Advancing the trait EI content domain: Further evidence for the distinctiveness of interpersonal facets

This investigation sought to assess the congruence of the trait emotional intelligence (EI) sampling domain, reflected in the short form of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue; Petrides & Furnham, 2006), with the theoretical content of trait EI—namely, the range of personality traits implicated in emotions. First, associations of the TEIQue factors with Emotion-Oriented Coping (EOC) and Social Coping (SC) were compared. Three of the four TEIQue factors were stronger predictors of EOC than SC; only the Emotionality factor was a stronger predictor of SC. Also, Emotionality did not add to the prediction of EOC in a simultaneous regression with the other factors. Secondly, by means of Structural Equation Modelling, the 30-item composite and a theoretically altered 16-item composite were compared as mediators between the Big Five and the emotion-laden dimension of mental health. Even though all interpersonal items (i.e., those pertaining to Sociability and Emotionality) were omitted for the altered composite, it outperformed the original composite in predicting a latent mental health composite of Stress, Anxiety, and EOC. The results highlight the distinct nature of Emotionality and Sociability facets and have implications for the refinement of the trait EI content domain.     

Internet addiction,self-esteem and the validation of the Italian version of the Internet Related Experiences Questionnaire

IntroductionThe continued progression of the digital age raises the question of Internet and social media abuse among adolescents and of the need for more specific assessment instruments to measure the phenomenon.ObjectiveThe purpose of the current study was to explore the role of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors influencing Internet addiction, as well as to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Internet Related Experiences Questionnaire (IREQ-I) in relation to a sample of Italian adolescents.MethodTwo studies were designed. In study 1, a school-based sample of 838 Italian adolescents was recruited to test the psychometric properties of the IREQ-I by using a robust Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). In study 2, a total of 438 Italian adolescents were recruited to investigate the concurrent validity of the instrument.ResultsWe found that intrapersonal rather than interpersonal factors were associated with Internet abuse. The final version of the IREQ-I showed a good level of fit and the bi-factorial solution was consistent with the previous findings.ConclusionThe results of this study suggest that the IREQ-I is a valuable bifactorial instrument for measuring Internet abuse, including both intrapersonal and interpersonal factors as theoretically relevant constructs.     

Intrapersonal curiosity: Inquisitiveness about the inner self

Intrapersonal Curiosity (InC) involves inquisitively introspecting to better understand one’s inner self. A pool of 39 face-valid InC items was administered to 1005 participants, along with other curiosity, personality, self-awareness, self-regulation, and psychological well-being scales. Three InC factors with good model fit were identified, from which four-item (α ≥ .89) subscales were developed: “Understanding one’s Emotions and Motives,” “Reflecting On one’s Past,” and “Exploring one’s Identity and Purpose.” InC correlated positively with other measures of curiosity, evidencing convergence; weak correlations to conceptually unrelated constructs demonstrated divergence. Higher InC scores corresponded to perceptions of having less available self-knowledge, heightened sensitivity to others’ expressions, a greater tendency to privately introspect, increased distress, and more concern about how to best cope with worry over self-relevant threats.     

Intrapersonal variability in interpersonal perception in romantic relationships: Biases and accuracy

We examined whether intrapersonal variability in the perception of partner’s behavior, perception spin, was related to partner’s intrapersonal variability in behavior, behavioral spin, and was associated with biases in the perception of negative affect. Ninety-three cohabiting couples reported their perceptions of partner’s affect and partner’s communal and agentic behavior in interactions with each other for 20 days. Perception spin was calculated as the within-person standard deviation of perception scores across interactions. Spin in the perception of the partner was associated with the partner’s behavioral spin. Participants with higher perception spin overestimated their partner’s negative affect and more strongly assumed that their partner’s affect was similar to their own negative affect. Thus, perception spin is an individual difference variable that reflects in part the extent of variability in the partner’s behavior, but higher spin also indicates distortions in perceptions of others.     

The Influence of Participation, Gender and Organizational Sense of Community on Psychological Empowerment: The Moderating Effects of Income

This study explored the influence of participation, gender and organizational sense of community (SOC) on both the intrapersonal and interactional components of psychological empowerment (PE). Participants were residents (n = 562) involved in community organizing efforts in five U.S. communities. Measures of participation and SOC were tailored to community organization contexts. SOC assessed three dimensions: (1) connection of members to the organization; (2) perceptions about the organization as a bridge to other groups and organizations in the broader community; and (3) bond or attachment to the community at large. Income (low, middle and high-income) was tested as a moderator of these relationships. Results showed significant moderating effects of income on the relationship between participation, gender and SOC on both components of PE. Participation was positively related with intrapersonal empowerment across income levels, but positively related with interactional empowerment only for low-income individuals. Gender was only associated with intrapersonal empowerment, and only for low-income individuals. SOC, as expressed through bridging to the broader community, was positively related with interactional PE for all income levels, but with intrapersonal PE for only low and middle-income individuals. In contrast, member connection to the organization was not related to interactional empowerment and significantly related to intrapersonal empowerment only for individuals with higher income. The importance of participation, gender and SOC for different types of empowerment and the impact of income on the SOC-empowerment relationship are discussed.     

Melioration behaviour in the Harvard game is reduced by simplifying decision outcomes

Self-control experiments have previously been highlighted as examples of suboptimal decision making. In one such experiment, the Harvard game, participants make repeated choices between two alternatives. One alternative has a higher immediate pay-off than the other, but with repeated choices results in a lower overall pay-off. Preference for the alternative with the higher immediate pay-off seems to be impulsive and will result in a failure to maximize pay-offs. We report an experiment that modifies the Harvard game, dividing the pay-off from each choice into two separate consequences—the immediate and the historic components. Choosing the alternative with the higher immediate pay-off ends the session prematurely, leading to a loss of opportunities to earn further pay-offs and ultimately to a reduced overall pay-off. This makes it easier for participants to learn the outcomes of their actions. It also provides the opportunity for a further test of normative decision making by means of one of its most specific and paradoxical predictions—that the truly rational agent should switch from self-control to impulsivity toward the end of the experimental sessions. The finding that participants maximize their expected utility by both overcoming impulsivity and learning to switch implies that melioration behaviour is not due to the lure of impulsivity, but due to the difficulty of learning which components are included in the pay-off schedules.     

The Social Construction of Inter-Ethnic Marriages in the Greek Cypriot (GC) Republic of Cyprus: An Ethnographic Investigation of GC Male Marriages to Eastern European (EE) Females

This exploratory ethnographic investigation attempts to delve into the intrapersonal and interpersonal gender/sexual roles and marital dynamics of Greek Cypriot (GC) male marriages to Eastern European (EE) females. European Westernization and consumerism, with its increased attention on self-actualization, sexual fulfillment, material well-being, women’s rights, and men’s parental and emotional involvement, has led, over the past two decades, to a reconfiguration of the traditional GC values and beliefs concerning appropriate male and female gender/sexual roles and identities. This, in turn, has created considerable confusion over the marital roles and expectations of GC male and female partners, who seem to be waging a difficult struggle to effectively and efficiently combine Western European and GC traditional standards in their own families. Ethnographic analysis of a limited sample of 20 GC males married to EE females indicate that the former prefer EE to GC wives because of better-reported emotional, psychological, and sexual satisfaction.