Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Investigation Of The Predictive Validity Of Broad And Narrow Personality Traits In Relation To Academic Achievement, Jessica A. Dunsmore

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the ability of broad and narrow personality traits to predict academic achievement over time in adolescence. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 1328 adolescents from an archival data set. Students were in grades 6, 9, and 12 at time one, and measures were assessed over three consecutive annual testing occasions. Results from correlational analyses showed that all Big Five traits predicted academic performance at Time One and Time Two. All Big Five traits except for Openness predicted academic performance at Time Three. Additional correlational analyses demonstrated that the narrow traits of …

Adolescent Sexual Behaviors: Analyses Of Context, Catherine Marie Grello

Doctoral Dissertations

The three studies presented in this paper together examined personal, psychological, and relational variables and their association to adolescent sexual behaviors. By examining adolescent sexual behaviors in the context in which they are embedded and adding to our questions, non-coital sexual behaviors, the two studies presented here provide evidence that the relationship context is an important consideration. For some adolescents engaging in sexual behaviors is likely symptomatic; however, for others engaging in sexual behaviors is less problematic.

The Other-Directed Adolescent: Associated Personality Processes As Measured By The Rorschach, Elisabeth D. Scherpenisse

Doctoral Dissertations

Other-Directedness examines the extent to which a person sees his or her contemporaries as a source or guide for how to behave in a given situation. It has been linked with both adjustment difficulties and difficulties in interpersonal functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine underlying personality processes using the Rorschach in the late adolescent, college population and the hypotheses were three-fold. It was hypothesized that highly Other-Directed adolescents would have fewer psychological resources for coping with stress as indicated by a low Adjusted D score. It was hypothesized that highly Other-Directed adolescents would have less effective attitudes …

Characteristics Of The Therapeutic Alliance In Couple Therapy: Perspectives From The Field, Nathan Daniel Tomcik

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate practicing mental health care professionals’ perceptions of the most important components of the therapeutic alliance in couple therapy. 151 therapists responded to requests posted to professional listservs and completed an online survey asking them to rate 18 aspects of the alliance on relative importance for couple therapy and individual therapy. Therapists also were given space to write narratives asking them to provide their definition of the therapeutic alliance in couple therapy as well as to describe unique ruptures in the alliance that may occur in the course of couple therapy.

Therapists who …

Psychopathic Traits In College Students: Electrodermal Reactivity, Anxiety, Disinhibition, Risk-Taking, And Executive Functioning, Robert L. Bare

Doctoral Dissertations

A robust finding is that psychopaths exhibit electrodermal hyporeactivity in the presence of stimuli that elicit anxiety in non-psychopathic samples. This finding has been associated with decreased anxiety, although recent research suggests the relationship between psychopathic traits and electrodermal hyporeactivity may be related to other correlates of psychopathy (i.e. decreased inhibitory control, risk-taking, and executive functioning deficits). The present study was a preliminary examination to assess electrodermal reactivity, disinhibition, risk-taking, and executive functioning in a sample of undergraduate students with varying degrees of psychopathic characteristics. Results generally did not support hypothesized relationships between psychopathic traits, physiological responsivity, and executive functioning …

Personnel Selection In The Transportation Sector: An Investigation Of Personality Traits In Relation To The Job Performance Of Delivery Drivers, Mark Andrew Tichon

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of a pre-employment selection instrument for predicting occupational success of delivery drivers. A criterion-based concurrent validation study was performed on a customized version of the Personal Style Inventory , a work-based personality measurement system based on the Five Factor model of personality (Lounsbury & Gibson, 2000). Relationships between both broad and narrow bandwidth personality dimensions and important job performance criterion measures were examined. Four traits were found to be correlated with Overall Performance Rating of delivery drivers: Agreeableness, Comfort with Procedures, Attention to Detail, and Preference for Long Tenure. A …

The Effect Of Specific Versus Generalized Supervisory Feedback On Counseling Self-Efficacy Of Counselors-In-Training, Sheri Lyn Clark

Doctoral Dissertations

This study assessed the effects of general and specific supervisory feedback on counselors’-in-training ratings of counseling self-efficacy (CSE). Fifty-four students in counseling-related graduate programs from two universities in the southeast and one in the mid-west volunteered as participants. Thirty-seven participants were female (68.5%), 14 were male (25.9%), and three did not indicate their sex (5.6%). Forty out of 54 participants (74.1%) indicated they were Caucasian-American, five were African-American (9.3%), one was Hispanic-American (1.9%), one was Asian-American (1.9%), and three indicated that they were best described as “other” (5.6%). The median number of months of previous clinical supervision for the participants …

