Social competence and depression: The role of illusory self-perceptions.

Attempted to evaluate the role in clinical depression of 2 personal variables: social competencies (as perceived by others) and their encoding or self-perception by the individual. Both self-ratings and ratings from observers were obtained for 71 depressed, 59 psychiatric control, and 73 normal control individuals following a group interaction at different times in the course of treatment. As expected, the depressed Ss initially rated themselves and were rated by others as less socially competent than the 2 control groups, and their self-perceptions improved with treatment. Surprisingly, the depressed were more realistic in their self-perceptions than the controls. Specifically, the controls perceived themselves more positively than others saw them, whereas the depressed saw themselves as they were seen. This realism of the depressed tended to decrease in the course of treatment. The theoretical implications of a possibly illusory flow for appropriate affect and self-regulation are discussed. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Externalized self-perceptions, self-silencing, and the prediction of eating pathology.

Gender role socialization models posit that the greater prevalence of problematic eating patterns in girls and women is partly due to a socialization process whereby women are taught to view themselves in relation to others, to avoid confrontation, and to conform to societal ideals regarding thinness. This study explored the relationship of these factors to eating pathology. 236 undergraduate women (aged 18-24 years) completed measures related to body image (body dissatisfaction, weight status, perceived importance of shape and weight), relational variables shaped by differential gender role socialization (externalized self-perceptions, self-silencing behaviors and attitudes), and disturbed eating cognitions and behaviors. Perceived importance of shape and weight and externalized self-perceptions were found to predict maladaptive eating-related cognitions, and self-silencing predicted bulimic behaviors when body-related variables were controlled. Thus, it appears that externalized self-perceptions and self-silencing are indeed related to eating disturbances, although further research is needed to demonstrate a causal role for these variables in the development of eating disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concepts of institutionalized adolescents: A framework for conceptualizing labeling effects.

Assessed the self-concepts of 111 delinquents, 33 adolescent psychiatric inpatients, and 119 high school students in relation to 3 social labels (popular teenager, juvenile delinquent, and emotionally disturbed teenager). A semantic differential technique and discriminant analyses were used to compare profiles of self-ratings to profiles of role ratings. One analysis compared self-ratings with the control group's stereotypes, and the other compared self-ratings with an S's own group's stereotypes. Results reveal modest support for labeling effects only when self-ratings were matched with an S's own group's stereotypes. Findings suggest that an adolescent might choose one of several responses to a socially assigned label. Possible responses included accepting or rejecting the label as well as misperceiving the content of the role. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loving yourself abundantly: Relationship of the narcissistic personality to self- and other perceptions of workplace deviance, leadership, and task and contextual performance.

The authors report results from 2 studies assessing the extent to which narcissism is related to self- and other ratings of leadership, workplace deviance, and task and contextual performance. Study 1 results revealed that narcissism was related to enhanced self-ratings of leadership, even when controlling for the Big Five traits. Study 2 results also revealed that narcissism was related to enhanced leadership self-perceptions; indeed, whereas narcissism was significantly positively correlated with self-ratings of leadership, it was significantly negatively related to other ratings of leadership. Study 2 also revealed that narcissism was related to more favorable self-ratings of workplace deviance and contextual performance compared to other (supervisor) ratings. Finally, as hypothesized, narcissism was more strongly negatively related to contextual performance than to task performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Symbolic interactionist view of self-concept: Through the looking glass darkly.

Reviews research on the relationship between self-perceptions and evaluations from other people. Studies of naturalistic interactions indicate that people's self-perceptions agree substantially with the way they perceive themselves as being viewed by others. However, there is no consistent agreement between people's self-perceptions and how they are actually viewed by others. There is no clear indication that self-evaluations are influenced by the feedback received from others in naturally occurring situations. When feedback from others is manipulated experimentally, self-perceptions are usually changed. However, methodological limitations such as the questionable external validity and strong demand characteristics of the experimental situations employed make the significance of these findings unclear. The available evidence is examined within a framework that considers the transmission, processing, and evaluation of judgments from others. Other means by which interaction may influence self-perceptions aside from direct evaluative feedback are considered. (4? p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Narcissistic needs of the self and perceptions of interpersonal behavior.

