What we think we do (to each other): how personality can bias behavior schemas through the projection of if-then profiles

People's knowledge about others includes not only person schemas about the typical traits of others but also behavior schemas about the likely interpersonal consequences of different behaviors. In this article, it is argued that perceiver effects can be interactive at the level of behavior schemas. A person's own personality configuration of if-then responses in social interactions (Mischel & Shoda, 1995) may contribute to that person's beliefs about the meaning and impact of relational behaviors more generally. In consequence, people who experience strong (or weak) responses to behaviors that vary along a particular trait dimension, such as warmth-coldness, may expect others to experience similarly strong (or weak) responses to those same kinds of behaviors. In 3 studies, people who were high in trait communion expected others to respond more strongly to behaviors that varied in warmth-coldness than did people who were low in trait communion, and people who were low in trait agency expected others to respond more strongly to behaviors that varied in assertiveness-unassertiveness than did people who were high in trait agency. Studies 2 and 3 provided evidence that participants' behavior schemas were based on assumptions derived from their own if-then personality profiles.     

The implications of unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion for domains of problem behavior

Agency and communion are broad dimensions of personality that reflect a focus on the self and a focus on others, respectively. In this article, we distinguish unmitigated agency, a focus on the self to the exclusion of others, flom agency, and we distinguish unmitigated communion, a focus on others to the exclusion of self, from communion. We argue that it is unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion that are linked to domains of problem behavior, in particular relationship difficulties and poor health behavior. Unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion are associated with a lack of support from others, a reluctance to ask others for help, and a range of poor health behaviors. The reasons for these links differ. The links to problem behavior for unmitigated communion individuals stem from their tendency to subjugate their own needs to the needs of others and their dependence on others for esteem. The links to problem behavior for unmitigated agency individuals stem from their unwillingness to attend to relationships and their negative view of others.     

The integration of agency and communion in moral personality: Evidence of enlightened self-interest

Agency and communion are fundamental human motives, often conceptualized as being in tension. This study examines the notion that moral exemplars overcome this tension and adaptively integrate these 2 motives within their personality. Participants were 25 moral exemplars-recipients of a national award for extraordinary volunteerism-and 25 demographically matched comparison participants. Each participant responded to a life review interview and provided a list of personal strivings, which were coded for themes of agency and communion; interviews were also coded for the relationship between agency and communion. Results consistently indicated that exemplars not only had both more agency and communion than did comparison participants but were also more likely to integrate these themes within their personality. Consistent with our claim that enlightened self-interest is driving this phenomenon, this effect was evident only when agency and communion were conceptualized in terms of promoting interests (of the self and others, respectively) and not in terms of psychological distance (from others) and only when the interaction was observed with a person approach and not with the traditional variable approach. After providing a conceptual replication of these results using different measures elicited in different contexts and relying on different coding procedures, we addressed and dismissed various alternative explanations, including chance co-occurrence and generalized complexity. These results provide the first reliable evidence of the integration of motives of agency and communion in moral personality.     

Agentic and communal traits and health: adolescents with and without diabetes

The authors examined whether agentic and communal traits are associated with relationship and health outcomes among adolescents with and without diabetes. They interviewed 263 teens (average age 12; 132 Type 1 diabetes; 131 healthy) on an annual basis for 5 years. The authors measured agency, communion, unmitigated agency, and unmitigated communion as well as parent and peer relationship quality, psychological distress, and diabetes health. In concurrent and lagged multilevel models, unmitigated communion and unmitigated agency were associated with poor relationship outcomes and greater psychological distress for those with and without diabetes. In lagged analyses, unmitigated communion predicted deterioration in diabetes health. Communion and agency were associated with positive relationship and health outcomes, with the former being stronger than the latter. These results underscore the need to focus on unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion when studying the implications of personality for health during adolescence.     

Halo effects from agency behaviors and communion behaviors depend on social context: Why technicians benefit more from showing tidiness than nurses do

We investigate halo effects from agency behaviors and communion behaviors in different social contexts. According to the salient dimension model, attributes elicit halo effects on the ratings of other, unrelated attributes when they are relevant in a situation. Given that communion behaviors are more relevant in social and care‐related jobs, they should elicit stronger halo effects than agency behaviors in this context. In the context of scientific and technical jobs, this difference should be weakened or even reversed. Three experiments support the predicted interaction of context and behavior on halo effects. This interaction was stronger for negative than for positive behaviors. These results have implications for understanding the basic processes of halo effects as well as their real‐world effects in job‐related contexts.     