The Homicidal Narcissist, Tedra Elise Jamison

Doctoral Dissertations

Personality type and murder have been linked via several studies on Sadistic personality disorder, Antisocial personality disorder, and psychopathy. The present study focused on the relationship between Narcissistic personality disorder and homicidal propensity. The relationship was examined using a sample of 490 inmates of the Colorado Department of Corrections. The subjects specific to this study were 215 inmates convicted of homicidal crimes including manslaughter, first degree murder, second degree murder, and second degree murder-crime of passion. A control group of approximately 275 inmates was included. The control group consisted of a random sample of crimes with the exception of homicide. …

Memory And Fragmentation In Dissociative Identity Disorder, Margaret Rose Barlow '96

Doctoral Dissertations

Dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly called multiple personalities, is a condition in which aspects of experience and memory are separated from each other and from awareness. The current study adds to the literature in this area by utilizing a broad conceptualization of memory functioning in DID, combining ecologically valid memory tests with experimental paradigms, and examining shareability, switching, and integration. Eleven women with DID participated in a two-session experiment that included a variety of memory measures. Participants were given no instructions regarding switching among alters, but were later asked how often they had switched. They reported significantly higher levels of …

An Investigation Of The Big Five And Narrow Personality Traits In Relation To Academic Performance, Craig Lancer Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study investigated the relationship between the Big Five personality traits (agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, extroversion, and openness), as well as the relationship of more narrow personality traits, with academic performance. The issue of narrow traits adding incremental validity to the Big Five in predicting academic performance was investigated, using archival data collected from 552 university students.

Results from a correlation analysis indicated that openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability were all significantly related to GPA (college grade-point average), while extroversion was not related. Due to a significant gender difference in college GPA, gender interaction terms with …

Understanding Child Narrative Development Through The Lens Of Lessons And Dialogue In Mother-Child Interactions, Mary Clare Champion

Doctoral Dissertations

The current study explored the role oflessons and dialogue in communication between mothers and their children in an effort to better understand the processes that influence and support healthy child narrative development. Volunteers were recruited from an elementary school, and pairs ofmothers and their children were observed. Observations were coded for the presence oflessons and dialogue, and mother and child narratives were gathered. It was predicted that dialogue would be an important component ofthe communication between mother and child, and that its presence would correlate with mother and child narrative measures. It was also predicted that mother and child would …

Longitudinal Prediction Of Parenting Alliance Strength: The Roles Of Marital Satisfaction And Depression, Farrah Moore Hughes

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated associations among parenting alliance, marital satisfaction, and depressive symptoms over time. Participants were 84 married couples recruited from the community. They completed self-report measures of parenting alliance, marital satisfaction, and depressive symptoms at two points in time over a span of 16 months. Regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses separately for husbands and wives. Results suggested that initial marital quality alone can be an important predictor of improvements of decrements in husbands’ parenting alliance over time. Wives’ perceptions of the parenting alliance over time appeared to be primarily influenced by the present context of the …

The Self Cohesion Scale: A Measure Of The Kohutian Concept Of Self Cohesion, Debra K. Gleason

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is about the development of a measure of self cohesion a concept introduced by Heinz Kohut in his works about self psychology. A literature search revealed few assessment instruments grounded in self psychological theory. Silverstein (1999) has developed self psychological projective techniques. Robbins and Patton (1985) have developed the most widely used instruments, the Goal Instability and Superiority Scales (GIS and SS). Other means of measuring self psychological instruments were developed by Connor (1981), Hahn (1994), and Kowal (2000).

The items for the Self Cohesion Scale (SCS) were developed from the works of Kohut (1971; 1977; 1984) and …

Quality Of Life For Cancer Survivor Spouses, Meta Gustafson

Doctoral Dissertations

In spite of increased consideration for cancer patients and their quality of life (QOL}, very little attention has been given to their spouses. The intent of this study was to gain a greater understanding of what QOL means to spouses of cancer survivors. Within this framework, this study explored QOL domains and how QOL had changed since the cancer diagnosis.

A qualitative method using the grounded theory approach was used for this study. Five spouses were interviewed face-to-face about their QOL. Interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim. Responses were then analyzed by three psychology professionals using constant comparative analysis.

