Community Involvement and Narrative Identity in Emerging and Young Adulthood: A Longitudinal Analysis

This study examines community engagement in youth and emerging adulthood from a narrative identity perspective, based on analyses of a longitudinal data set of 72 participants from ages 17 to 32. At ages 26 and 32, participants told narratives about a key community experience from their personal lives, which was rated for six dimensions. In addition, questionnaire measures of community involvement and general identity status development were administered at ages 17, 26, and 32. We found that patterns of community involvement at age 17 predicted levels of community involvement and qualities of community narratives at ages 26 and 32 and that community narratives were significantly correlated with concurrent measures of identity maturity and community involvement. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.     

Self-Report and Observer Ratings of Personality Functioning: A Study of the OPD System

Recent considerations around DSM–5 criteria of personality disorders (PDs) demand new concepts of assessing levels of personality functioning. Of special interest are multiperspective approaches accounting for clinicians’ as well as patients’ points of view. The study investigates observer-rated and self-assessed levels of personality functioning measured by the level of structural integration as defined by the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis System (OPD). Both perspectives were positively related. The combination of both measures was most efficient in discriminating among 3 diagnostic groups of varying degrees of personality dysfunction. Future studies should take into account expert ratings as well as self-report data.     

Course of Antisocial Behavior during Emerging Adulthood: Developmental Differences in Personality

Despite similar normative changes in antisocial behavior (AB) and traits of disinhibition and negative emotionality during "emerging adulthood," few studies have tested if there are developmental differences in personality over this period for distinct courses of AB. In a college cohort assessed at ages 18 and 25, we examined if mean-level changes on traits from the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire varied by course of AB. Compared to persisters, those who desisted in AB from 18 to 25 exhibited a larger decrease on novelty seeking and larger increase on reward dependence. A significant mean-level decline was observed for harm avoidance, but was unrelated to AB course. Findings support theories of the co-development of personality and AB during emerging adulthood.     

Personality Development in Emerging and Young Adulthood: A Study of Age Differences

Early adulthood is a time of substantial personality change characterized by large inter‐individual diversity. To investigate the role of age in this diversity, the present study examined whether emerging adults differ from an older group of young adults in their Big Five personality development. By means of multi‐group latent change modelling, two groups of 16‐ to 19‐year‐olds (n = 3555) and 26‐ to 29‐year‐olds (n = 2621) were tracked over the course of four years and compared regarding four aspects of personality change: mean‐level change, rank‐order change, inter‐individual differences in change, and profile change. In addition, age‐differential socialization effects associated with six first‐time life events were investigated. Analyses revealed substantial age differences in all four aspects of change. As expected, emerging adults showed greater change and diversity in change than young adults. However, the six life events had no age‐differential impact on change in single traits and Big Five profiles. Overall, the results indicate that age differences should be considered even in specific life stages to advance the understanding of personality development. © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology     

The Impact of Contextual Self‐Ratings and Observer Ratings of Personality on the Personality–Performance Relationship1

This study examined 2 possible ways of increasing the predictive validity of personality measures: using observer (i.e., supervisor and coworker) ratings and work‐specific self‐ratings of Big Five personality factors. Results indicated that among general self‐ratings of Big Five personality dimensions, Conscientiousness was the best predictor of in‐role performance, and Agreeableness and Emotional Stability were the best predictors of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Observer ratings of personality accounted for incremental variance in job performance (in‐role performance and OCB) beyond that accounted for by general self‐ratings. However, contrary to our expectations, work‐specific (i.e., contextual) self‐ratings of personality generally did not account for incremental variance in job performance beyond that accounted for by general self‐ratings.     

Predictive Criterion-Related Validity of Observer Ratings of Personality and Job-Related Competencies Using Multiple Raters and Multiple Performance Criteria

The purpose of this study was to assess the predictive validity of observer ratings of personality and job-related competencies in a selection setting. Based on ratings from multiple raters of both the predictors and the criteria in a sample of MBA students, results indicated that observer ratings of Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, leadership, and interpersonal skills predicted work performance, team performance, and academic performance. For work performance and team performance, a composite of the four predictors had incremental predictive validity over general mental ability, even after controlling for how well the rater knew the ratee.     

The Convergent Validity between Self and Observer Ratings of Personality: A meta‐analytic review

The convergent validity between self and observer ratings of the Big Five dimensions of personality was examined by cumulating research findings across studies. The mean correlation corrected for coefficient α in self‐ratings and inter‐rater reliability in observer ratings was .46 for agreeableness (N=6359, k=53), .56 for conscientiousness (N=6754, k=58), .51 for emotional stability (N=8000, k=55), .62 for extraversion (N=7725, k=50), and .59 for openness to experience (N=5333, k=38). Results indicate that, although there is a high degree of construct overlap, both self and observer ratings have substantial unique variance. Moderator effects were analyzed. The duration of acquaintance (strangers vs close relatives) as well as observer type (peers at work vs relatives) were analyzed. Acquaintanceship had a large moderating effect whereas observer type did not moderate the level of convergence.     