Toward understanding sex differences in pay allocation: Agency,communion, and reward distribution behavior

This research examined the extent to which the personality characteristics of agency and communion are sex linked, and the extent to which differences in these orientations can account for sex differences in reward distribution behavior. In two studies, the agency and communion level of large samples of male and female undergraduates were assessed. As expected, males were more agentic and females were more communal. Moreover, when subjects who scored high or low on agency and high or low on communion were asked to allocate rewards between themselves and a co-worker, these personality differences were related to their allocation decisions. These results were used as the basis for discussing the role that sex-linked personality differences might play in distributive justice judgments.This article is an adaptation of a colloquium presentation at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, August 1981. The research reported here was supported by NIMH grant MH29987-1, Goals, Motives, and Norms of Reward Distribution, and by NIMH Biomedical Research Support Grant from the College of Social Science, Michigan State University. The authors wish to thank Andrea Doughty for her valuable advice, and to gratefully acknowledge the help of Mark Teicher, Julie B. Klein, Sue Schnelbach, Pat Loepp, Barb Allen, Gavin Goodrich, Bob O'Hara, Kelly Bowen, Rod Hollenstein, Steve Schultz, and Mary Hurst.     

The Roles of Values,Behavior, and Value‐Behavior Fit in the Relation of Agency and Communion to Well‐Being

Four studies examined whether agency and communion values, behaviors, or an interaction between values and behaviors (value‐behavior fit) would predict well‐being. In addition, Study 2 examined whether agency and communion goals, behaviors, or goal‐behavior fit would predict well‐being. In all four studies, participants completed online questionnaires containing measures of agency and communion values, behaviors, and well‐being. In Studies 1 and 4, participants were recruited from the general population (respectively, N = 371, M_age = 37.49, and N = 133, M_age = 36.59). In Studies 2 and 3, participants were undergraduate students (respectively, N = 239, M_age = 20.8, and N = 242, M_age = 21.6). All four studies consistently found that agency and communion behaviors were significantly positively correlated with both subjective and psychological well‐being. There was no strong indication that either values were directly associated with well‐being. Neither was there any indication that well‐being was predicted by value‐behavior fit. The implications of these findings for theory and improving well‐being are discussed.     

社会认知基本维度与主观幸福感：未来时间洞察力的中介作用

基于社会认知双视角模型和人类适应机制,探讨能动性和表达性与主观幸福感的关系及其作用机制,采用社会认知基本维度形容词词库、未来时间洞察力问卷和幸福感指数量表对全国21个省市居民进行调查,共回收有效问卷4071份,其中男性1714人（42.1%）,女性2342人（57.5%）。结果表明：（1）能动性、表达性显著正向预测主观幸福,且能动性的预测效力大于表达性;未来时间洞察力显著正向预测主观幸福感;（2）能动性、表达性能通过未来时间洞察力的中介作用间接预测个人主观幸福感。本研究结果有利于揭示能动性、表达性如何影响个体主观幸福感体验,以及能动性、表达性对主观幸福感的影响程度,对于提升个人主观幸福感有一定启示意义。     

Agency and Communion in People with Rheumatoid Arthritis

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the previously found relations among the gender-linked personality orientations of agency, communion, unmitigated agency, and unmitigated communion, and health outcomes existed within a sample of adults with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic disease that is more prevalent among women than among men. We obtained self-report data from 158 participants on the gender-linked personality orientations, psychological distress, disability, pain, and life satisfaction. As hypothesized, regression analyses indicated that agency was significantly associated with better health outcomes, whereas unmitigated communion was associated with poorer health outcomes. Assessment of these personality variables in people with rheumatoid arthritis may help to identify those at high risk for adverse outcomes.     

