bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The validity of posttraumatic stress disorder among vietnamese refugees
Authors: Fawzi Mary Catherine Smith , Pham Thang , Lin Lien , Nguyen Tho Viet , Ngo Dung , Murphy Elizabeth , Mollica Richard F.
Published: June 2007

The aim of this study was to examine the validity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Vietnamese refugees. The study population included 74 Vietnamese refugees who had resettled in the metropolitan Boston area. The previously validated Harvard Trauma Questionnaire was used to assess traumatic events and trauma‐related symptoms. The number of traumatic events experienced was positively correlated with the severity of PTSD‐related symptoms in this population. Internal consistency estimates and principal components analysis provided results that generally supported DSM‐IV symptom dimensions of arousal, avoidance, and reexperiencing. However, the emergence of two separate dimensions of avoidance reflected the important contribution of depression to the traumatic response.
Race, combat, and PTSD in a community sample of New Zealand Vietnam war veterans
Authors: MacDonald Carol , Chamberlain Kerry , Lon Nigel
Published: June 2007

The association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), combat exposure, and race was examined in a New Zealand community sample of 756 Vietnam War veterans. Maori veterans reported higher levels of PTSD than their non‐Maori counterparts. However, the race effect was shown to be mediated by combat exposure level, rank, and combat role. These findings support differential experience explanations for the relationship between postwar adjustment and race, suggesting that higher levels of psychological symptoms reported by minority group veterans can be accounted for by their experience of higher levels of combat stressors.
Posttraumatic stress symptoms in nonexposed, victims, and spontaneous rescuers after an avalanche
Authors: Johnsen Bjørn Helge , Eid Jarle , Løstad Terje , Michelsen Leif Tore
Published: June 2007

A company from the Norwegian Army was investigated 2 weeks and 4 months after they were hit by an avalanche during a winter exercise. The subjects were divided into victims, spontaneous rescuers, and nonexposed subjects. The results showed that exposed subjects (victims and rescuers) reported higher levels of symptoms compared to nonexposed subjects. No differences were found among exposed subjects. The level of symptoms was also higher than comparable previous research both on victims and professional rescuers or nonprofessionals assigned a role as rescuers. All groups showed decrement in symptoms on the 4‐month follow‐up.
Prediction of remission of acute posttraumatic stress disorder in motor vehicle accident victims
Authors: Blanchard Edward B. , Hickling Edward J. , Forneris Catherine A. , Taylor Ann E. , Buckley Todd C. , Loos Warren R. , Jaccard James
Published: June 2007

One hundred forty five individuals who sought medical attention as a result of a motor vehicle accident (MVA), and who were initially assessed 1 to 4 months post‐MVA, were followed up prospectively for 6 months to determine how many of the 55 with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the 43 with sub‐syndromal PTSD would remit and what variables would predict remission. Thirty (55%) of those with initial PTSD had remitted at least in part by 6 months while 67% of those with sub‐syndromal PTSD had remitted (and 5% had worsened). Four variables, including severity of initial symptoms, degree of initial physical injury, relative degree of physical recovery by 4 months and whether a close family member suffered a trauma during the follow‐up interval, combined to classify 6‐month clinical status of 84% of those with initial PTSD secondary to MVAs.
Interviewing children about trauma: Problems with “Specific” questions
Authors: Peterson Carole , Biggs Marleen
Published: June 2007

A methodological ambiguity is described that may well adversely affect the quality of information provided by young child witnesses. Because the information children provide during interviews is sometimes the only evidence in forensic situations, its quality is a serious concern. “Specific” questions are often necessary to elicit enough information, but we describe a confusion between wh‐ questions (which request particular information) and yes/no questions (which merely require confirmation or disconfirmation). Research in which children are systematically interviewed about stressful medical experiences is reviewed, and we present results of a pilot investigation in which 2‐ to 13‐year‐old children were interviewed about traumatic injuries necessitating hospital treatment. Yes/no questions were problematic for preschoolers. Implications for testimony are discussed.
Posttraumatic symptoms in South African Police exposed to violence
Authors: Kopel Heidi , Friedman Merle
Published: June 2007

A study was undertaken with 55 Internal Stability Unit (ISU) members of the South African Police (SAP) to establish whether the situations under which they work, continuous and current, as opposed to prior traumatic exposure, would result in a particular type of traumatic symptom constellation. The results indicated that the traumatic stressor of witnessing a traumatic event was predictive of the symptoms of intrusion. However, symptoms of intrusion were correlated with symptoms of avoidance, suggesting that avoidance may be a defensive response to intrusive phenomena which are a direct effect of exposure to violence. Various hypotheses were suggested to explain this phenomenon, focusing on the need for denial within a macho police culture and the particular features of the South African scenario.
Single session effects of treatment components within a specialized inpatient posttraumatic stress disorder program
Authors: Johnson David Read , Lubin Hadar , James Miller , Hale Kristin
Published: June 2007

