bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Responsibility and the power motive in women and men
Authors: Winter David G , Barenbaum Nicole B
Published: April 2006

Previous research on the correlates of power motivation in women and men had shown no gender differences, when the presence of younger siblings (reflecting responsibility training) was used as a moderator variable This study reports development of an empirically derived direct TAT measure of responsibility as a moderator variable for the power motive The new measure includes mention of legal or moral standards, obligation concern about others, concern about consequences, and self‐judgment It is related to perceived parental expectations concerning responsibility Among women and men high in responsibility, power motivation predicts responsible social power actions, but among women and men low in responsibility, power motivation predicts a variety of profligate, impulsive actions Responsibility then, rather than gender, appears to determine the ways in which the power motive is expressed
Masculine/feminine: A personological perspective
Authors: Carlson Rae
Published: April 2006

How might our expanding knowledge of gender contribute to a deeper understanding of personality? This paper offers a personological perspective for considering the import of contemporary work, and focuses on the ten substantive papers included in this issue of the Journal of Personality An agenda for our future inquiry is proposed that includes (a) revising our ideology of science in a postpositivist era, (b) recognizing the complexity of personality as a domain distinguished from “human being theory,” (c) developing richer and more comprehensive personality theory, and (d) studying persons over time The papers reported in this issue contribute in various ways to the enrichment of personological understanding
Personality research methods: An historical perspective
Authors: Craik Kenneth H
Published: April 2006

An historical perspective upon personality research methods is presented and scholarly resources are reviewed to encourage historical perspective‐taking among personality psychologists

The historical perspective demarcates five periods in the development of personality research methods (1) the pre‐identity era, (2) the pre‐World War II era, (3) the post‐World War II era, (4) the contemporary era, and (5) within the contemporary era, the current situation FOT a set of basic research methods in personality, three types of development are identified Laboratory methods, observer judgments, personality scales and inventories, and projective techniques illustrate continued development, biographical/archival methods and field studies illustrate interrupted methods, and reputational analysis by use of naturalistic observational assessment illustrates arrested development

The methodological pluralism evident in the history of personality research and inherent in its scientific agenda has not been fully realized, although current trends are encouraging Recommendations for promoting integrative methodological pluralism are made regarding research planning, institutional arrangements, and graduate research training programs
Modes and methods of personality research
Authors: Sechrest Lee
Published: April 2006

Advances in knowledge about personality will be fostered by improved research methods, but corresponding improvements in our theories will be needed also, better methods will not be enough Theory itself can have methodological functions, and some methods provide strong impetus toward greater theoretical clarity and rigor Distinctions between methodological developments in research design, measurement, and analysis need to be maintained, and we badly need more research directed specifically toward improving methodologies Some papers in this volume point quite clearly to the need for all aspects of our research to be better rationalized and deliberate, casual and opportunistic decisions about how to carry out research simply will not do These papers indicate, for example, that the trait vs situation controversy would likely never have occurred had the issues been addressed with greater methodological, and logical, rigor This volume is not complete in its coverage of the potentially useful methods for personality research, and attention should ultimately be devoted to such methods as life histories and case studies and cross‐cultural comparisons In general, however, the papers in this volume offer an opportunity to raise the level of research in personality to a new plane of sophistication and revealingness
Dispositional Optimism and Physical Well‐Being: The Influence of Generalized Outcome Expectancies on Health
Authors: Scheier Michael E , Carver Charles S.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT This article explores the implications that dispositional optimism holds for physical well‐being Research is reviewed that links optimism to a number of different positive health‐relevant outcomes, ranging from the development of physical symptoms to recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery Additional findings are described which suggest that these beneficial effects are partly due to differences between optimists and pessimists in the strategies that they use to cope with stress A number of other potential mediators are also discussed, including some that are physiologic in nature The article closes with a discussion of the relationships betwen our own theoretical account of the effects of optimism and several other conceptual approaches
Coronary Prone Behavior: Components of the Type A Pattern and Hostility