Hierarchical integration of agency and communion: a study of influential moral figures

The purpose of this research is to (a) identify which of recent history's influential figures did and which did not personify moral excellence, and (b) to examine the motives that drove these individuals along such divergent paths. In Study 1, 102 social scientists evaluated the moral qualities of influential figures from Time Magazine's lists. In Study 2, we selected the 15 top ranking of these figures to comprise a moral exemplar group and the bottom 15 to comprise a comparison group of similarly influential people. We measured the motivational aspects of their personality (agency and communion) by content-analyzing extant speeches and interviews. Moral exemplars exhibited the hierarchical integration of agency and communion by treating agentic motives as a means to an end of communal motives. Comparison subjects, by contrast, personified unmitigated agency by treating motives of agency as both a means to an end and an end unto itself. These results imply that both the strength and structure of a person's motives account for moral behavior.     

社会认知基本维度对现实威胁感知的作用研究

个体感知中表达性优先于能动性,但群体感知中表达性和能动性的作用仍存在争议,两个研究探索表达性和能动性特质在对外群体现实威胁感知中的作用。研究1选用成人被试,采用问卷调查法考察表达性和能动性特质与现实威胁感的关系,发现表达性和能动性特质都能预测现实威胁感,表达性特质越低,能动性特质越高,现实威胁感越强。研究2采用最简群体范式,通过实验法操纵表达性和能动性特质,发现外群体表达性特质越低,能动性特质越高,其现实威胁感越强。两个研究共同说明,表达性和能动性特质在对外群体的现实威胁感知中起到重要作用。     

Parent Characteristics as Antecedents of Maternal Gatekeeping and Fathering Behavior

The present study examined the role of prebirth parent characteristics as predictors of maternal gatekeeping (mothers' attempts to encourage or discourage fathers' interaction with their infant) and fathering behavior. Parents' idealization of their relationships within their families of origin, beliefs about the roles of fathers, and personality attributes (negative emotionality and communion) were assessed before their infant's birth. At 3.5 months postpartum, maternal gatekeeping behaviors (negative control, facilitation) and fathers' involvement and competence with their infants were assessed during observation of triadic play and child care. Results suggest reciprocal relations between maternal gatekeeping and fathering behavior. Furthermore, greater paternal communion was associated with greater paternal competence during play, whereas greater maternal communion was associated with lower paternal competence during child care. Greater maternal communion and greater maternal idealization related to fathers' lower relative involvement during play. As for maternal gatekeeping behavior, high negative emotionality in 1 parent was only accompanied by high levels of inhibitory maternal gatekeeping when the other parent had less progressive beliefs about the father's role. The implications of these findings for clinicians and practitioners are discussed.     

Gender-related personality traits and interpersonal resource exchange among brother—sister relationships

Brother-sister relationships are understudied within the field of personal relationships. Accordingly, the present study examines patterns of interpersonal resource exchange (drawing upon resource exchange theory; Foa & Foa, 1974), along with influences of gender-related personality traits (i.e., agency and communion) on individuals’giving of interpersonal resources (i.e., affection and respect), among 79 brother-sister pairs. Consistent with predictions, brothers’and sisters’exchanges of both affection and respect were positive and significant. Also, consistent with predictions, communion was a positive and significant predictor of respectful behavior among sisters. However, contrary to hypotheses, communion did not achieve or approach significance as a predictor of respectful behavior among brothers, nor did communion achieve or approach significance as a predictor of affectionate behavior among sisters or brothers Implications for the study of male-female relationships in general—and brother-sister relationships in particular—are discussed.     

Circumnavigating Dodge Morgan's Interpersonal Style

ABSTRACT The Interpersonal Circumplex Model provides a third perspective on Dodge Morgan's personality that clarifies and extends the perspectives provided by the five-factor and life-story models. Classification of Morgan as a prototypical autonomous personality “type” allows for nomothetic interpretations based on an extensive empirical literature. An explicit structural representation of agency and communion served to reveal the diversity of substantive interpretations that have been made with respect to these metaconcepts. Agreement on a structural representation of agency and communion might lead to more uniform interpretations of their dynamic relations with each another.     

Gender-linked personality traits predict mental health and functional status following a first coronary event.