Emerging Adulthood in American and British Samples: Individuals' Personality and Health Risk Behaviors

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between instrumental and expressive traits, and health-related behaviors among individuals in emerging adulthood (18–25 years old) in two Western societies. Individuals (100 males, 100 females) in an American sample and a British sample (36 males, 75 females) completed the Personal Attributes Questionnaire, a measure of neuroticism, the Health Behaviors Inventory, and two measures of perceived physical health. As hypothesized, in support of the androgyny model, individuals in both samples who scored high on both instrumental and expressive traits reported better health practices (i.e. safety belt use, less smoking) than individuals who scored low on both sets of traits or high on only one set of traits, after controlling for neuroticism. As hypothesized, for both samples, neuroticism explained more variance in perceived physical health than the other personality traits.     

The Big Five Personality Traits and the Life Course: A 45-Year Longitudinal Study

One hundred sixty-three men who have been followed prospectively for over 45 years were rated on a set of 25 personality traits at the end of their college careers and took the NEO-PI at approximately ages 67–68. The college traits were transformed, via a rating procedure, to scales assessing each of the Big Five dimensions and related to the NEO-PI. Three traits—Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness—exhibited significant correlations across the 45-year interval. Furthermore, the trait profiles remained relatively stable over that interval. Both sets of personality traits were related to a wide variety of life course variables representing the domains of global adult adjustment, career functioning/success, creativity, social relations, mental health, substance abuse, childhood characteristics, familial history of pathology, maturity of defenses, and political attitudes. Conscientiousness in college was the best predictor of what happened to the men in the future, whereas Neuroticism in late midlife was the best correlate of life course functioning across a variety of domains.     

The State of the Story in Personality Psychology

Personality psychologists have been studying narratives for decades. Their work offers significant insights into the meaning of the stories people tell. This article highlights some historical antecedents as well as the latest research findings from the growing area of personality psychology that focuses on narrative approaches. First, narrative research in personality shows that imaginative stories reveal enduring implicit motivations linked to affect, thought, and behavior. Second, autobiographical stories play a significant role in self‐development and personal identity formation. The narration of one's story is a process influenced over the life span by age‐related capacities and various psychological needs that occur in social and cultural contexts.     

The Integration of Personal Identity,Religious Identity,and Moral Identity in Emerging Adulthood

The present study investigated the relative roles of identity structure (i.e., personal identity) and identity contents (i.e., religious identity and moral identity) in predicting emerging adults’ prosocial and antisocial behaviors. The sample included 9,495 college students. A variable-centered analysis (path analysis) used personal identity, religious identity, and moral identity as predictors of prosocial and antisocial behavior and tested interactions of personal identity with religious identity and moral identity. Moral identity was the strongest predictor of both behaviors, and religious identity and moral identity both interacted with personal identity in predicting antisocial behavior. A person-centered analysis (latent profile analysis) found three classes: integrated, moral identity–focused, and religious identity–focused, with integrated being most adaptive on both outcomes.     

The McMaster Model of Family Functioning: Observer and Parental Ratings in a Nonclinical Sample

The McMaster Model of Family Functioning defines seven dimensions, which may be assessed either by an observer applying a Clinical Rating Scale (CRS) to a semi-structured interview of the family and/or by family members completing a questionnaire, the Family Assessment Device (FAD). The present article applied both methods of assessment, as well as the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), to a nonclinical sample (N = 105 ). Interobserver reliability on the CRS was highly significant. Parent (FAD) vs. observer (CRS) agreement was also highly significant, except for Affective Responsiveness and Behavior Control, for which agreement was barely significant. When families were labeled as “healthy” or “unhealthy” according to cut-offs, agreement between observers and parents was high (87%), and disagreements illuminated dynamics of individual families. Finally, the DAS (completed by mothers) was significantly correlated with both the CRS and the FAD, particularly for General Functioning.     

The Relationship Between the MCMI Personality Scales and DSM-III,Axis II

Compared were the personality scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) to the diagnosis of personality disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed. [DSM-III]; American Psychiatric Association, 1980), obtained by means of the Structured Interview for the DSM-III Personality Disorders (SIDP). The results from 272 psychiatric outpatients show a good correspondence for the Avoidant and the Dependent scales, a fairly good correspondence for the Schizotypal, the Histrionic, the Borderline, the Narcissistic, and the Paranoid scales, and no correspondence for the Schizoid, the Passive-Aggressive, and the Compulsive scales. The Passive-Aggressive scale seems to be positively correlated to personality disorders in general, whereas the Compulsive scale seems to be negatively correlated to a number of personality disorders.     