Results …

Using Projective Measures To Examine The Relationship Between Adult Attachment Status And Object Relations, Betty Marie Martin

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to document an empirical link between attachment theory and object relations by using projective measures, while further defining John Bowlby’s concept of the internal working model. The internal working model is a set of unconscious cognitive and emotional guidelines for how an individual understands interpersonal interactions, and influences behavioral and emotional responses (Bowlby, 1973, 1988). The internal working model as described in Bowlby’s attachment theory, bears striking resemblance to object relations theories of internalized unconscious representations. For example, Donald Winnicott stressed the importance of early interactions with the primary caregiver as shaping the child’s …

The Relationship Between Personality Traits, Vocational Interest Themes, And College Major Satisfaction, Christen Tomlinson Logue

Doctoral Dissertations

Utilizing a sample of college students who completed the Personal Style Inventory for College Students (Lounsbury & Gibson, 2004), the Strong Interest Inventory (Harmon, Hansen, Borgen, & Hammer, 1994), and a Quality of Life Scale, specific relations between Five Factor Model personality traits, a set of work based narrow personality traits, and Holland’s (1997) RIASEC model of vocational interest themes were hypothesized and examined. All but one of the hypothesized correlations were found to be significant at the .05 level. This study also investigated whether personality traits, vocational interest themes, or a combination of the two models were better predictors …

Sexual Contacts And Advances Between Psychology Educators And Students: A National Survey Of Apa Student Affiliates, Robert Francis Zakrzewski

Doctoral Dissertations

The APA Code of Ethics explicitly prohibits psychology educators and students from engaging in sexual relationships with each other. Such relationships can cause emotional and physical turmoil for the participants involved, the department, the university, and the entire field of psychology. The purpose of the current study was to add to the existing knowledge of sexual contacts and advances between psychology students and educators. In contrast to previous studies, the current study involved a survey of a random sample of current APA Student Affiliates (N = 1053) rather than sampling a population who had already completed their education. A …

An Investigation Of The Construct Validity Of The Big Five Construct Of Emotional Stability In Relation To Job Performance, Job Satisfaction, And Career Satisfaction, Vivian D. Cook

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study examined the Big Five dimension of Emotional Stability and explored its relationship to work outcomes. Six archival data sets were used. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between the Big Five dimensions of personality and job performance, job satisfaction, and career satisfaction. Results demonstrated that all Big Five personality dimensions were significantly, positively related to job performance, job satisfaction, and career satisfaction. Additionally, part correlations between Emotional Stability and job performance, job satisfaction, and career satisfaction were calculated controlling for the other Big Five dimensions of Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. Emotional Stability demonstrated unique variance, continuing to …

Women’S Experiences And Expectations Of The Physician-Patient Relationship, Jill Denise Compton

Doctoral Dissertations

Past research on gender and the medical encounter has tended to focus on gender differences in behavior of both patients and physicians. Less effort has been expended in assessing how gender shapes and structures the experience of the medical encounter. The present study aimed to provide insight into aspects of the medical encounter from the perspectives of women patients themselves and to offer insight into the ways gender emerges and is enacted in the medical encounter.

Seventeen women recruited from a population of undergraduate and graduate students participated in a semi-structured interview involving questions about their experiences with and expectations …

Implicit And Explicit Personality: An Integrative Approach To Predicting Aggressive Behavior In A Field Setting, Brian Christopher Frost

Doctoral Dissertations

Previous studies of aggressive personality and counterproductive behavior have typically employed only one type of personality measurement, the traditional self-report method, and have rarely attempted to predict naturally occurring behavioral indicators of aggression. This study intended to address both of those issues. Researchers, using multiple measures of other personality domains, have recently shown that explicit and implicit elements of personality interact to predict different forms of theoretically related criteria. This field study explored one of those interactive approaches, an integrative model of personality assessment for aggressive personality. Explicit elements of aggressive personality as assessed by traditional, self-report measures were combined …

Effect Of Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders On Measures Of Group Cohesion In Substance Abusers, Sharon Bradford Robbins

Doctoral Dissertations

Substance dependence and treatment have been the focus of research for a number of years. Recently more attention has been directed toward identifying the most appropriate treatments for people with more complicated substance disorders, those with substance dependence and mental illness. The current study examined three aspects of group cohesion, a necessary condition for effective outcomes, in 64 substance abusers with a comorbid mental illness. The rated aspects of group cohesion included overall group climate, individual group members' self-worth, and each member's perception of the relationship with the group leader. Groups were divided according to profiles based on results from …

Value Similarity And Satisfaction In Interpersonal Relationships, Lauriann Lowe Hebb

Doctoral Dissertations

Rokeach (1960) proposed that similarity of values, that is characterization of people based on the level of congruency or incongruency of their beliefs to our own is more important in determining relationships than other variables, such as socioeconomic status or education. However, not much research has attempted to explore this proposal and the studies have been reported have yielded inconsistent results. Therefore, the present study (a) determined whether relationship dyads are more similar on values than random pairs, (b) examined differences between actual and perceived similarity, and (c) investigated the correlation between value similarity and satisfaction.