A total of 78 mental health clients participating in therapy groups completed self-report measures corresponding to narcissistic personality defects derived from a self-psychology perspective and ratings of themselves on a checklist of interpersonal behavior. Also, pairs of group leaders were asked to rate clients on interpersonal behaviors. Results indicated a clear convergence of narcissistic needs and self-perceptions of interpersonal behaviors: Those with strong grandiose–exhibitionistic needs viewed themselves as having both dominant and friendly behavior, whereas those with strong idealizing needs viewed themselves as being submissive and moderately hostile. Therapist ratings of interpersonal behavior did not yield as many significant correlations with self-ratings of narcissistic needs: Those with grandiose–exhibitionistic needs were observed using dominant behavior and those with idealizing needs were observed using submissive behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-schema and social information processing.

Tested the hypothesis that desirability of self-rating on a trait is predictive of the way information related to that trait is processed during the perception of others. In Exps I and II, 122 undergraduates' self-ratings on 15 traits and yes-no response latencies in person perception were collected. Desirability of self-rating on a trait was related to the perceived general desirability of the trait. This relation was hypothesized to reflect an influence of the self on person perception processes. Consistent with research by the present author (see record 1984-06453-001) on self-image bias, 2 alternative models of this influence were proposed: defensive and cognitive. In Exp III, 72 undergraduates' self-perceptions were manipulated by either positive or negative feedback. Results support the defensive model and indicate that even small situational changes in self-perceptions are capable of producing specific changes in the way an individual processes information about others. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

If you want to know, consider asking: How likely is it that patients will hurt themselves in the future?

Although self-harming behavior is a common and costly problem for psychiatric inpatients released from the hospital, standardized tools that assess patients' risk for self-harm are rarely used in clinical settings. In this study of dually diagnosed psychiatric inpatients (N = 147), we assessed the utility of patients' self-perceptions of risk in predicting self-harm in the community. Patients' self-perceptions of risk predicted self-harm 8 weeks after discharge from the hospital (Lag 1; area under the curve [AUC] = 0.75). Self-perceptions of risk at the 8-week interview also predicted self-harm 2 months later (Lag 2; AUC = 0.72). Self-perceived risk added predictive utility above and beyond scores on a measure of depression and seemed to capture changes in risk state over time. The results suggest that inpatients can accurately perceive their own risk and therefore may be important collaborators in the risk management process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utilization of mental health consultation and self-perceptions of intraorganizational importance and influence.

Predicted that self-ratings of importance and influence for each of 17 volunteer workers in a mental health crisis center would be positively correlated to each worker's latency in the use of a mental health consultant. Results support the prediction for self-perceptions of influence and importance, but not for perceptions of the value of consultation in general, actual help derived from a consultant, or the number of hours in voluntary service. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accuracy and bias in self-perception: Individual differences in self-enhancement and the role of narcissism.

Accuracy and bias in self-perceptions of performance were studied in a managerial group-discussion task. 102 Ss (aged 21–41 yrs) ranked their own performance and were ranked by the 5 other group members and by 11 assessment staff members. Although the self-perceptions showed convergent validity with the staff criterion, Ss were less accurate when judging themselves than when judging their peers. On average, Ss evaluated their performance slightly more positively than their performance was evaluated by either the peers or the staff; however, this general self-enhancement effect was dwarfed by substantial individual differences, which ranged from self-enhancement to self-diminishment bias and were strongly related to 4 measures of narcissism. Discussion focuses on issues in assessing the accuracy of self-perceptions and the implications of the findings for individual differences in self-perception bias and the role of narcissism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of sex role stereotypes on personnel decisions of Black managers.