This study examined the potential contributions of individual treatment components within one inpatient posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) program. Fifteen treatment components were assessed by a self‐report instrument administered to a cohort of veterans just before and immediately after each session approximately halfway through the program. Components with an external focus, action modality, and, secondarily, little Vietnam content were associated with more improvement than components with an internal focus, verbal modality, or high Vietnam content. Improvement was greatest in veterans with fewer PTSD symptoms. Short‐term improvement was not correlated with veterans' ratings at discharge of component effectiveness. These results were later confirmed on a second cohort. This study supports the potential roles of distraction and physical release, as opposed to exploratory verbal discussion, in the treatment of chronic combat‐related PTSD.
Discussion: Treatment of prolonged posttraumatic stress disorder—learning from experience
Authors: Shalev Arieh Y.
Published: June 2007

Reports of limited treatment effect in Vietnam veterans with PTSD are discussed. Survivors of multiple traumata who suffer from complex PTSD and who live in poverty and distress may not properly represent the general case of PTSD. Yet the lessons learned suggest that attempts to treat prolonged PTSD by rederessing causation are ineffective. The appropriateness of targeting symptoms is also challenged. Previously heralded rethorics of healing trauma should be replaced by careful assessment of residual disability in a social context. Recognizing treatment‐resistance in PTSD could lead to favorably investigating interventions of modest effect, to shifting from exploration to rehabilitation, and to redefining outcome measures such that changes in a variety of domains are appreciated.
An affect‐management group for women with posttraumatic stress disorder and histories of childhood sexual abuse
Authors: Zlotnick Caron , Shea Tracie M. , Rosen Karen , Simpson Elizabeth , Mulrenin Kate , Begin Ann , Pearlstein Teri
Published: June 2007

Systematic research on effective treatment for survivors of childhood sexual abuse with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is virtually non‐existent. The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of an affect‐management treatment (AM) group to a wait list control condition for female survivors of childhood sexual abuse with PTSD. Forty‐eight female survivors of childhood sexual abuse with PTSD were randomly assigned to either a 15‐week affect‐management treatment group or to a wait list control condition. All subjects received individual psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for the duration of the study, and for at least 1‐month prior to the study. Controlling for pretreatment scores, subjects who completed the affect‐management treatment group (n = 17) reported significantly fewer posttreatment symptoms of PTSD and dissociation than subjects in the wait list control condition (n = 16). Our findings suggest that an affect‐management group treatment is beneficial as an adjunct to individual psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for survivors of childhood sexual abuse with PTSD.
Posttraumatic stress disorder, self‐ and interpersonal dysfunction among sexually retraumatized women
Authors: Cloitre Marylene , Scarvalone Polly , Difede JoAnn
Published: June 2007

This study assessed self and interpersonal dysfunction as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among three groups of women: women sexually assaulted in both childhood and adulthood, women sexually assaulted only in adulthood and women who were never assaulted. Rates of PTSD were high and equivalent in the two assault groups. However, retraumatized women were more likely to be alexithymic, show dissociation scores indicating risk for dissociative disorders, and to have attempted suicide compared to the other two groups, who did not differ from each other. Additionally, only the retraumatized women experienced clinically significant levels of interpersonal problems. The findings suggest that formulations more inclusive than PTSD are required to capture the psychological difficulties experienced by this population. Treatment implications are discussed.
The effects of stressor type on projected coping
Authors: Bjorck Jeffrey P. , Klewicki Lisa L.
Published: June 2007

Previous analog research (Bjorck & Cohen, 1993), in which Caucasian college students' projected coping responses to major stressors differed as a function of stressor type (threat, loss, or challenge), was replicated with an ethnoculturally diverse sample. Because Bjorck and Cohen's findings might have been confounded by participants' prior life experiences and/or differing perceptions of event controllability, these two dimensions were also assessed. Even after statistically controlling for these two potential confounds, however, projected coping again differed as a function of stressor type. Effects of both controllability and prior experience were also found. Results are discussed in terms of their application to coping processes in general and to coping with trauma in particular.
Dynamic lot‐sizing model with production time windows
Authors: Hwang Hark‐Chin
Published: June 2007