Authors: Dembroski Theodore M. , Costa Paul T.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Traditional and nontraditional risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) are discussed with special attention devoted to the Type A behavior pattern (TABP) Positive and negative epidemiological evidence bearing on the risk factor status of global TABP is reviewed Results of the review suggest that component scoring of the multidimensional global TABP in attempts to uncover “toxic” components, particularly Potential for Hostility, is a profitable research strategy Similarly, evidence is presented that suggests merit in component scoring of hostility, also a multidimensional construct To explicate more fully the nature of Potential for Hostility and its categories, correlations between the SI‐derived ratings and ratings of established dimensions of individual differences based on the five‐factor taxonomic model of personality from subsamples of the MRFTT and WCGS studies are presented Total Potential for Hostility and especially the Style of interaction category show highly significant relations to Low Agreeableness or Antagonism High ratings of Potential for Hostility identify individuals who can be described as uncooperative, antagonistic, rude, disagreeable, unsympathetic, callous, and the like Implications of the evolving concept of coronary‐prone behavior, as distinguished from TABP, are briefly considered
Social Motives and Susceptibility to Disease: Stalking Individual Differences In Health Risks
Authors: Jemmott John B.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT This article reviews studies on the relation between social motives and susceptibility to physical illness The motives examined in the studies include power motivation and affiliation motivation and their related syndromes such as inhibited power and relaxed affiliation The subject populations include college students as well as adults Blood pressure, self‐reports of illnesses, catecholamines, and parameters of immunologic functioning are among the indices of health outcomes investigated Taken together, these studies suggest that social motives may be importantly related to susceptibility to illness, that the power motive may be related to heightened susceptibility to illness, particularly when the person is under stress, whereas the affiliation motive may be related to diminished susceptibility to illness
Neuroticism, Somatic Complaints, and Disease: Is the Bark Worse than the Bite?
Authors: Costa Paul T. , McCrae Robert R.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Perhaps because negative emotions are frequently expressed in physiological reactions, psychosomatic theories have often identified Neuroticism and its component traits (including anxiety, anger, and depression) as causal influences on the development of disease These views are apparently supported by correlations between physical symptom reports and measures of Neuroticism in males Data from 347 adult women in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging replicate this finding for total physical complaints and for most body systems However, analyses of mortality in the literature and in the present article show no influence of Neuroticism, suggesting that symptom reporting may be biased by Neuroticism‐related styles of perceiving and reporting physiological experiences Researchers in this area are urged to employ objective measures of medical status, and to be alert to possible biases of self‐selection and selective perception in interpreting associations between Neuroticism and disease
Psychobiological Factors Predicting the Course of Breast Cancer
Authors: Jensen Mogens R.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Drawing on a carefully controlled sample of 52 women with a history of breast carcinoma and 34 healthy controls, this prospective study examined empirical associations between psychological factors and the progression of neoplastic disorders over a follow‐up period averaging 624 days Psychological variables were psychometrically assessed by self‐report measures A multiple regression analysis which controlled for disease stage at original diagnosis, age, total length of disease course, hematological factors, and blood chemistries measured at study onset showed neoplastic spread to be associated with a repressive personality style, reduced expression of negative affect, helplessness‐hopelessness, chronic stress, and comforting daydreaming The identified model of medical and psychological variables accounted for 56% of the observed variance A psychobiological model of brain‐body deregulation provided the best account of the observed associations between psychological functioning and the progression of disease Future research is necessary to examine the role which psychological functioning may exert upon health‐relevant behaviors that might blunt the benefits of professional health care
Some Cautions for Research on Personality and Health
Authors: Krantz David S. , Hedges Susan M.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT This article comments on three conceptualizations of the relationship between personality and disease as they relate to the papers in this issue Despite the sophistication and promise of recent research in this area, conceptual and methodological difficulties present in earlier psychosomatic research have persisted In this area, robust and convincing associations between traits and disease remain largely elusive, and stable, valid measures of psychological factors are relatively rare In addition, the mechanisms relating behavior to health are sometimes sketchy or overstated We suggest that the most productive research strategies will focus on mechanisms linking behavior to health, rather than merely correlating traits with measures of disease Needed are continued close attention to these pitfalls by researchers as well as the maintenance of a critical attitude by readers
Personality and Health in the 1980s: Psychosomatic Medicine Revisited?
