Compliance and personality: the vulnerability of the unstable introvert

The aim of the study was to assess the relationship of compliance with Eysenck's three personality dimensions: psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism. Three groups of participants (prison inmates, college students, and university students) completed the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale (GCS) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). As predicted, compliance correlated positively with neuroticism and negatively with extraversion in all groups, whereas for psychoticism the correlation was positive among the prison inmates, negative for college students, and non‐significant for university students. A quadrant analysis according to Eysenck's original two‐dimensional framework (neuroticism–stability and introversion–extraversion) showed that compliance was highest among unstable introverts and lowest among stable extraverts. The findings are discussed in relation to recent work on person‐type approaches. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Materialism: Profiles of agreeableness and neuroticism

The major personality correlates of materialism are high neuroticism and low agreeableness. While neuroticism and materialism have been examined in the literature, there is little research with agreeableness and materialism. In this study, three large samples of University students were tested comparing four neuroticism–agreeableness profile combinations. High materialists had the profile of low agreeableness–high neuroticism. Medium materialists had the profiles of either high agreeableness–high neuroticism or low agreeableness–low neuroticism. Low materialists were high agreeableness–low neuroticism. This pattern may be found because low agreeableness is related to lower effortful control so therefore, an inability to regulate materialistic impulses. With neuroticism, materialistic tendencies may be the anxious attempt to compensate for past experiences of feelings of deprivation.     

Illness behavior: prediction by symptoms, the Grossarth-Maticek and Eysenck Personality Types, neuroticism, life events, coping, health locus of control, social support, and attribution style

A study was carried out with 501 persons to analyze the predictive capacity of various psychosocial variables-symptom perception, neuroticism, Personality Types 2 and 4 of Grossarth-Maticek and Eysenck, beliefs about health, social support, or certain coping styles-on two health-related behaviors: the frequency of visits to the doctor and self-medication. The results were analyzed by two structural equation models that revealed that some of the variables have direct effects on the behaviors, whereas other variables, such as attribution style, coping styles, or the impact of the stressors, have indirect effects via the reported symptoms or neuroticism. In addition, self-medication and the frequency of health service visits are independent of each other, which shows that their determinants are different. It is concluded that to address these factors in the two health indicators, it is also necessary to take in account the psychosocial variables considered herein.     

Extraversion and neuroticism in rats

A series of animal experiments is described, the aim of which was to test the hypothesis that the personality dimensions of extraversion-introversion and neuroticism-stability could be demonstrated and measured in rats. The open-field situation was used, as well as other tests, varying the amount of stress induced in the rats, and positive results, in line with prediction, are reported. It does seem possible to find animal analogues of human personality types, even in lowly mammals, such as rats.     

Extraversion and neuroticism: Investigation of resting electrodermal activity

In 1967 Eysenck published his biological account of extraversion and neuroticism. In the same year Claridge identified several problems with this theory. More recently Robinson has detailed a promising modification to Eysenck's theory which addresses many of the issues raised by Claridge. Drawing on Robinson's theory it was hypothesised that differences in resting electrodermal activity (EDA) would contrast extraverted‐neurotics (low arousal) and introverted‐neurotics (high arousal). The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) was used to identify four extreme groups of female participants: extraverted‐stable (n = 16), extraverted‐neurotic (n = 15), introverted‐stable (n = 8) and introverted‐neurotic (n = 16). EDA measures of skin conductance level (SCL) and non‐specific skin conductance response (NS‐SCR) were collected during two rest periods. Planned contrasts between the extraverted‐neurotic and introverted‐neurotic groups provided support for Robinson's theory on SCL but not NS‐SCR. It was argued that the results for NS‐SCR frequency could be accommodated by Robinson's theory if NS‐SCR was conceptualised as a measure of cortical reactivity to unspecified stimuli rather than as a measure of tonic arousal.     

Field-dependence,extraversion, Eysenck and autarky

The research literature was examined with regard to relationships between Field-dependence and Extraversion. Eysenck's contention that the two variables are significantly related to an extent justifying the use of causal hypotheses based on extraversion theory to account for field-dependent behavior was not supported.