We consider a dynamic lot‐sizing model with production time windows where each of n demands has earliest and latest production due dates and it must be satisfied during the given time window. For the case of nonspeculative cost structure, an O(nlogn) time procedure is developed and it is shown to run in O(n) when demands come in the order of latest production due dates. When the cost structure is somewhat general fixed plus linear that allows speculative motive, an optimal procedure with O(T4) is proposed where T is the length of a planning horizon. Finally, for the most general concave production cost structure, an optimal procedure with O(T5) is designed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007
ANEMONA: a programming language for network monitoring applications
Authors: Duarte Elias Procópio , Musicante Martin A. , Fernandes Henrique Denes H.
Published: June 2007

This work presents ANEMONA: A language for programming NEtwork MONitoring Applications. The compilation of an ANEMONA program generates code for configuring a policy repository and the corresponding policy deployment and event monitoring. The language allows the definition of expressions of managed objects that are monitored, as well as triggers that when fired may indicate the occurrence of associated events, which are also defined by the language. A translator for the language was implemented that generates code for configuring both the policy repository and deployment. The current implementation of the language employs the Expression MIB and Event MIB. Experimental results are presented, including an ANEMONA program that detects TCP Syn Flooding attacks, and a program for detecting steep variations in the utilization of monitored links. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Studies on the aroma of maté (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) using headspace solid‐phase microextraction
Authors: Araújo Hiram Costa , Lacerda Maria Elisa Gonçalves , Lopes Daíse , Bizzo Humberto Ribeiro , Kaplan Maria Auxiliadora Coelho
Published: June 2007

Volatile and semi‐volatile components of maté (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) were analysed by headspace solid‐phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Five SPME fibres coated separately with 100 µm poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), 65 µm PDMS–divinylbenzene (DVB), 70 µm carbowax (CW)–DVB, 85 µm carboxen (CAR)–PMDS or 50/30 µm DVB–CAR, were tested. Seventy compounds were identified in the sample headspace, including propanal, (E)‐2‐pentenal, hexanal, (E)‐2‐hexenal, 6‐methyl‐5‐hepten‐2‐one, (E,Z)‐2,4‐heptadienal, (E,E)‐2,4‐heptadienal, (E,Z)‐3,5‐octadien‐2‐one, β‐cyclocitral, 3‐ethyl 4‐methyl‐(1H)‐pyrrole‐2,5‐dione, α‐ionone, geranylacetone, β‐ionone, dihydroactinidiolide and caffeine. Extraction parameters such as temperature, time and sample mass were studied and optimized. The best conditions for trapping volatile and semi‐volatile compounds were obtained using a DVB–CAR fibre at 80°C for 60 min with a sample mass starting from 100 mg in a vial of 4 mL. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Factor analysis and personality theory
Authors: Kline Paul
Published: June 2007

This article deals with the factor analytic approach to personality. More specifically, it deals with problems in factor analyses of personality questionnaires which contribute to factorial confusion. It is stated that in fact the factorial results make better sense than is usually admitted. The apparent disparity of results can be accounted for by technical defects in the chosen factor analytic method. Furthermore, it is shown that another source of disagreement lies in the interpretation of what are essentially the same factors.
The relation of perceived situation similarity to perceived behavior similarity: Implications for social learning theory
Authors: Champagne Beatriz M. , Pervin Lawrence A.
Published: June 2007

A number of theories suggest that people behave similarly in similar situations. Social learning theory in particular suggests that people behave similarly in situations perceived to be similar in their pattern of reinforcement contingencies. This study used two measures of perception of behavior similarity and three measures of perception of situation similarity for 20 situations chosen by each of II female subjects as beingss characteristic of her current life. Measures of perceived behavior similarity included paired comparison judgments and analyses of similarity of ratings of behavior probabilities. Measures of perceived situation similarity included paired comparison judgments and analyses of similarity of ratings of outcome or reinforcement contingencies for the specified behaviors, including both internal and external reinforcers. In addition, reliability estimates were obtained on some tasks. Results indicated the following: (1) Generally there was a statistically significant relationship between measures of perceived situation similarity and measures of perceived behavior similarity. The magnitude of the relationship varied considerably from subject to subject. (2) Measures of the same variables did not show better agreement with one another than they did with measures of the different variables, despite evidence of adequate reliability. The data suggested general support for social learning theory but also evidence that factors other than perceived reinforcers in the situation influence how situations are perceived and how people behave in them.
Stress conceptions in life event research: Towards a person‐centred perspective
Authors: Vossel Gerhard
Published: June 2007

The present article focuses on a discussion of the theoretical foundations of life event research. Since critical life events are usually regarded as stressful events, the main question is which concepts of stress are employed in different life event approaches and what is their rationale. The discussion centres on two topics that have to be treated independently: the question of specificity vs nonspecificity and the question of individualized vs normative weightings. It is shown that different life event approaches rely on different concepts of stress. Numerous objections lead to a rejection of the nonspecificity concept and a normative proceeding. However, even when a specificity view of stress is advocated and individual weights are used, life stress measures do not account for a substantial proportion of the variance in the stress‐related dependent variables. Therefore, a reorientation of life event research is required. It is proposed that future life event research should concentrate on the individual meaning of events and adequately consider the time dimension as well CIS processes of coping.
Perceiver and target effects in personality ratings
Authors: Mervielde Ivan , Pot Eric
Published: June 2007