Authors: Holroyd Kenneth A. , Coyne James
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT This special issue is a sign of a resurgence of interest in the role of personality in health not seen since the 1940s and early 1950s when the promise of the psychosomatic approach to health and illness appeared to be the greatest This new look at personality and health represented by contributions to this special issue attempts to address the limitations of earlier work in psychosomatic medicine by making more explicit efforts to define personality variables precisely, to distinguish these variables from conceptually related psychological constructs, and to embed them in a body of theory and empirical research This new work also attempts to remedy methodological limitations of earlier work by placing greater emphasis on prospective research and highlighting distinctions between symptom reports, illness behavior, and actual illness However, the new work and earlier work in psychosomatic medicine share certain working assumptions, for example, a primary emphasis on the relatively direct impact of personality on disease onset, an assumption that personality variables operate in interaction with stressful events, and a frequent emphasis on general susceptibility to disease Moreover, this new work frequently risks the same methodological pitfalls that limited scientific progress in psychosomatic medicine We argue that the rapid rise and decline of psychosomatic medicine is most likely to be repeated in research on personality and health in the 1980s if reasonable criteria for considering personality variables a risk factor for disease are not precisely defined, disease endpoints (the dependent variable) are not assessed precisely, personality variables of interest (the independent variable) are not empirically distinguished from other related psychological variables, and complex relationships among risk factors are not taken account It is emphasized that models drawn from personality research cannot be transferred unchanged to the health arena without risking false inferences about the role of personality in health
Biography, Narrative, and Lives: An Introduction
Authors: McAdams Dan P.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT The purpose of this special issue of the Journal of Personality is to spotlight some of the more fruitful ways in which contemporary personality psychologists are collecting, analyzing, and discerning stories about persons' lives The issue focuses both on current approaches to psychobiography and on new uses of life narratives in social research
Life Stories and the Psychosocial Construction of Careers
Authors: Ochberg Richard L
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT This paper describes and interprets the narratives that middle‐aged businessmen tell about their careers It draws a symbolic connection between these men's careers and the longings and frustrations of their childhood, revealed in part by the characters that populate these men's stories But the connection is also revealed by something more abstract the formal shape of their stories' plot These plots, which emphasize relentless forward movement, are shaped by career culture, which demands constant advancement But advancement is also a psychodynamic symbol It expresses men's aggressive self‐aggrandizement, while denying their desire for affection and their vulnerability to rejection The result of this alliance between psychodynamic motives and social practices is that men pursue one type of recognition–that of aggressive achievement–while they systematically disavow their longing for more personal attachment
A Theory of Multiple‐Case Research
Authors: Rosenwald George C.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Psychologists have generally neglected the detailed study of lives because it has not seemed to contribute to the formulation of general truths The insistence that each life is unique and therefore incomparable has shaped the modern disciplines of personality and social psychology, segregating them from each other and blocking a clear view of how social facts and psychological processes inform each other In the proposed model of multiple‐case study, individual cases, captured through intensive exploratory interviews, are brought into “conversation” with one another This permits shared realities to be reconstructed out of individuals' perspectival images But in daily life such reconstructions often fail to be made because the social conditions favorable to a conversation among those viewing a shared reality from characteristic vantage points (for instance, oppressors and oppressed, or even fellow victims) are not met The resulting silence itself must become a topic of conversation before social knowledge can be created or social problems solved The pertinent epistemological presuppositions are illustrated by reference to sample multiple‐case studies
Personality, Psychological Assessment, and Psychobiography
Authors: Alexander Irving E.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT A method for the analysis of personal data is described Although primarily directed toward extracting recurring dynamic sequences, “scripts,”“themas,”“guiding messages,” the method can be utilized to assess a host of personality vanables Two major strategies are employed (a) letting the data set reveal itself, and (b) asking the data a question Rules for data extraction and data transformation are discussed Application of the method to work m psychobiography is indicated by example
Five Robust Trait Dimensions: Development, Stability, and Utility