The sample consisted of …

Interpersonal Forgiveness: Longitudinal Analyses, Vidhya Iyer Kamat

Doctoral Dissertations

Most of the existing research on forgiveness so far has devoted considerable attention to the cross-sectional examination of forgiveness. The few existing longitudinal studies have primarily focused on investigating forgiveness following a treatment intervention. A relatively unexplored area in this literature concerns the examination of forgiveness over time in the absence of therapy. Also, little is known about the factors or mechanisms that might encourage or impede forgiveness both initially and subsequently.

Therefore the purpose of this research was to (a) explore the mechanisms that might influence forgiveness initially, (b) investigate the factors that might influence forgiveness subsequently, (c) examine …

East Asians’ Experience Of Sojourning In East Tennessee: A Phenomenological Investigation, Yoonmi Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the experience of sojourning in East Tennessee by individuals from East Asia. Understanding the experience of these individuals is achieved through the descriptions of their own experiences in their own words. A qualitative method was used to understand the experiences of individuals who came from East Asian countries: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and who have lived in East Tennessee.

In phenomenological interviews, sixteen participants described their experiences of sojourning in East Tennessee. These interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, and then analyzed by an interpretive research group to identify common themes within and …

Constriction Behavior, A Key Innovation In Snake Evolution: The Integration Of Ethology And Physiology, Rita S. Mehta

Doctoral Dissertations

Among living tetrapod vertebrates, snakes exhibit the most radical shifts in feeding biology and among limbless squamate reptiles, only snakes have undergone a substantial adaptive radiation. The behavioral innovation, constriction, has been associated with the success of this clade. Constriction is a prey restraint behavior that enabled snakes to immobilize and subdue extremely large prey items relative to their own body mass. This behavior pattern is associated with the incredible shifts observed in snake feeding biology from consuming small meals frequently to less frequent feeding on large prey. Although constriction is an ethological homology for the majority of snakes, variations …

The Effects Of Gender Role Conflict And Psychological Reactance On Relationship Beliefs, Donna Bullard Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study investigated the multivariate relationships among gender role conflict, psychological reactance, and relationship beliefs. Because intimate relationships have the potential to affect lives in many ways, it is important to examine factors that contribute to successful relationships. Although previous research has linked these constructs, no research exists that includes all three. The final sample included 346 undergraduate males and females who completed a demographic questionnaire, the Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS; O'Neil, Helms, Gable, David, & Wrightsman, 1986), Therapeutic Reactance Scale (TRS; Dowd, Milne, & Wise, 1991), and Relationship Beliefs Inventory (RBI; Eidelson & Epstein, 1981). The research …

Sleep Habits And Patterns Of College Students And Their Relationship To Selected Personality Characteristics, Steve M. Jenkins

Doctoral Dissertations

College is a time of adjustment when many students have a newfound responsibility for many aspects of their lives, including sleep habits and patterns. College students often have sleep schedules that vary greatly, which can result in sleep disturbances. Previous research indicates that college students report significantly more sleep disturbances than the general population. Poor sleep quality has been linked to myriad psychological, physiological, and cognitive difficulties, including mood and anxiety disorders, cardiovascular disease, and poor academic performance. Oftentimes, sleep disturbances can be corrected with basic psychological interventions. Considering the deleterious effects that poor sleep can have on college students, …

An Investigation Of Reactance, Coping, Quality Of Life, And Well -Being, Monique Maria Matherne

Doctoral Dissertations

Psychological reactance (reactance) is a personality variable receiving a great deal of attention. Reactance has been defined as the motivational force aroused in an individual when a behavioral freedom is lost or threatened (Brehm, 1966). The current study assessed the interrelationships among psychological reactance, coping, quality of life, and well-being. A total of 353 participants were analyzed for this study. Participants completed four self-report instruments: (1) the Therapeutic Reactance Scale, (2) the Coping Styles Questionnaire, (3) the Overall Quality of Life Scale, (4) the General Well-Being Schedule, and a demographics questionnaire. Significant gender differences existed for reactance, detachment coping, emotional …