The influence of sex role stereotypes on the hiring decisions of Black managers was investigated. A 2?×?2?×?2 factorial design and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to analyze the relationship between sex of respondent, sex of applicant, and job sex type. Respondents were 131 managers who rated either a Black man or a Black women for a stereotypically female- or male-sex-typed job on a Likert-type scale. There were significant findings on 3 of the 7 dependent variables: potential to work, potential to complete tasks, and technical potential. Men were rated more favorably for the male-sex-typed job and women were rated more favorably for the female-sex-typed job. However, sex stereotyping was more pronounced for the female-sex-stereotyped job than for the male-sex-stereotyped job on some dependent variables. Results are discussed in regard to the unique experiences of Black men and women in American society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's achievement and self-evaluations in mathematics: A longitudinal study.

Investigated changes in the correlation between mathematics achievement and self-ratings from 105 children who were tested in Grades 2, 5, and 10. Ss had completed the WISC Arithmetic subtest in Grades 2 and 5; the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) Arithmetic subtest in Grades 2, 5, and 10; and the WRAT and 3 additional mathematics tests in Grade 10. Structural modeling with LISREL was used to estimate the reciprocal relationship between constructs measured by computational and problem-solving tests and self-rating scales. Results show that between Grades 2 and 5 mathematics achievement is causally related to self-ratings of ability. There was evidence that between Grades 5 and 10 the strength of this causal relationship diminished. The importance of this developmental finding derives from the fact that theorists' generalizations about achievement and self-concept often have not been sensitive to the factor of age. During neither time span did self-perceptions have any significant causal influence on later achievement. The accuracy of Ss' self-ratings, as assessed by correlations with actual achievement, increased between Grades 2 and 5; there was no appreciable change after that. Mathematics achievement showed very high stability from year to year, whereas stability of self-ratings was considerably less. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's peer selection: Experimental examination of the role of self-perceptions.

Although previous studies have examined characteristics of children selected as friends, little research has examined the role played by characteristics of the selecting child. In 2 experimental studies that examined the role of self-perceptions in peer selection, participants (91 seventh graders in Study 1 and 83 third graders in Study 2) viewed various evaluations of themselves. Participants either believed evaluations were written by unfamiliar peers (Study 1) or were asked to imagine that the views of puppets were views of unfamiliar peers (Study 2). Participants were asked to select the pees they wished to meet and interact with. When evaluations were related to specific competence domains, 7th graders preferred positive peers to negative peers, whereas 3rd graders selected peers who viewed them as they viewed themselves. When evaluations were related to global self-worth, children's selections were unrelated to views of their own global worth. Selection of a globally negative peer was associated with attachment-insecurity/maternal-rejection and depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Course and outcome in adolescent anorexia nervosa

OBJECTIVE: To investigate course, outcome, and psychiatric comorbidity in adolescent anorexia nervosa by repeated follow-up assessment. METHOD: Thirty-four subjects (88%) of an original sample of 39 inpatients were followed up personally 3 and 7 years after discharge and classified according to DSM-III-R eating disorder categories. Standardized psychometric instruments were used to assess specific eating disorder symptoms, concomitant general psychopathology, and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. RESULTS: After 7 years, 1 patient (3%) had anorexia nervosa, 4 patients (12%) bulimia nervosa, and 10 patients (29%) eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Anxiety disorders (41%) and affective disorders (18%) were the most prevalent comorbid psychiatric disorders. Concomitant general psychopathology was significantly related to the outcome of the eating disorder. CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, the majority of former adolescent anorexic inpatients had shown substantial improvement in their eating disorders symptomatology after 7 years. Patients with persisting eating disorders mostly suffered from restrictive symptoms. The prevalence and distribution of psychiatric comorbidity were similar to those of adult-onset anorexia nervosa. Subjects with a worse outcome of the eating disorder also displayed higher levels of general psychopathology.     

Assertiveness training as an intervention technique for low performance self-esteem women.

20–58 yr old women were given assertiveness training in 1 of 12 treatment groups. Outcome measures included the Performance-Self-Esteem Scale (PSES) and self-ratings of job performance. Follow-up data at 9–12 mo were available for 79.3% of the original sample. The PSES scores increased significantly in the training sample from pretesting to follow-up but not in a control group of 20 women. Perceived situational support for assertive behavior was not related to increases in PSES scores but was related to increases in self-ratings of job performance (p?     