Authors: Digman John M.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Interest has grown in recent years in a five‐factor model for the organization of personality characteristics A brief history of the development of this model is given It is evident that the model is very general across variations in raters and ratees and across languages There is also evidence that the structure of personality inventories reflects this model Although most of the studies that have demonstrated the model have utilized either self‐report inventories or have relied on ratings, there is clear evidence that both ratings and inventories are importantly related to actual behavior A longitudinal study of children's personality traits is reported Evidence for the five‐factor model is examined, including data for the stability over time of characteristics organized in terms of the model One trait of particular focus in this study has been Factor 3, often interpreted as Conscientiousness but here referred to as Will to Achieve because of its high correlations with formal measures of educational achievement Studies indicate that this dimension is responsible for much of the variance in achievement left unexplained by aptitude measures
Early Childhood Antecedents of Aggression and Passive‐Withdrawal in Early Elementary School
Authors: Renken Bruce , Egeland Byron , Marvinney Denice , Mangelsdorf Sarah , Sroufe L. Alan
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Early childhood antecedents of elementary school aggression and passive‐withdrawal were evaluated in a large longitudinal study (N= 191) With teacher ratings as outcome measures, a variety of predictor variables were selected from a comprehensive data base Predictors were selected to represent several major factors (a) a developmental history of insecure attachment and poor adjustment, (b) inadequate or hostile parental care, and (c) stressful or chaotic life circumstances Support was found for the prediction of these behavior problems from early childhood measures (up to one third of the variance), with results varying with sex and outcome measure Results were stronger for boys than girls, and stronger for aggression than for passive‐withdrawal Boys' outcome was strongly related to attachment classification at 18 months It is suggested that these findings support Bowlby's view that early acquired “working models” of self and other affect later interpersonal functioning
Self‐Concepts, Domain Values, and Self‐Esteem: Relations and Changes at Early Adolescence
Authors: Eccles Jacquelynne S. , Wigfield Allan , Flanagan Constance A. , Miller Christy , Reuman David A. , Yee Doris
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT We assessed how children's self‐concepts of ability for mathematics, English, social, and physical skills activities, ratings of the importance of these activities, and general self‐esteem change across the transition to junior high school Three types of change were assessed change in mean levels, change in stability, and change in relationships Twice each year during the sixth and seventh grades, 1,450 children completed questionnaires Mean levels of children's self‐esteem were lowest immediately after the transition, but recovered during seventh grade Self‐concept of ability and importance ratings for math and sports activities showed linear declines Self‐concept of ability for social activities showed a cubic trend, but importance ratings for social activities declined in a linear fashion Children's self‐concepts of ability for math and English became less stable across the junior high transition, whereas beliefs about other activities and general self‐esteem were more stable in seventh grade
Continuities and Consequences of Interactional Styles Across the Life Course
Authors: Caspi Avshalom , Bem Daryl J. , Elder Glen H.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Behavior patterns can be sustained across the life course by two kinds of person‐environment interaction Cumulative continuity arises when an individual's interactional style channels him or her into environments that themselves reinforce that style, thereby sustaining the behavior pattern across the life course through the progressive accumulation of its own consequences Interactional continuity arises when an individual's style evokes reciprocal, sustaining responses from others in ongoing social interaction, thereby reinstating the behavior pattern across the individual's life course whenever the relevant interactive situation is replicated Using archival data from the Berkeley Guidance Study (Macfarlane, Allen, & Honzik, 1954), we present evidence for the operation of these two continuity‐promoting processes by identifying individuals who were ill‐tempered, shy, or dependent in late childhood and then tracing the continuities and consequences of these interactional styles across the subsequent
On the Measurement of Stability in Over‐Time Data
Authors: Kenny David A. , Campbell Donald T.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT In this article, autoregressive models and growth curve models are compared Autoregressive models are useful because they allow for random change, permit scores to increase or decrease, and do not require strong assumptions about the level of measurement Three previously presented designs for estimating stability are described (a) time‐series, (b) simplex, and (c) two‐wave, one‐factor methods A two‐wave, multiple‐factor model also is presented, in which the variables are assumed to be caused by a set of latent variables The factor structure does not change over time and so the synchronous relationships are temporally invariant The factors do not cause each other and have the same stability The parameters of the model are the factor loading structure, each variable's reliability, and the stability of the factors We apply the model to two data sets For eight cognitive skill variables measured at four times, the 2‐year stability is estimated to be 92 and the 6‐year stability is 83 For nine personality variables, the 3‐year stability is 68 We speculate that for many variables there are two components one component that changes very slowly (the trait component) and another that changes very rapidly (the state component), thus each variable is a mixture of trait and state Circumstantial evidence supporting this view is presented
Toward a Biologically Informed Psychology of Personality
