Psychological correlates of attitudes toward men

The relation between attitudes toward men and a number of personality, attitude, and health factors was studied. The 379 respondents (176 men, 203 women) completed the Attitudes Toward Men Scale (A. N. lazzo, 1983) and measures of the Big Five personality factors, conservatism, male bashing, attitudes toward women, sex role, locus of control, and health (including depression, anxiety, and self-esteem). A regression analysis using correlates of attitudes toward men indicated that, among women, femininity and self-esteem were important in predicting attitudes toward men. Among men, masculinity, self-esteem, and age were most important in predicting attitudes toward men.     

Personality, intelligence, and spatial visualization: correlates of mental rotations test performance

In the context of a longitudinal study of cognitive and personality development, I examined various correlates of spatial visualization ability, as measured by Vandenberg's Mental Rotations Test, in order to elaborate the meaning of the known sex difference on this factor. Spatial visualization ability in females was correlated with verbal IQ and various aspects of personality. These relations were absent in males. Within each sex, measures of cognitive abilities obtained in childhood predicted spatial visualization ability at age 18. Hypotheses designed to explain the sex difference in spatial visualization must be sensitive to the different implications of this factor in males and females.     

Spatial visualization and sex differences in quantitative ability

The hypothesis that sex differences in spatial visualization ability might account for sex differences in mathematical ability was supported for a group of 183 male and 81 female college students. With spatial visualization statistically controlled, no significant sex differences in Quantitative Scholastic Aptitude Test (QSAT) scores was found; including sex as a predictor variable increased the variance explained by less than 1%. Although the slope of the regression of mathematics on spatial visualization did not differ as a function of sex, males were somewhat more predictable than females. As the OSAT of both males and females high on spatial visualization was more predictable than the QSAT of those scoring less well, it appears that the sex difference in predictability is due to males having higher spatial ability than females.     

Sex of figure drawings and self-esteem.

This study examined the relationship between sex order of human figure drawing and self-esteem. Undergraduates (N = 440) drew a person and completed the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Female subjects (n = 255) drew the opposite sex 39.2% of the time (n = 100), while 185 men drew females first only 6.5% of the time (n = 12). Using median scores derived from the sample, men who drew females first were more likely to have low self-esteem than were the men over-all. Self-esteem judged on the sex of their drawing was not significantly different for women. These findings reinforce the importance of accounting for sex differences in personality assessment and support the hypothesis that drawing of the opposite sex by women may reflect social role rather than psychological conflict.     

Sex differences in adjustment correlates of locus of control dimensions

This study investigated the hypothesis that dimensions of locus of control are differentially predictive of adjustment criteria for males and females. Two samples of undergraduates completed the Reid-Ware Three-Factor Locus of Control Scale and either the Texas Social Behavior Inventory or the Zander and Thomas version of the Barron ego strength scale. For both males and females, internals reported greater self-esteem and ego strength. However, for males, the fatalism dimension was the strongest predictor for each adjustment correlate. The social system control dimension was not predictive for males in either case. For females, the social system control dimension was predictive for each adjustment correlate, although it was not consistently the strongest predictor. The results are consistent with research on sex differences in parental antecedents of locus of control. Methodological implications of the differential predictiveness of locus of control dimensions are also addressed.     

自尊与心理性应激反应的关系：社会认可需求的中介作用

国外研究者认为高自尊个体的内控性高,因此其在心理性应激情境中的反应不那么强烈,而国内研究者从集体文化(中国)考虑,则认为高自尊个体的社会认可需求较高,因此在心理性应激情境中的反应更强烈.本研究采用特里尔社会应激测试作为应激情境,采集41名中国大学生被试在这一情境下的客观参数(心率)作为心理性应激反应的指标,通过问卷测量被试的自尊水平、内控性水平和社会认可需求水平,考察自尊影响心理性应激反应的机制.结果发现被试的自尊水平与应激情境下的心率呈正相关,并且社会认可需求在自尊与心理性应激的关系中起着显著的中介作用.本文从文化差异角度提出自尊预测心理性应激反应的模型可能需要在不同文化背景下来分别探讨.     

Unemployment and youth: A longitudinal study

In order to examine further some of the effects of the experience of unemployment on school leavers of both sexes, measures of self-esteem, depression and locus of control were administered to 57 males and 56 females prior to their leaving school (Time 1), and again 5 months later (Time 2). At Time 2, the subjects had either returned to school, found employment, or were unemployed. The longitudinal nature of the design enabled statements about causality to be made. Group and sex differences at Time 1 and Time 2 were analysed using discriminant analysis and factorial analysis of variance. Results showed a clear effect of the experience of unemployment on the unempoyed, with the unemployed group increasing their scores on depression and external locus of control, and decreasing their self-esteem scores. Sex differences for depression and self-esteem were found at Time 1, and for depression only at Time 2. Significant employment group x sex interactions were found for self-esteem and locus of control at Time 2.     