Critics of personality research have asserted that consistency of personality is in the eye of the beholder and does not reflect differences between rated targets. The relative importance of perceiver and target effects is assessed with self‐ and other‐ratings on five personality tests. Three members of the same family, both parents and an adolescent, supplied self‐ratings as well as ratings of the two other members. Perceiver and target effects were assessed with analysis of variance. The correlation between ratings of the same target by different perceivers was compared with that between ratings of different targets by the same perceiver. Both types of analysis showed target effects to be more important than effects of the perceiver. The differences between the present study and those using free descriptions instead of personality tests are discussed.
On the cross‐cultural examination of acts and dispositions
Authors: Buss David M. , Craik Kenneth H.
Published: June 2007

The articles by Angleitner and Demtroder (1988) and Smid et al. (1988) raise several important issues about the study of acts, dispositions, and personality. While the results of Angleitner and Demtroder provide a powerful demonstration of the cross‐cultural generality of the act frequency approach, several conclusions appearing in both papers require clarification: (1) multiple category membership is a complexity that occurs in the natural object domain as well as in the act‐disposition domain, (2) the differences between the subjective conditional probability approach used by Smid et al., and the act frequency approach render the conclusions drawn by Smid et al. about the act frequency approach of Buss and Craik erroneous, and (3) distinctions among basic forms of personality data (beliefs about self, beliefs held by others about the self, and act trends in everyday life) require clear separation so that the multiple goals in personality psychology are not conflated.
Descriptive consistency and social desirability in self‐and peer reports
Authors: Borkenau Peter , Ostendorf Fritz
Published: June 2007

In the present study, 300 subjects were administered 20 sets of four trait‐descriptive terms where aspects of content and evaluation were unconfounded (e.g. firm, severe, lenient, and lax). Each subject was also evaluated by three peers using the same sets of four trait terms. Moreover, the subjects responded to several personality inventories and rating scales, and they were also described on these rating scales by their peers. The results showed that the subjects frequently ascribed to themselves or to their peers two favourable trait terms that were descriptively inconsistent (e.g. firm, lenient). A measure of individual differences in socially desirable responding was constructed by summing all desirable responses. Subjects who described themselves in a socially desirable manner were less neurotic and more conscientious according to self‐reports as well as peer reports. Several implications of the findings are discussed, and the present SD measure is compared with several well‐known desirability scales.
Aggressiveness and hyperactive behaviour as related to adrenaline excretion
Authors: Klinteberg Britt Af , Magnusson David
Published: June 2007

The central question concerns the relationship between aspects of behaviour and physiological reactions. Measures of sympathetic‐adrenal activity in terms of adrenaline excretion in a normal and a stressful situation as well as teacher ratings of behaviour were analysed for a representative group of 86 boys aged 13. Adrenaline excretion was in both situations significantly negatively related to ratings of aggressiveness, motor restlessness, and concentration difficulties and also to the sum of the latter two, used as an indicator of hyperactive behaviour. The association between hyperactive behaviour and adrenaline excretion persisted in the stressful situation when aggressiveness was controlled, whereas there was no significant relationship between aggressiveness and adrenaline output when hyperactive behaviour was controlled. Furthermore, hyperactive boys differed significantly from non‐hyperactive boys in displaying lower adrenaline excretion in both situations. The results are discussed in terms of low sympathetic‐adrenal reactivity to external demands as a risk factor and as a possible indicator of vulnerability for social and/or pervasive conduct disturbances.
Toward a reorientation of research on aggression
Authors: Caprara Gian Vittorio , Pastorelli Concetta
Published: June 2007

A number of studies are reported which sustain the importance of individual differences in the study of aggression. Irritability, emotional susceptibility, dissipatio—nrumination, tolerance toward violence, and proneness to guilt feelings provide a better understanding of the various forms of aggression. Prosocial behaviour, emotional instability, and physical and verbal aggression proved to be important indicators to children's more general adjustment. To go beyond the traditional paradigm of research on aggression a structural and interactive—interpersonal analysis of aggression is recommended. Aggression as a unitary phenomenon is called into question. Instead, it is stated that the various facets of aggression find an explanation and acquire meaning within the context of global personality development and functioning.
Is the concept of ‘personality’ relevant to the study of animal aggression?
Authors: Karli Pierre
Published: June 2007