Authors: Buss David M.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
This article describes nine ways in which biological approaches can inform issues of central and long‐standing concern to personality psychologists These include (a) developing an adequate description of human nature, (b) providing several solutions to the puzzle of within‐species genetic variabihty, (c) identifying the most important ways m which individuals differ, (d) giving precision to the concepts of adaptation and adjustment, (e) identifyingthe ongms of personality dispositions, (f) providing insight into personality development and the life course, (g) providing conceptual and evidential standards for mvokmg personality types as opjwsed to personality dimensions, (h) addressing the psychophysiology of personality, and (i) focusing attention on psychological mechanisms as evolved dispositional strategies
Is Parent‐Offspring Conflict Sex‐Linked? Freudian and Darwinian Models
Authors: Daly Martin , Wilson Margo
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
Freud's Oedipal theory sees parent‐offspring conflict as a within‐gender rivalry, whereas most modern evolutionary models interpret it as a gender‐blind disagreement about resource allocation New analyses of family homicides and a critical review of prior evidence do not support the central Freudian claim of a same‐sex contingency in parent‐offspring antagonism during the Oedipal phase Several errors of fact and interpretation in psychoanalytic theorizing about family relations are discussed We argue that psychoanalysts mistake substantive conflicts between nonrelatives for symbolic manifestations of family conflicts
Genetic and Rearing Environmental Influences on Adult Personality: An Analysis of Adopted Twins Reared Apart
Authors: Bouchard Thomas J. , McGue Matthew
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
We report a genetic and environmental analysis of California Psychological Inventory (CPI) scale scores gathered on a sample of 45 sets of monozygotic twins reared apart (MZA) and 26 sets of dizygotic twins reared apart (DZA) Analysis of twin intraclass correlations and the results of models fit to the twin data demonstrate that the heritability of most scales and five factors of the CPI is about 50 When compared to results from studies of adult MZ and DZ twins reared together few of the scales demonstrate any common family environmental influence Placement coefficients on the Family Environment Scale (FES) can explain only a minor portion of the correlations for twins reared apart The influence of specific rearing environmental factors on adult personality was evaluated by analyzing the relationship between the FES and the CPI in this adoptee sample One FES factor (Cohesion vs Conflict) does correlate substantially with the CPI factor of Consensuality and may account for up to 24% of the variance in that factor, but the retrospectively gathered
Biological Bases of Extraversion Psychophysiological Evidence
Authors: Stelmack Robert M.
Published: April 2006

There is a good deal of evidence, particularly from electrodermal and electrocortical recording procedures, that introverts exhibit greater reactivity to sensory stimulation than extraverts There is little evidence that introverts and extraverts differ in base level of arousal in neutral conditions, and there is no clear evidence that their differences in sensitivity to stimulation are determined by differences in attentional state Faster auditory brainstem evoked response latencies observed for introverts implicate differences in peripheral sensory processes that are not determined by mechanisms in the reticular system as proposed in the arousal hypothesis There is also evidence that individual differences in the expression of motor activity between introverts and extraverts involve differences in motoneuronal excitability
Self‐Recording of Everyday Life Events: Origins, Types, and Uses
Authors: Wheeler Ladd , Reis Harry T.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT In this article we review the history of the scientific use of self‐recording and conclude that there are three basic methods: (a) interval‐contingent, in which respondents report on their experiences at regular intervals, (b) signal‐contingent, in which respondents report when signaled, and (c) event‐contingent, in which respondents report whenever a defined event occurs. We then discuss the relative merits of these techniques for answering different questions. Finally, we note that self‐recording of small events is a departure from the science of psychology as typically practiced, requiring an acceptance of reality as defined by respondents.
Day‐to‐Day Physical Symptoms: Individual Differences in the Occurrence, Duration, and Emotional Concomitants of Minor Daily Illnesses
Authors: Larsen Randy J. , Kasimatis Margaret
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Even minor illnesses represent significant events in the ongoing lives of most people. As such, daily event methodologies could be applied to the study of ongoing health and illness. When daily health is considered as a temporal process, it is possible to expand our formulation of the relation between personality and day‐to‐day health. We use a daily event approach to model three temporal parameters of day‐to‐day health: the occurrence rate of symptoms, the duration of symptoms, and the covariation of symptoms and moods over time. We then examine whether these three models of day‐to‐day health are related to personality variables commonly used in health psychology research. The occurrence of illness related most strongly to neuroticism, the duration of illness related most strongly to the trait of aggressive responding, and Type A behavior related to less unpleasant affect reported during episodes of respiratory infection, aches, and depressive symptoms. Results are discussed in terms of how alternative models of health/illness are made possible by the daily event perspective.