Three gender-linked traits were examined with respect to adjustment to a coronary event: agency, a focus on the self; communion, a focus on others; and unmitigated communion, an extreme focus on others to the exclusion of the self. Participants (n = 65) were interviewed 1 week and 4 months after a 1st coronary event. Hypotheses were that agency should predict improved health, communion should be unrelated to health, and unmitigated communion should predict worse health over time. Outcomes included depression, anxiety, and well-being (as measured by the Profile of Mood States; D. McNair, M. Lorr, & L. Droppleman, 1971); mental and physical functioning (SF-36; J. E. Ware, K. K. Snow, M. Kosinski, & B. Gandek, 1993); and cardiac symptoms. Results confirmed hypotheses. In addition, unmitigated communion was linked with poor health behavior and negative social interactions, which partly explained the link of unmitigated communion with depression and cardiac symptoms.     

The personality traits of liked people

There is surprisingly little understanding of how personality traits are associated with being generally liked by others after adolescence (Ozer & Benet-Martinez, 2006). We examined the relationship between self-reported personality traits and being generally liked in young adulthood in Greek organizations and freshman dormitories. We found a high level of consistency in which traits were associated with being liked. We examined the relationship between liked and socially desirable traits, using a recent theory on agency and communion (Wojciszke, Abele, & Baryla, 2009). Results help to create a personality profile of the person who is more liked by others, especially pointing to the importance of communal characteristics that are associated with behavior benefiting others.     

Being Brave, Being Nice: Themes of Agency and Communion in Children's Narratives

Although much is known about the presence of themes of agency and communion in adults' autobiographical stories, little is known about the presence of these themes in children's autobiographical stories. In this paper we examine the extent to which children describe themselves and others as agentic and communal beings in ordinary conversational narratives. Subjects were 96 rural, working-class children between the ages of 4 and 9 years. Personal narratives were elicited in the course of informal conversations with an adult experimenter. Narratives were analyzed for the presence of storyworld participants, and for the presence of themes of agency and communion. For both genders, themes of agency were more common than were themes of communion. Girls, however, were more likely to describe themes of communion than were boys, and were more likely to include family members in their narratives than were boys. Finally, correlations between themes of agency and communion were generally low. The findings extend the age to which the concepts of agency and communion can be productively applied to personal narratives. Implications for future theoretical and empirical work are also discussed.     

Self‐judgment and reputation monitoring as a function of the fundamental dimensions,temporal perspective,and culture

Social acceptance and the development of one's competencies and status are fundamental aspects of the human experience, but the former (communion) should take precedence over the latter (agency) in self‐judgment. Study 1 results indicated that (i) people across two cultures judged themselves as possessing higher communion than agency characteristics; (ii) communion self‐judgments were more consistent across temporal perspective; and (iii) level of self‐enhancement across cultures was similar for communion but different for agency. In Study 2, people across culture reported being more troubled and demonstrated a greater desire to repair their reputation when they imagined others perceived them as lacking in communion compared with agency. These findings support the idea that social life pressures people to view themselves as possessing communion traits and to ensure that others have this perception as well. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Agency and communion in three generations of women and their relation to socialization

Personality clusters of agency (independence, self-protection and self-assertion) and communion (interpersonal sensitivity and nurturant concern for the welfare of others) were studied in three generations of Norwegian women with the expectation that 1) daughters would use mothers rather than fathers as models for both clusters and 2) socialization practices of encouraging independence would be related to agency, while responsiveness, closeness and control would be related to communion in daughters. 32 adult pregnant daughters and their mothers were studied. Agency and communion scores were negatively related within individuals in all 3 generations and each was positively related across the three generations. A, buta greater balance between the two personal qualities was seen in the younger generation of women than in the two older ones. Ospredicted, agency and communion scores for mothers and daughters were positively related in all three generations and fathers' and daughters' scores were unrelated. While agentic mothers were found to have encouraged autonomy, agency in daughters was facilitated by more nondirective-ness by the mother. Communion in daughters was fostered by demand for socially responsible behavior and related to close, controlled, non-individuated relationships to nurturant and confident mothers. Agency was related to more distant and conflicted relationships to non-nurturant and cognitively curious mothers. Agentic daughters were also found to be better educated and in more responsible jobs, while communal daughters were less educated and in more routine jobs. Thus agency was nurtured in challenging and tension producing and communion in close and less stimulating interpersonal environments. When strongly developed, both were associated with liabilities.