Absorption: Construct Explication by Q-Sort Assessments of Personality

This study reports on observer-assessed personality correlates of the personality disposition of absorption. A total of 45 young females and 43 young males were measured via the Tellegen Absorption Scale, with the relations of absorption to the independently evaluated items of the California Q-sort then being examined. Results indicate that for both sexes, the disposition to enter states of high absorption coexists with an implicative pattern of personality items consistent with the core conceptual definition of the disposition as defined by Tellegen (1992)—the willingness to destructure conventional modes of cognitive and perceptual processing. Sex differences in the correlates of absorption were also observed, suggesting that the phenotypical expression of the latent construct of absorption is moderated by sex.     

SEX ROLE PERCEPTIONS OF FILIPINO ADOLESCENTS*

Sex role perceptions of 118 male and 118 female Filipino adolescents with respect to self-esteem and locus of control were investigated under two sets of instructions: (a) a standard set and (b) a set in which subjects were asked to respond as they thought a pupil at the same school and in the same academic year but of the opposite sex would respond. Evidence of the positive self-perceptions of Filipino adolescent males relative to females came from responses to both sets of instructions. On the locus of control scale, females perceived themselves to be more internal than males under standard instructions. Both sexes tended to attribute less internal control to the opposite sex than to themselves but again this tendency was much stronger for the males. The results are discussed in the context of previous U.S. and Filipino research.     

An examination of how one's attitudes toward women are reflected in one's defensiveness and self-esteem

The Berger Self-Esteem Measure, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and Spence's (1972) Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS) were used to test 96 undergraduates. Subjects were divided according to sex and median split scores on the personality measures. Analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect for sex and defensiveness and approached significance for the sex × self-esteem effect (p<.10). Males and females were found to respond significantly differently on the AWS scale. Highly defensive males were more discriminating toward women and self-concept appeared to be an influential variable. However, self-esteem alone did not seem to have any significant effects.     

Correlates of adolescent pregnancy in La Paz,Bolivia: findings from a quantitative-qualitative study

Recent data indicate that nearly one in three Bolivian adolescent females becomes pregnant prior to reaching age twenty. This article presents the results of a study undertaken to address the question of why some female adolescents in La Paz, Bolivia, become pregnant while others in similar circumstances avoid early pregnancy. The study utilized mixed qualitative-quantitative methods based on a case-control design. Among the potential explanatory factors considered were family structure, parental relationships, partner relationships, knowledge of pregnancy risks, self-esteem, and locus of control. Significant differences between girls experiencing a pregnancy and those who had not were observed on two of the six factors considered-relationships with parents and self-esteem. Girls who had experienced a pregnancy were less likely to have reported affectionate and supportive parents, more likely to have reported fighting in their home, and exhibited lower levels of self-esteem than those who had never been pregnant. Focus-group discussions suggested that adolescent females in La Paz lack trustworthy support networks that would empower them to seek information regarding sex and contraception and to act upon such information.     

The role of personality factors in predicting the reported physical health symptoms of Turkish college students

This study investigates the role of optimism, health control beliefs, perceived health competence, and medical help-seeking variables in predicting the frequency of reported physical symptoms. A total of 345 college students (207 male and 138 female) were presented with the Life Orientation Test, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control, Perceived Health Competence Scale, and Physical Symptom Checklist. Separate stepwise multiple regression analyses were applied to the data obtained from males, females, and the total group of students. Results showed that optimism, medical help seeking, chance health locus of control, and internal health locus of control predicted the reported physical symptom scores of the total sample. Also revealed were the different patterns for males and females. While optimism and internal health locus of control best predicted physical health for males, optimism and chance health locus of control best predicted the physical health symptoms of females.     

Teacher''s locus of control and student achievement gains

Ten female fifth-grade teachers, 40 fifth-grade males, and 40 fifth-grade females were classified as internal or external (locus of control) on the basis of their scores on Rotter's (1966) Internal-External (I-E) Control Scale and the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (Crandall, Katkovsky, & Preston, 1962). Measures of students' achievement and intelligence were obtained from the California Test Bureau's Short Form Test of Academic Aptitude (1970) and the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills (1968). The major finding of the study was that both male and female students, regardless of their locus of control, gained more on the achievement measure under internal teachers than under external teachers.     

Clinical utility of the WISC-R and the French Pictorial Test of Intelligence with native American primary grade children

Cultural bias and the clinical utility of the WISC-R and French Pictorial Test of Intelligence were evaluated using scores of 22 male and 22 female Navajo primary grade children. There were no significant differences in performance on either test according to sex. As expected, the Verbal IQ and Full Scale IQ of the WISC-R and the Deviation IQ of the French provided significantly depressed estimates of ability. A prorated Performance IQ might be the least depressed measure of potential among these children.     