Life Tasks and Daily Life Experience
Authors: Cantor Nancy , Norem Julie , Langston Christopher , Zirkel Sabrina , Fleeson William , Cook‐Flannagan Carol
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT This article explores the assumption that the goals on which an individual works structure the experience of daily life. One set of important goals are those consensual tasks that reflect the age‐graded expectations of a living environment (e.g., the task of being on one's own at college). Whereas most members of a common age group share these consensual life tasks, individuals in a group differ in the relative importance they place on different tasks and in their appraisals of them. In the present study of 54 women living in a college sorority, the importance of a life task was associated with increased relevance of the task to daily life events, as revealed in experience sampling. The women were more emotionally involved in events that they saw as highly relevant to their life tasks than in less relevant events and, for each person, positive affect and emotional involvement in task‐relevant events were related to her initial life task appraisals.
Predicting the Everyday Life Events of Older Adults
Authors: Zautra Alex J. , Finch John F. , Reich John W. , Guamaccia Charles A.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Predicting the everyday life events of people is a relatively unexplored topic, although several major theoretical approaches deal with related issues. The dispositional approach would assign a causal role to personality, while the situational approach would locate causation in the person's environment. Variations on these two extreme themes invoke an interactionist interpretation. Beyond this, a genuinely transactional approach focuses on the enduring person‐environment relationship established as people deal with major and everyday life events. This study investigated a wide range of predictors of daily positive, negative, and ill‐health events over time in a sample of 206 older adults. Results showed that personality variables played only a minor role in predicting daily events, although an interaction between extraversion and social network size was significant. Background demographic variables and the major stressors of recent conjugal bereavement and physical disability played a role in daily event occurrences. Overall, the strongest degree of predictability of events came from the events themselves: The high degree of event stability over time indicated the value of a genuinely transactional model in understanding the occurrence of everyday events.
Motivation and Academic Achievement: The Effects of Personality Traits and the duality of Experience
Authors: Wong Maria Meiha , Csikszentmihalyi Mihaly
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT The present study examined the relationship of personality, experience while studying, and academic performance. One hundred and seventy talented high‐school students (68 males, 102 females) completed the Personality Research Form (PRF) and recorded their experience via the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). The results showed that controlling for ability, work orientation, a PRF factor, was a better predictor of grade than experience. However, an experiential variable, intrinsic motivation while studying, was related to the difficulty level of courses students took over the 4 years in high school. The results supported the notion that there are two kinds of motivation in scholastic achievement, one directed toward long‐term goals, the other directed toward ongoing experience.
An Introduction to the Five‐Factor Model and Its Applications
Authors: McCrae Robert R. , John Oliver P.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
The five‐factor model of personality is a hierarchical organization of personality traits in terms of five basic dimensions: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience. Research using both natural language adjectives and theoretically based personality questionnaires supports the comprehensiveness of the model and its applicability across observers and cultures. This article summarizes the history of the model and its supporting evidence; discusses conceptions of the nature of the factors; and outlines an agenda for theorizing about the origins and operation of the factors. We argue that the model should prove useful both for individual assessment and for the elucidation of a number of topics of interest to personality psychologists.
Consensus, Self‐Other Agreement, and Accuracy in Personality Judgment: An Introduction
Authors: Funder David C. , West Stephen G.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
Consensus in personality judgment refers to the agreement with which two people (or more) can describe the personality of another; self‐other agreement refers to the similarity between personality descriptions by the self and by others; and accuracy refers to the degree to which personality descriptions capture real attributes of the persons described. After years of focusing on other subjects, researchers recently have renewed their interest in these three topics. Current empirical research is philosophically diverse and includes studies incorporating pragmatic, constructivist, and realist approaches. Other research is resolving long‐standing methodological problems and providing new analytic techniques for the study of consensus, self‐other agreement, and accuracy. This special issue includes articles exemplifying all of these research approaches and documents that a new wave of research on consensus, self‐other agreement, and accuracy in personality judgment now comprises a burgeoning field that has finally come of age.
Consensus and Self‐Other Agreement for Trait Inferences from Minimal Information
Authors: Borkenau Peter , Liebler Anette
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
Following a general model of consensus in interpersonal perception (Kenny, 1991), we report evidence on four sources of consensus and self‐other agreement: (a) meaning systems shared by observers, (b) extent of information on target behavior, (c) consistency of target behavior, and (d) non‐behavioral information. We argue that these factors can be disentangled more precisely by analyzing ratings by strangers instead of ratings by acquaintances. We then focus on first impressions as a source of self‐other agreement, and we report evidence that first impressions of actual persons are quite accurate for Extraversion and Conscientiousness.
