Personality variables related to shyness

Shyness has been a very common Finnish characteristic as social skills are manifest. Shy people may have a good empathetic listening but self-disclosure, another aspect of empathetic communication, is missing. Shyness refers to poor social skills more than a personality trait, which would have a more genetic background, as Finns have been genetically isolated for a long time. Shy persons show a mediocre empathy (good empathetic listening and sensitivity but poor self-disclosure), weak self-esteem, weak narcissism, and sometimes more burnout.     

Trait aggression is related to anger-modulated deficits in response inhibition

The goal of the present study was to investigate the role of emotion-modulated response inhibition in individual difference in the disposition towards aggressive behavior (i.e. trait aggression). One hundred and twelve undergraduate participants completed a behavioral measure of emotion modulated response inhibition (an emotional go/no-go task), self-report measures previously shown to predict aggression (Big-5 traits, impulsivity), and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) as a measure of trait aggression. Results show that deficient inhibition to angry, but not happy, faces were related to trait aggression but not to other traits. These findings provide support for the role of specific top down executive control mechanisms in the regulation of aggressive tendencies and highlight the importance of examining these mechanisms in an emotional context.     

Systemic strategies for dealing with problem children in institutional settings

Family therapy when a problem child enters residential treatment is complicated and treacherous because of the need to coordinate what may often be competing hierarchies (parental, residential, school). If the goal of residential treatment truly is one of deinstitutionalization, of reintegrating the child into his/her home, school, and community, the family therapist must see to it that the parental hierarchy is the primary one and that all institutional hierarchies are kept secondary. This paper presents, through a discussion of the forces that operate as institutionalization of children progresses and through case illustrations, a framework in which family therapy can be conducted within a residential treatment setting.The author expresses appreciation to Barbara DiCocco, MSW, Phyllis Stern, MA, John Rhead, PhD, and Karen Meckler, MD, for their helpful comments on the initial draft of this article and to Linda McClure, MSW, and Larry McAvoy for their administrative support.     

Situational and dispositional factors as antecedents of ingratiatory behaviors in organizational settings

This study examined both situational and dispositional antecedents of four ingratiatory behaviors: other-enhancing, opinion conformity, favor rendering, and self-promotion. The two situational variables (i.e., role ambiguity and leader-member exchange) and the four dispositional variables (i.e., self-esteem, need for power, job involvement, and shyness) were considered as antecedents to each of the ingratiatory behaviors. Results from a sample of 136 full-time employees suggested that each of the ingratiatory behaviors had a unique set of antecedents and that the dispositional variables explained significant additional variance beyond the variance explained by the situational variables.     

Combining descriptive and functional analysis logic to evaluate idiosyncratic variables maintaining aggression

For one boy with developmental disabilities, we conducted naturalistic observations and saw that aggression occurred during instructional task presentations. Next, in an experimental analysis, we manipulated the manner in which instructions were presented. Results showed that differentially high rates of aggression were observed when the manner in which instructions were presented was manipulated. Based on the results of the assessment, a successful intervention was developed that incorporated the idiosyncratic finding observed during both the naturalistic observations and the experimental analysis. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement invariance related to gender of the institutional integration scale

The Institutional Integration Scale (IIS) is claimed to measure five facets of college student academic and social integration. A revised two-factor model measuring the same facets but including social and academic integration in faculty and student factors was examined for invariance. Specifically, the invariance of the latent structure of the IIS across gender was investigated through multiple sample confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA). Two independent samples (n₁ = 1077, n₂ = 1547) of undergraduate students from a large Midwestern United States university made cross-validation of results possible. MCFA results revealed that the factor structure was essentially invariant and results replicated across the second sample. Latent means were not examined due to a lack of invariant intercepts.     

Extending the theory of realistic conflict to competition in institutional settings: intergroup status and outcome

The authors analyzed the extent to which the Theory of Realistic Conflict can be extended to institutional settings in which groups are not actively involved in decisions but are passive targets of decisions taken by an institutional authority (the rector). A negative interdependence between the in-group (psychology) and a high- or low-status outgroup (engineering versus nursing) was established by an institutional authority (the rector). The competition (induced by the rector) was beneficial (an increase in the budget previously invested in the faculty) or detrimental (a decrease in the budget) for the in-group. The results confirmed that competition affects mutual attitudes, images, and behaviors of groups even if the groups are passive targets of decisions that the institutional authority makes. Moreover, competition--regardless of whether beneficial or detrimental--deteriorated images of and attitudes toward high-status out-groups. In contrast, competition improved images and opinions about low-status out-groups, but only in the loss condition.