms of amount of occupational information sought by Ss, Ss' evaluation of the group experience, and scores on the Attitude scale of the Career Maturity Inventory. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality correlates of self-punitive behavior.

Attempted to identify individual difference variables that were predictive of self-punitive behavior in a laboratory task. 34 female undergraduates completed 4 personality inventories (e.g., the Group Embedded Figures Test and the Bem Sex-Role Inventory) and were then given regular-extinction (RE) or punished-extinction (PE) conditions in a self-punitive behavior paradigm. Self-punitive behavior was obtained: PE Ss were more resistant to extinction than RE Ss. Masculinity scores of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory were inversely related to resistance to extinction. Results are consistent with previous findings in which self-ratings of socially desirable masculine traits were associated with indices of psychological adjustment. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonanalytic attending, hypnotic susceptibility, and psychological well-being in trained meditators and nonmeditators.

Asked 4 groups of 25 undergraduates who were trained meditators differing in amount of meditation practice and a group of 25 nonmeditators to attend nonanalytically to a mantra in 2 meditation sessions. Ss signaled intrusions into their attending, and were also assessed on several person variables. The 4 trained meditator groups differed from one another only in terms of self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). When combined into a single group, meditators signaled fewer intrusions and reported "deeper" levels of meditating than nonmeditators. However, meditators and nonmeditators did not differ on hypnotic susceptibility, absorption, or indices of psychopathology. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)