Both theoretical considerations and methodological constraints explain why the experimental study of animal aggression does not often put much emphasis on individual differences and hardly uses the concept of ‘personality’. And yet, if neurobiologists consider those brain mechanisms that underlie the interpretation of a given situation and the anticipation of a method to cope with it, they are led to investigate mechanisms that underlie a number of behaviour dimensions which the psychologist would refer to as ‘personality’. The actual object considered in either case does not essentially differ. This is exemplified more concretely by examining the kind of factors—and the brain mechanisms involved in their very existence or in their processing—that contribute to determine the probability that in the face of a given situation, a given individual will adopt aggressive behaviour as the coping strategy.
Causal attribution, coping strategies, and combat‐related post‐traumatic stress disorder
Authors: Mikulincer Mario , Solomon Zahava
Published: June 2007

The present study assesses the intervening role of ways of coping in mediating the effects of causal attribution for negative events on combat‐related post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The sample consisted of Israeli soldiers who suffered a combat stress reaction episode during the 1982 Lebanon War and were followed 2 and 3 years after their participation in combat. The results showed that an attribution of negative events to stable and uncontrollable causes was associated with both a more frequent use of emotion‐focused coping and a less frequent use of problem‐focused coping. It was also found that emotion‐focused coping and problem‐focused coping were more direct antecedents of combat‐related PTSD than causal attribution. Finally, it was found that the association between causal attribution and combat‐related PTSD was mediated by variations in emotion‐focused coping. The discussion attempts to integrate theoretical notions derived from attributional models and Lazarus and Folkman's stress‐coping model.
Personality research—challenges for the future
Authors: Magnusson David
Published: June 2007

This article is about the lessons that can be learned from the mistakes of the past. After a critical, constructive analysis of current theorizing and research, important directions of future personality psychology are described against the background of a general theoretical framework. It is argued that individual functioning cannot be understood or explained if the environmental factors that are operating in the individual's interactions with the environment and the biological factors that are constantly interacting with the cognitive‐emotional system are not considered. Finally, the article focuses on conceptual and methodological issues that are of major importance for further progress in personality psychology, viz. (a) the match between level of psychological processes and type of data, (b) the nature of psychological phenomena studied in terms of variables, (c) the use of chronological age as the marker of individual development, and (d) the comparison between a variable and a person approach.
The use of everyday personality language for scientific purposes
Authors: Hofstee Willem K. B.
Published: June 2007

The major question of the article is whether the natural language of personality provides an adequate point of departure for the construction of a scientific system of personological categories. Five obstacles to this endeavour are: (1) the domain is dificult to delineate, both with respect to its categories and in the choosing of items within categories; (2) the extent to which terms can be translated from one language to another appears to be limited; (3) the overwhelming role of evaluative aspects is embarrassing from a scientific point of view; (4) instead of obeying simple and clear taxonomic principles, the domain appears to be unruly in this respect; and (5) many terms and expressions are paradoxical when used in the first person. Tentative and partial solutions to these problems are proposed.
Towards a taxonomy of personality descriptors in German: A psycho‐lexical study
Authors: Angleitner Alois , Ostendorf Fritz , John Oliver P.
Published: June 2007

We present two studies aimed at developing a comprehensive taxonomy of German personality‐descriptive terms. In the first study, all personality‐descriptive adjectives (e.g. cynical), type nouns (e.g. cynic), and attribute nouns (e.g. cynicism) were extracted from a German dictionary. We found that almost half of all German adjectives were potentially personality‐relevant, as contrasted with only 8% of the nouns. Moreover, there were more attribute nouns than type nouns, the latter appearing more slangy, metaphorical, concrete, and rich in imagery (e.g. Big‐mouth, Wooden‐head). In the second study, we discuss basic conceptual distinctions among units ofpersonality description, develop a category system basedon a prototype conception, and present a classification of 5092 adjectives into 13 categories. The classifications were generalizable across both judges and a two‐year time interval, and agreed with a priori expert classifications. An analysis of the prototypical category cores suggested that Evaluations, Temperament and character traits, and Experiential states were represented most extensively in German, whereas Social effects, Roles and relationships, and Appearance were rather infrequent. These findings, though generally similar, differ from Norman's (1967) American taxonomy in the number of Evaluative terms and of Activity descriptors. Our studies provide comprehensive and representative lists of German words for personality traits, moods and emotions, social roles, effects, evaluations, and physical appearance, and may serve as the basis for taxonomies, dimensional analyses, and assessment instruments. We emphasize the need to standardize procedures in taxonomic research and outline suggestions for future studies of other languages.
Traits and taxonomies: A hierarchical classes approach
Authors: De Boeck Paul , Van Mechelen Iven
Published: June 2007