Moral Dilemmas in Military Situations: Proportionality Principle,Religiosity, Political Attitudes,and Authoritarian Personality

The current study focuses on a moral dilemma in military situations: the amount of force to be used in order to neutralize a “most wanted” terrorist. This study examines the association between this moral dilemma with 4 independent variables: agreement with the proportionality principle (mediating variable), level of religiosity, authoritarian personality, and political attitudes. Three equal groups of participants (together, N = 357) were included: Israeli regular army combat soldiers, Israeli reserve combat soldiers, and Israeli students. In accordance with the study hypotheses, the 4 independent variables significantly correlated with each other and with moral decisions. Structural equation modeling indicated that agreement with the proportionality principle is the best predictor of moral decision, and mediated the association between level of religiosity and political attitudes and moral decisions.     

Incremental Validity of the MMPI-2 Content Scales in the Assessment of Personality and Psychopathology by Self-Report

The incremental contribution of the MMPI-2 Content Scales to the prediction of scores on self-report measures of personality and psychopathology was investigated. The MMPI-2, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Personality Inventory, anti Symptom Checklist-90-Revised were administered to 596 subjects: 339 women anti 257 men. Zero-order correlational analyses indicated that both clinical and Content Scales correlated with each of the criterion measures. In all but one case, an MMPI-2 Content Scale was found to have the highest correlation with the extratest variables. Combined hierarchical, stepwise regression analyses demonstrated that the MMPI-2 Content Scales possess incremental validity vis-a-vis the clinical scales for both genders in relation to all of the criterion measures. Additional analyses indicated that the MMPI-2 clinical scales also possess incremental validity vis-a-vis the Content Scales. However, the incremental contribution of the clinical scales was of lesser magnitude. Implications of these findings for test interpretation and future research with the MMPI-2 are discussed.     

Flight into Security: A New Approach and Measure of the Authoritarian Personality

A basic pattern of human response to stressful and uncertain situations which provoke anxiety and insecurity is to seek security and shelter. Those who provide support become by a process of psychological attribution authorities. Therefore the mechanism of seeking support and shelter under strained conditions might be called an "authoritarian reaction." Socialization involves a negotiation with this basic reaction of flight in situations of uncertainty. As individuals develop, they learn to overcome the authoritarian reaction by formulating their own strategies to cope with reality. The authoritarian personality emerges out of an inability to generate such individual coping strategies. Authoritarian personalities defer to the dictates and control of others who offer them the certainty and comfort they cannot provide for themselves. Extensions of this basic authoritarian response are the rejection of the new and the unfamiliar, rigid adherence to norms and value systems, an anxious and inflexible response to new situations, suppressed hostility, and passive aggression. A new measure based on items on one's own behavior, feelings, motivation, and the individual's concept of the self was developed and tested in several empirical studies. It obtained a good reliability and proved to be valid by correlating to measures of right-wing extremism, negative attitudes toward immigrants and women.     

Spirituality in Older Adulthood: Existential Meaning,Productivity, and Life Events

The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship of spirituality and older adulthood, especially focusing on factors that may result in an increased spirituality among the elderly. Older adulthood, as the accumulation of insight gleaned from difficult lessons learned through life, offers the opportunity to embrace human finitude, to recognize life’s continuity and to grow in clarity about God and God’s presence. Wisdom gained through the experiences of vulnerability and transition serves as a resource to self and others. This article draws on the reflections of William M. Clements, Ph.D., Edna and Lowell Craig Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at the Claremont School of Theology.     

The Story of Life History: Origins of the Life History Method in Sociology

For some time psychologists have been employing life history methods in their work. Perhaps the key publication in this regard is Erik Erikson 's (1975)book Life History and the Historical Moment. In fact, life history methods were pioneered by anthropologists and taken up with considerable enthusiasm by sociologists. A central location for the pioneering of life history methods by sociologists was the Chicago School in the 1930s.A range of innovative life history studies were generated here as part of the wide-ranging studies of the urban environment undertaken by the sociology school. In this article, we look at some of the possibilities of life history work, but are particularly concerned with analyzing the dilemmas that led to a decline in life history methods. The last section examines the rehabilitation of life history methods and puts forward a number of arguments as to why life history methods are particularly suitable for what Harvey (1989) called the "condition of post-modernity."     

The Advantages of Using Standardized Scores in Causal Analysis

This article compares the usefulness of standard score results (such as correlations and standardized regression coefficients) to that of raw scores results (such as covariances and raw score regression coefficients). The 2 main advantages of presenting standardized results is then examined. First, reporting standardized coefficients allows recognition of causal relationships that replicate across studies, facilitating meta‐analysis. Second, an analysis with standardized coefficients allows the researcher to determine which of the predictor variables has the largest relative impact on the criterion variable. The implications of these 2 standardized score advantages are demonstrated with examples.