THE RELATIONSHIP OF WOMEN'S PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFERENTIATION AND SELF-ACCEPTANCE TO THEIR SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE-TAKING ABILITY.
Contributors: New York University.
Published: 1985
Number of pages: 132
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of psychological differentiation and self-acceptance to social perspective-taking ability among women. The theoretical rationale for the investigation was based on the assumption that both cognitive and affective dimensions of personality influence the social perspective-taking process.

A volunteer sample was composed of 151 women between the ages of 25 and 55. The Social Perspective-Taking Task (Hale & Delia, 1976) was used to assess social perspective-taking ability. Psychological differentiation was measured by the Group Embedded Figures Test (Witkin, Oltman, Raskin, & Karp, 1971). Berger's (1952) Scale for Expressed Acceptance of Self was the measure of self-acceptance.

Hypothesis I considered the influence of the cognitive domain on social perspective taking. It predicted a positive relationship between women's level of psychological differentiation and their social perspective-taking ability. The first hypothesis was supported. However, the predictive ability of psychological differentiation was weak, accounting for only about 7% of the variance in SPTT scores.

Hypothesis 2 predicted that self-acceptance, representing the affective domain, would be positively related to social perspective-taking ability. Although positive, this relationship was not statistically significant.

The third hypothesis considered the joint contribution of psychological differentiation and self-acceptance to social perspective taking. Linear regression analysis revealed a statistically significant multiple R. However, the third hypothesis was rejected since only psychological differentiation contributed significantly to the prediction of social perspective taking.

A reconsideration of the choice of construct to represent the affective dimension of personality is indicated. Due to theoretical and methodological problems associated with the measurement of this dimension, a true test of the theoretical framework of this study was not possible.

Supplementary analyses of the data yielded several additional findings. Socioeconomic status, educational level, and occupational focus were significantly related to social perspective taking. Age was negatively correlated with psychological differentiation.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-08, Section: B, page: 2622.

Thesis (PH.D.)--NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, 1985.

School code: 0146.