Self-esteem of female athletes and nonathletes relative to sex role type and sport type

The purpose of the present research was to investigate the relationship of the self-esteem of female athletes and nonathletes to sex role type and sport type. The athletic group was comprised of 75 female collegiate athletes from eight sports and the nonathletic group consisted of a random sample of 75 female nonathletes. An assessment of self-esteem and sex role type was completed through administering to all subjects the short form of the (PRF) ANDRO Scale of Masculinity and Femininity, and the Interpersonal Disposition Inventory (IDI). On the basis of the results of the IDI, the subjects were categorized into four sex role types: androgynous, masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated. Based upon previous research, it was predicted that (1) athletes would exhibit higher self-esteem scores than nonathletes, (2) the self-esteem of androgynous individuals would be higher than other sex role types, (3) the self-esteem of feminine or undifferentiated individuals would be lower than other sex role types, (4) the self-esteem of female athletes in higher femininity status sports would be greater than those in lower femininity status sports, and (5) there would be a greater proportion of androgynous athletes and feminine nonathletes. The following significant results were found: nonathletes in the feminine sex role type were lower in self-esteem than all other groups; and there was a greater proportion of androgynous athletes and feminine nonathletes than expected by chance. There were no differences in self-esteem of athletes in higher femininity status vs lower femininity status sports. These findings were discussed relative to past research, and the potential impact of sport on the psychosocial development or selection of certain sex role types.     

Implicit self-esteem in the context of trait models of personality

Although the basic dimensions of personality are strongly associated with individual differences in (explicit) self-esteem, the relations between personality and implicit self-esteem have not been systematically researched. In three studies, implicit self-evaluations (measured both with the Name-Letter Test and the self-esteem IAT) were generally independent of personality self-reports (Studies 1–3) and peer-reports (Study 3). Moreover, the implicit measures were also independent of one another. Discussion centers on the problems and promises of implicit measures as indicators of individual differences in self-esteem and their relation to personality.     

Sex differences in emotion recognition ability: The mediating role of trait emotional awareness

Although previous research on emotion recognition ability (ERA) has found consistent evidence for a female advantage, the explanation for this sex difference remains incompletely understood. This study compared males and females on four emotion recognition tasks, using a community sample of 379 adults drawn from two regions of the United States (stratified with respect to age, sex, and socioeconomic status). Participants also completed the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS), a measure of trait emotional awareness (EA) thought to primarily reflect individual differences in emotion concept learning. We observed that individual differences in LEAS scores mediated the relationship between sex and ERA; in addition, we observed that ERA distributions were noticeably non-normal, and that—similar to findings with other cognitive performance measures—males had more variability in ERA than females. These results further characterize sex differences in ERA and suggest that these differences may be explained by differences in EA—a trait variable linked primarily to early learning.     

Fear of Success,Need Achievement,and Fear of Failure: A factor analytic study

Several tests of Fear of Success (FOS), Fear of Failure (FOF), and Need Achievement (nAch), plus Taylor's Manifest Anxiety Scale and a social desirability scale were administered to 104 males and 101 females. FOS, FOF, and nAch did not show factor validity. Results for predictive validity were also poor. Anxiety defined the first factor in the factor analysis. All first-factor tests negatively predicted female grade point average and American College Test scores. All the first-factor tests showed sex differences, with females scoring higher. A clarifying role for anxiety in the study of sex differences in achievement is indicated.     

Gender and locus of control correlates of body image dissatisfaction

The study concerned sex and various locus of control correlates of body image satisfaction. The results indicated that men and women differ significantly in the degree and in the direction of dissatisfaction towards their bodies, which were consistent with the culturally defined ideals for men and women. Significant differences were also observed regarding self-perceptions, suggesting that women more than men are more likely to suffer from depression and have lower self-esteem which was itself associated with body image satisfaction. Individual beliefs about perceived control towards achieving an ‘ideal’ body shape were assessed using a new locus of control scale which correlated significantly with two scales measuring attitudes relating to body shape. The results from this new scale suggest that perceived locus of control beliefs are important predictors of the resulting behaviours and self-perceptions associated with body shape satisfaction and dissatisfaction.     

Determinants of Perceived Stress in Adolescence: The Role of Personality Traits,Emotional Abilities,Trait Emotional Intelligence,Self-Efficacy,and Self-Esteem

The aim of the current study was to examine the explanatory power of personality traits, emotional abilities, trait emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and self-esteem in predicting perceived stress in adolescents. The data were collected from 406 high school students, aged 18-22 years (M_age = 18.47, SD = 0.64). Perceived stress was assessed with the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Personality traits were measured with the Eysenck Personality Short Scale (EPQ-R-S), emotional abilities were assessed with two performance tests, the Emotional Intelligence Scale – Faces (SIE-T), and the Emotion Understanding Test (TRE), and trait emotional intelligence was measured with a selfreport questionnaire (the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, SEIS). The Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were also used. Results indicate that the strongest determinant of perceived stress in adolescents was high neuroticism. Perceived stress was also determined by low self-efficacy and self-esteem, as well as high extraversion and psychoticism. Women reported higher perceived stress than men. There also were differences in the determinants of perceived stress between graduate and nongraduate students. The obtained results suggest that the development of high self-esteem and high self-efficacy may contribute to perceptions of lower stress in adolescents and may be especially valuable for neurotic individuals and for women, who are more exposed to stress.