Innervated liver plays an inhibitory role in regulation of food intake

BACKGROUND: With the onset of eating, the associated rise of dopamine in the lateral hypothalamus (LHA-DA) is thought to regulate quantity of food consumed per meal. Early release of LHA-DA induced by eating is facilitated by oronasal stimulation; we propose that the subsequent LHA-DA response induced by nutrients in the portal vein is dampened by the innervated liver. This was tested by measuring LHA-DA in normal rats: during parenteral feeding to bypass oronasal stimulation, while eating during parenteral feeding, and while eating only. METHODS: Rats had either total liver denervation or sham operation, with placement of a jugular vein catheter and LHA-DA microdialysis cannula. After a 3-week recovery period total liver denervated rats were randomized to parenterally fed, food only, and parenteral plus food groups each with sham-operated controls in which LHA-DA was measured. RESULTS: No difference in LHA-DA release in food only groups occurred between total liver denervated or sham-operated rats. A significantly higher rise in LHA-DA was observed in total liver denervated versus sham-operated rats in parenterally fed (129% +/- 4% versus 116% +/- 2%; p < 0.05) and parenteral plus food (151% +/- 4% versus 134% +/- 4%; p < 0.05) groups. CONCLUSIONS: In total liver denervation versus sham operation, an increase in LHA-DA release occurs during parenteral feeding and eating during parenteral feeding, suggesting that innervated liver inhibits LHA-DA release.     

Sex on the wards: Conundra for clinicians

Should psychiatric inpatients be allowed to engage in sexual activities? Do clinicians have a right to prevent them from doing so? If so, when may sexual interaction be restricted? What sorts of clinical issues and problems are posed for nursing staff, and how should psychiatrists and administrators respond to these? These and related questions have received little attention from either medical or legal scholars, in sharp contrast to the extensive analysis devoted to other issues affecting the lives of psychiatric inpatients, and in especially sharp contrast to our culture's inundation with media messages about sex. This article summarizes the modest body of scholarship concerning sexual interactions among hospitalized patients, the clinical and administrative questions faced by psychiatrists who work with inpatients, and the potential medicolegal problems that inpatients' sexual activities can create. It concludes with a conceptual framework that clinicians can use to devise solutions to the problems arising from inpatients' sexuality.     

Bias for the (un)attractive self: On the role of attention in causing body (dis)satisfaction.

Objective: Body dissatisfaction plays a key role in the maintenance of eating disorders, and selective attention might be crucial for the origin of body dissatisfaction. A. Jansen, C. Nederkoorn, and S. Mulkens (2005) showed that eating disorder patients attend relatively more to their own unattractive body parts, whereas healthy controls attend relatively more to their own attractive body parts. In 2 studies, we investigated whether this bias in selective attention is causal to body dissatisfaction and whether an experimentally induced bias for attractive body parts might lead to increased body satisfaction in women who are highly dissatisfied with their bodies. Design: We used a between-subjects design in which participants were trained to attend to either their self-defined unattractive body parts or their self-defined attractive body parts by use of an eye tracker. Main Outcome Measures: State body and weight satisfaction. Results: Inducing a temporary attentional bias for self-defined unattractive body parts led to a significant decrease in body satisfaction and teaching body-dissatisfied women to attend to their own attractive body parts led to a significant increase in body satisfaction. Conclusion: Selective attention for unattractive body parts can play a role in the development of body dissatisfaction, and changing the way one looks may be a new way for improving body dissatisfaction in women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation of the Satz-Mogel short form for the WAIS-R with psychiatric inpatients.

Original WAIS-R protocol records of 64 psychotic, nonpsychotic, and organic inpatients (aged 19–72 yrs) were rescored to obtain Satz-Mogel short-form scale scores and IQs. Pearson product-moment correlations were found to be uniformly high (p?