Three types of taxonomy involving traits are discerned. In the first type, traits are objects of trait categories based on trait attributes. In the second type, traits are attributes of persons, person types being categories. In the third type, traits are categories of acts grouped on the basis of act attributes. All three types are analysed and discussed from the perspective of the hierarchical classes model for object by attribute data. Categories are considered external variables that can be mapped onto the object by attribute structure by way of category rules. It is suggested that this conceptual analysis yields a framework for studying how trait terms are understood and used.
The person as co‐investigator in self‐research: Valuation theory
Authors: Hermans Hubert J. M.
Published: June 2007

Recent developments in self‐research show the self to be increasingly conceived as an organized and highly dynamic phenomenon. In combination with the arguments presented in the preceding article, these developments are a good reason for adopting a method in which the psychologist and the subject work together in the study of the self: The self‐confrontation method and the theory on which it is based—valuation theory—are presented as an example of such an approach. This method construes the self as an organized process of valuations, a valuation being any unit of meaning that the person finds of importance in thinking about his or her life. Formulated in the language of the person him‐ or herself; these valuations and how they develop over time are considered in a dialogue between the psychologist and the subject. For the purposes of demonstration, two phenomena that are not easily observedare discussed here: (a) the existence of an imaginal figure not visibly present but functioning as a signifcant other in the person's daily life, and (b) the presence of a character in a recurring dream, which later gets included as an integral part of the self: Finally, the present approach is briefly discussed as representing a constructivist view of personality psychology.
Valuation theory, the self‐confrontation method, and scientific personality psychology
Authors: Lamiell James T.
Published: June 2007

This article presents an invited commentary on the two previous articles by Hermans and Bonarius (1991) and by Hermans (1991). Primary focus is placed on certain enduring confusions regarding the historic ‘nomothetic vs. idiographic’ controversy in personality psychology, the traces of those confusions in the writings of Hermans and Bonarius, and the importance of eliminating those confusions if the full potential of valuation theory and the self‐confrontation method is to be realized, not only as a means of gaining idiographic knowledge and clinically helpful insights, but also as a means of gaining genuinely nomothetic knowledge in the domain of personality.
A prototype strategy for the construction of a creativity scale
Authors: Amelang Manfred , Herboth Gabriele , Oefner Irmtraud
Published: June 2007

Principles similar to the Act Frequency Approach (Buss and Craik, 1980) were applied to the construct of creativity. At first, a sample of 29 subjects generated acts, i.e. concrete behaviours‐in‐situations which due to their cognitive structure were indicative of creativity. As a second step, another group (N = 48) rated the prototypicality of the individual acts. A third sample of 102 subjects responded to the creativity acts in the sense of a self‐report. Peer ratings of creativity served as criterion measures. The scores of the relatively high‐prototypical creativity inventory correlated about 0.40 with the criteria, whereas the coefficients of the relatively low‐prototypical creativity inventory were approximately 0.20. With one exception, the validity of several other creativity tests was also very low, in keeping with the effect of their varying degree of prototypicality. In total, these results suggest that creativity can be assessed more successfully on the basis of questionnaires than with items of the common ability format, or with trait‐descriptive terms.
Defence strategies and anxiety in mothers of disabled children
Authors: Ryde‐Brandt Brita
Published: June 2007

The aim of this investigation was to study anxiety and defence strategies in mothers of children with different disabilities. Mothers of children with childhood psychosis, motor handicaps, or Down's syndrome were tested with a projective, percept‐genetic technique, viz. the Mother‐Child Picture Test (MCPT). Levels of anxiety were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD). In mothers of psychotic children, the absence of anxiety was significantly associated with misinterpretations and/or failure to recognize the MCPT motif (a close relation between mother and child). This association was not found in the mothers of motor‐handicapped children or children with Down's syndrome. The results suggest that, for mothers of psychotic children, the activation of defensive strategies is important to avoid feelings of anxiety evoked by the mother‐child situation. For mothers of children with other chronic disabilities, for example, motor handicaps or Down's syndrome, low levels of anxiety may be experienced without the mobilization of strong defensive mechanisms. Different interpretations of the correlation between defence strategies and anxiety in the mothers of psychotic children are discussed.
Individual differences in depression, induced mood, and perception of emotionally toned words
Authors: Caballero José Antonio Ruiz , Moreno José Bermúdez
Published: June 2007