Determinants of Interjudge Agreement on Personality Traits: The Big Five Domains, Observability, Evaluativeness, and the Unique Perspective of the Self
Authors: John Oliver P. , Robins Richard W.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
We examined several determinants of interjudge agreement on personality traits. The findings, which were cross‐validated in two samples, suggest that agreement is a function of four factors: which Big Five content domain the trait represents, how observable relevant behaviors are, how evaluative the trait is, and whether the self is one of the judges. Agreement was highest for traits related to Extraversion and lowest for traits related to Agreeableness. More observable and less evaluative traits elicited higher interjudge agreement. On average, self‐peer agreement was lower than peer‐peer agreement. However, this effect was limited to evaluative traits; for neutral traits, self‐peer agreement was as high as peer‐peer agreement. These findings suggest that self‐ and peer perception proceed through similar processes for neutral traits but not for highly evaluative traits, raising the possibility that self‐perceptions become distorted when the trait is affectively charged.
Empathic Accuracy
Authors: Ickes William
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
People are motivated to understand each other's psychological states as well as each other's personality traits. As a consequence, the more traditional study of accuracy in trait inference can be complemented by, and potentially benefit from, the insights provided by the more recent study of empathic accuracy. Findings in this area suggest that future research should devote more attention to (a) the history of the perceiver‐target relationship; (b) the perceiver's desired future relationship with the target; (c) the possibility that perceivers have little or no “metaknowledge” regarding their own empathic ability; and (d) the possibility that, under certain conditions, perceivers might be motivated to be inaccurate, rather than accurate, in their inferences about other people's dispositions.
Development of a Scale Measuring Genetic Variation Related to Expressive Control
Authors: Gangestad Steven W. , Simpson Jeffry A.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
It has been theorized that a substantial genetic component underlies the Self‐Monitoring Scale. The identity of this component, however, is not yet known. In order to identify and better understand it, a more precise measure of the component is required. The present research attempted to (a) identify an axis of the self‐monitoring two‐factor space with maximum genetic variance; and (b) bootstrap a scale more highly correlated with this genetic maximum than is the Self‐Monitoring Scale using twins. Evaluation of the new scale against criteria of validity indicates that scale construction was reasonably successful. The new measure had a cross‐validated monozygotic twin intraclass correlation of .76 and a dizygotic twin intraclass correlation of .16. This work yields a new research tool and suggests a new approach to personality assessment. Correlates of the new measure as well as theoretical and methodological issues relevant to the measurement of a latent genetic entity are discussed
Genetic and Environmental Effects on Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness: An Adoption/Twin Study
Authors: Bergeman C. S. , Chlpuer Heather M. , Plomin Robert , Pedersen Nancy L. , McClearn G. E. , Nesselroade John R. , Jr. Costa Paul T. , McCrae Robert R.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
Previous research has indicated that extraversion and neuroticism are substantially affected both by genotype and environment. This study assesses genetic and environmental influences on the other three components of the five‐factor model of personality: Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. An abbreviated version of the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO‐PI) was administered to 82 pairs of identical twins and 171 pairs of fraternal twins reared apart and 132 pairs of identical twins and 167 pairs of fraternal twins reared together. Estimates of genetic and environmental effects for Openness and Conscientiousness were similar to those found in other studies of personality: Genetic influence was substantial and there was little evidence of shared rearing environment. Results for Agreeableness were different: Genetic influence accounted for only 12% of the variance and shared rearing environment accounted for 21% of the variance. Few significant gender or age differences for genetic and environmental parameters were found in model‐fitting analyses.
Analyzing Individual Status and Change with Hierarchical Linear Models:Illustration with Depression in College Students
Authors: Tate Richard L. , Hokanson Jack E.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACTA recently developed class of multilevel or hierarchical linear models (HLM) provides an intuitive and efficient way to estimate individual growth or change curves. The approach also models the between‐subjects variation of the individual change curves with treatment factors and individual attributes. Unlike other repeated measures analysis methods common in the behavioral sciences, HLM allows the fit of data with unequal numbers of repeated observations for each subject, variable timing of observations, and missing data, features which are often characteristic of data from field studies. The application of HLM for the analysis of repeated psychological measures is discussed and illustrated here with depression data for college students. Strengths and limitations of the approach are discussed.