The associative network theory of emotion and memory, outlined by Bower (1981), predicts that depressed mood leads to biases which favour the perception of mood‐congruent information. In this study, a lexical decision task was used to assess the effects of degree of depression and induced elation and depression on lexical decision times for positive and negative words. Subsequently, subjects were given a recall test for the words presented during the lexical decision task. The results partially offered support for perceptual bias. The data showed that in non‐depressed and elation‐induced subjects, decision times were differentially affected by hedonic tone. Words of positive nature were responded to significantly faster than were negative words. In mildly depressed and depression‐induced, decision times were similar for both types of words (positive and negative). These findings are discussed in relation to the associative network model and a growing amount of empirical research on human emotion and cognition.
Change and stability of masculinity‐femininity from adolescence to adulthood in a sample of Swedish women
Authors: Holmlund Ulla
Published: June 2007

A female sample (N = 349) was administered the Attitude Interest Schedule (AIS) and the Cesarec‐Marke Personality Schedule (CMPS) at the ages of 15 and 25. It was found that during adolescence subjects change towards a more conservative feminine self‐image. Differential stability, based on the AIS scores, was substantial. Masculinity‐femininity appeared to be related to needs as measured by the CMPS. Masculinity was related positively to instrumental needs and negatively to expressive needs.
The circle as a model for the interpersonal domain of Swedish trait terms
Authors: Rosén Anne‐Sofie
Published: June 2007

Swedish interpersonal traits were assumed to have the structure demonstrated by Wiggins for the Interpersonal Adjective Scales in English. Positive and negative interpersonal trait terms were rated for accuracy when describing people. The ratings were used to construct 16 eight‐item scales which were ordered relative to two principal components and labelled A to P. The evaluative meaning of each scale item was rated by a second group. The ranks of the mean ratings for the scales followed expectations. The 16 scales were combined into eight scales PA, BC, DE, etc., to NO. From a new group of subjects (N = 159) self‐ratings were obtained. The correlations between the eight scales were used to obtain maximum‐likelihood estimates of population coefficients of a hypothetical circulant matrix. A circumplex model fitted the data well and the two equally large orthogonal components ordered the PA to NO variables within a circular semantic space. The model was interpreted as a structural representation of basic‐level categories for interpersonal attributes of personality in the natural language.
Towards a refined structure of personality traits
Authors: De Raad Boele , Hendriks A. A. Jolijn , Hofstee Willem K. B.
Published: June 2007

In this article we pursue two goals. The first is a further articulation of the dimensionality of the Dutch trait domain. The second is a detailed mapping of the factorial trait structure, one which includes intelligible and proper niches for various nuances of the trait language and for different interpretations of the main factors of personality language. In realizing these goals, we discuss the reliance on theory in structuring and modelling the domain in question, the type of model to be used, and the comprehensiveness versus the economy of domain representation. The advantages and disadvantages of the simple structure model and the circumplex model are commented upon, and a new framework that integrates these two models is presented. The present results provide confirmation of the existence of five major dimensions that cover the trait domain: (I) Extraversion or Surgency, (II) Agreeableness, (III) Conscientiousness, (IV) Emotional Stability, and (V) Intellect or Openness to Experience. The newly developed representational model, revealing a refined structure of personality characteristics, not only clarifies some of the problems faced in interpreting the Big Five factors, but also forms a starting point for applications.
Self‐gender schemata and the processing of social information
Authors: Rubini Vittorio , Antonelli Elena
Published: June 2007

Previous research has found that subjects possessing a self‐gender schema in line with gender stereotypes (i.e. sex‐typed individuals) are quicker than non‐sex‐typed subjects in deciding whether a stereotypically masculine or feminine trait adjective is self‐descriptive or not. The results of memory tasks are more contradictory. In this study we have supposed that gender‐schematic subjects can most effectively process gender‐linked information even if it does not relate to the self. More specifically, we hypothesized (a) that sex‐typed subjects are quicker than non‐sex‐typed subjects in deciding whether a trait adjective can be better attributed to men or women and (b) that they recall a greater number of masculine and feminine adjectives and have greater gender‐based clustering indices compared with non‐sex‐typed individuals. Subjects previously identified as Sex‐typed, Androgynous, Indifferentiated, and Cross‐sex‐typed were presented with adjectives referring to stereotypic masculine and feminine traits. The results showed that sex‐typed subjects, regardless of their sex, were faster than the other groups in deciding whether a certain trait applied more to a man than to a woman. No significant differences between the groups of subjects were found as to the number of masculine and feminine items being correctly recalled or to gender‐based clustering indices.
A taxonomy‐oriented study of Russian personality‐trait names
Authors: Shmelyov Alexander G. , Pokhil'ko Vladimir I.
Published: June 2007

This is the first English report of the procedures and findings from a project whose aim is the development of a computerized thesaurus of Russian personality‐descriptive terms as a special instrument for providing computer‐based test interpretations. Our empirical analyses were carried out in two waves: in 1983–1984, we examined the relations among 1530 trait–descriptive terms; and in 1986–1987, we examined the rela tions among 1650 such terms. Our present Russian personality lexicon includes 2090 trait terms, of which 68 per cent are adjectives and 32 per cent are nouns. Here, we present some findings from both cluster analyses and factor analyses of these Russian terms and show that our findings are rather concordant with those of Goldberg (1990), using English trait adjectives. Finally, we discuss a computer–based system that could provide a convenient tool for studying cross‐language similarities and differences in personality lexicons.
Early emotional instability, prosocial behaviour, and aggression: some methodological aspects
Authors: Caprara Gian Vittorio , Pastorelli Concetta
Published: June 2007

The internal consistency of Emotional Instability, Prosocial Behaviour, and Aggression scales was examined in elementary school children aged between 7 and 10 years. Multiple informants (self‐report, teacher rating, mother rating, and peer nomination) were obtained on the above three dimensions. Relationships between the scales were first examined within the single informant frame of reference and then between informants. The concurrent validity was assessed using sociometric measures (popularity, rejection, social impact, and social preference) and the Achenbach and Edelbrock Child Behavior Checklist (teacher and parent form). The results confirm the internal validity of the three scales measuring emotional instability, prosocial behaviour, and aggression in child self‐report, teacher rating, and mother rating. The use of self‐report measures seems promising within the multiple informant strategy of research on child behaviour. Correlational results show satisfactory concurrent validity for the three scales, especially for teacher rating and peer nomination. The strict relation between emotional instability and aggression poses problems of discriminant validity which need to be further investi gated.
Measuring epistemic authority: studies of politicians and professors
Authors: Raviv Amiram , Bar‐Tal Daniel , Raviv Alona , Abin Reuven
Published: June 2007

Two studies assessed the perception of epistemic authority (denoting a source of information which has a determinative influence on the acquisition of knowledge) by means of a scale (Epistemic Authority Scale) which was constructed for this purpose. The first study showed that individuals perceive political leaders with similar political orientations as greater epistemic authorities than political leaders with different political orientations. In addition, the study investigated the reasons used by the subjects to explain reliance or lack of reliance on political leaders. In general, the responses showed that leaders' expressed opinions and characteristics were important determinants in epistemic authority selection. The second study found that students of statistics departments have a greater tendency to perceive their professors as epistemic authorities in their disciplinary knowledge than students of psychology departments, while the latter are more likely than the former to perceive their professors as epistemic authorities in general knowledge domains. Analysis of the Reason scores for reliance on the professors in the two departments reveals that expertness received the highest ratings.
Stable individual differences in situation‐behaviour, construct‐behaviour, and goal‐behaviour relations
Authors: Claeys Willem , Timmers Luc , Phalet Karen
Published: June 2007

This study starts from a cognitive‐social‐learning conceptualization of the contribution of static person by situation interaction to overt behaviour variance. Individual differences in the relation between, on the one hand, situational variation in behaviour and, on the other hand, situational variation in objective situational characteristics, situational variation in construed situational characteristics, and situational variation in goals‐in‐situations were systematically investigated. Thirty‐six first‐year psychology students had to freely generate and briefly describe 20 interpersonal situations that they had encountered during the last year. Afterwards, they had to rate each situation for four basic behavioural continua, eight supplied objective situational characteristics, eight supplied constructs, and eight supplied goals. Correlational analysis revealed many stable individual differences, not only in degree, but also in direction (sign) of situation‐behaviour, construct–behaviour, and goal–behaviour relations. These relational variables could be reduced to seven relational factorial dimensions. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
The development of an Autonomy scale based on recent insights into gender identity
Authors: Bekker Marrie H. J.
Published: June 2007

The concept of autonomy has a long history, not only in psychology, but also in philosophy. In this article, the concept is discussed in relation to gender and mental health. The criticisms of several authors with regard to the classical psychological concept of autonomy are reviewed. Also, some recent theoretical developments which start from a psychoanalytical perspective are discussed. Then the reader is introduced to the construction of a new Autonomy scale that takes the criticism mentioned into account and connects with new insights into gender identity. Two studies are presented in which the structure of the scale, as well as it validity and reliability, is investigated. The Autonomy scale appears to measure consistently three aspects: Self‐awareness, Sensitivity to Others, and Capacity for Managing New Situations. Reliability and validity are satisfactory. Furthermore, in a third study the factor structure found in Studies 1 and 2 was cross‐validated in a more heterogeneous, adult sample. This cross‐validation was also done across the sexes. It is concluded that the Autonomy scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the new autonomy concept in various populations. Secondly, the scale seems to fill the gap that is left open by more classically oriented autonomy (and dependence) scales by measuring Sensitivity to Others, an important aspect of femininity and thus for female identity.