Constructing Personality Tests to Meet a Structural Criterion: Application of the Interpersonal Circumplex
Authors: Gurtman Michael B.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT
Construct validation of personality tests begins when items are selected according to substantive and structural postulates; nevertheless, substance has generally been emphasized to the neglect of structure. The present approach shows how a structural model—the interpersonal circumplex—could be used to ensure that test items for measures of interpersonal problems (e.g., loneliness, nonassertiveness) faithfully mirror the theoretical characteristics of their constructs. New item statistics are derived with applicability to item analysis and test construction, and the equivalence of item‐curve fitting and circumplex scoring is illuminated.
The Body's Response to Processing Emotional Trauma: Linking Verbal Text with Autonomic Activity
Authors: Hughes Cheryl F. , Uhlmann Carmen , Pennebaker James W.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT When individuals talk or think about upsetting experiences, different coping and defensive processes are invoked from one minute to the next. Further, some coping strategies are thought to be more effortful and to be associated with greater biological activity than others. The present research sought to identify how the expression of emotions and the use of different psychological defenses were reflected in momentary changes in autonomic nervous system activity while subjects wrote about emotional topics. A new methodology is introduced that links the production of natural written language with autonomic activity on a word‐by‐word or phrase‐by‐phrase basis. Using this technique with a sample of 24 subjects who wrote about traumatic experiences, it was found that certain text dimensions are highly related to skin conductance level (SCL) but not heart rate. In general, subjects' SCLs increased when expressing negative emotions and when using denial and the passive voice. SCLs were more likely to drop when subjects used positive emotion words and self‐references and at the conclusion of sentences or thought units. Implications for this methodology for understanding psychological defense and physical health are discussed.
Chronic Thought Suppression
Authors: Wegner Daniel M. , Zanakos Sophia
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT We conducted several tests of the idea that an inclination toward thought suppression is associated with obsessive thinking and emotional reactivity. Initially, we developed a self‐report measure of thought suppression through successive factor‐analytic procedures and found that it exhibited acceptable internal consistency and temporal stability. This measure, the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI), was found to correlate with measures of obsessional thinking and depressive and anxious affect, to predict signs of clinical obsession among individuals prone toward obsessional thinking, to predict depression among individuals motivated to dislike negative thoughts, and to predict failure of electrodermal responses to habituate among people having emotional thoughts. The WBSI was inversely correlated with repression as assessed by the Repression‐Sensitization Scale, and so taps a trait that is quite unlike repression as traditionally conceived.
Commentary: Psychodynamics and Social Cognition—Notes on the Fusion of Psychoanalysis and Psychology
Authors: Kihistrom John F.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Interest in linking psychoanalysis with scientific psychology waxes and wanes. In part, the difficulties have been caused by the preference of psychoanalysts for Freud's clinical theory (and its emphasis on narrative truth) as opposed to his metapsychology (with its requirement for historical truth). Even though contemporary scientific psychology evolved largely independently of psychoanalysis, the articles on object relations, transference, and defense published in this special issue show that the theory remains a source of inspiration, observations, and hypotheses.
Test Anxiety, Self‐Awareness, and Cognitive Interference: A Process Analysis
Authors: Kurosawa Kaoru , Harackiewicz Judith M.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT Participants performed a cognitive task under evaluative, self‐awareness, and neutral conditions, Task performance was determined jointly by trait test anxiety and situational factors. Test anxiety led to poorer performance in both evaluative and self‐awareness situations, relative to the neutral situation. We examined the cognitive activity variables that might mediate the effects of test anxiety and situational variables on performance, and identified a significant cognitive mediator of the main effect of test anxiety, but not for the Test Anxiety x Situation interaction effect. Therefore, the current experiment offered some support for Sarason's (1980) cognitive interference theory, as well as integrating test anxiety and self‐awareness research.
Wishes, Motives, Goals, and Personal Memories: Relations of Measures of Human Motivation
Authors: King Laura A.
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to compare measures of explicit and implicit motives. One hundred and one participants completed six measures of motivation, including Thematic Apperceptive stories, autobiographical memories, three wishes, personal striving lists, the Personality Research Form, and self‐ratings. Stories, memories, wishes, and strivings were content‐analyzed using Winter's (1989) system. Although overall correlations did emerge among explicit measures within the same motive, there were numerous correlations among methodologically similar measures of different motives. In general, explicit measures did not correlate with thematic measures of the same motives. Although correlations among measures were similar for men and women, explicit measures of power converged with thematic measures of power only for men. Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors: explicit achievement, explicit affiliation, and power. Implicit achievement motivation loaded negatively on the affiliation factor. Implications for research on implicit and self‐attributed motivation are discussed.