Personality and Social Contexts Commons^™

Social Gender Norms And Depression In College Students, Derek Deeney

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a relationship between the conformity to social gender norms (masculine and feminine) and depression among male and female college students at a mid-sized, four-year public institution in the Midwest. A secondary purpose was to investigate if there was a difference in depression between males and females, and if a there was a difference in conformity to social gender norms (masculine and feminine) between males and females. Understanding the trends in social norm conformity and depression can lead to changes in how faculty and staff in higher education …

Self-Construal As A Moderator In The Relationship Between Self-Enhancement/Protection And Psychological Well-Being, Asmita Saha

Masters Theses

The purpose of the proposed study was to investigate the relationship between self-enhancement/protection and psychological well-being and to test if these relationships differ depending on whether one has a more independent or more interdependent self-construal. Two hundred and fifty-two participants who were residents of the United States were recruited from Amazon Turk. They responded to scales that measured their self-enhancement/self-protection strategies, independent/interdependent self-construals, positive-negative affect, level of life satisfaction, and psychological distress. The study sample was predominantly White, and participants were significantly more independent than interdependent in their self-construal. Results indicate that self-enhancement was positively associated while self-protection was negatively …

Single Parent Households And The Effect On Student Learning, Asia Watt

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to examine if there is a relationship between single-parent households and the effect on student learning. A total of seven parents and three elementary teachers took a survey. Students’ scores in math and reading from report cards and PARCC scores were also used as data sources. Results revealed that the involvement of single parents at school varies depending on the type of involvement, however, data from the report card review showed all the parents review their child’s report card. Approximately 70 % or more assisted their children in math and English homework. In addition, …

Relationship Of Self-Construal To Perceived Availability And Seeking Of Social Support By International Students Studying Abroad In The United States, Yue Zhang

Masters Theses

This study was created to examine the relationship between different self-construals and the behavior of seeking social support or the perceived availability of social support. We recruited 84 international students who currently study abroad in the United States. Participants completed the Singelis Self-construal Scale (SCS; Singelis,1994) and a Social Support Scale created for the current study. The SCS measured the degree to which participants’ self-construals are Independent (IND) or Interdependent (INT). The Social Support Scale presented five different scenarios and asked participants to rate activities responding to two types of social support (tangible support and emotional support). I predicted that …

Digit Ratio As A Predictor Of Risk Taking And Sensation Seeking Personality Traits And Behaviors, Hanna Elizabeth Hobson

Masters Theses

Digit ratio is the difference in length between the pointer finger and the ring finger on either hand. Commonly referred to as the 2D:4D ratio, this ratio is determined prior to birth, and serves as an indicator of prenatal hormone exposure. Digit ratio has been found to correlate with fundamental personality and behavior characteristics in adulthood. Digit ratio is also thought to be a determinate of sexual orientation in both men and women, but has been debated in the literature. This study examined multiple 2D:4D relationships. Men who were found to have a more masculinized (ie. lower) digit ratio had …

The Relationship Between Resilience, Coping, And Social Media, Lillian N. Hurley

Masters Theses

This study was designed to explore relationships between measures of resilience, coping strategies, social media usage, and depression. Resilience refers to one's ability to endure and recover from adversity. Many theories about what contributes to the development resilience have been explored without a clear consensus. Taormina (2015) argued that adult personal resilience is comprised of four dimensions - determination, endurance, adapatability, and recuperability. Coping, a construct related to resilience, is the process of regulating emotions, cognition, behavior, physiological responses, and the environment in response to stressful events. Past research indicated those with poorer mental health have the tendency to use …

Empathy And Its Effect On Religious Opinion Regarding Homosexuality, Melissa Borah

The Eastern Illinois University Political Science Review

This article examines shifts in opinion, and the reasoning behind these shifts, among Christian-identified Americans regarding their views of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals. After conducting interviews with several Christian-identified Americans, the author finds that when a family member or close friend “comes out” as LGBT, individuals are more likely to change their opinion of those who identify as LGBT, and their change in opinion is more likely to be dramatic. Moreover, the author finds that empathy is the most powerful factor that facilitates an individual’s change in opinion.

Is Unmitigated Communion Related To Depression And Anxiety?, Brett A. Vacek

Masters Theses

Unmitigated communion is the focus on others to the exclusion of the self. This innate principle has been linked to depression in numerous studies. However, this construct has yet to be linked with rumination, worry, or even social anxiety. This paper reviews the literature on unmitigated communion, including recent studies that have dissected the variable into separate components (UC-self and UC- other) that could help in the identification of its dysfunctional properties. Furthermore, this paper will seek to determine whether unmitigated communion is connected to receiving or providing instrumental or emotional support, and whether this acts as a moderator in …

A Study On The Personality Characteristics Of Dreamers, Joshua Lambert

Masters Theses

Nightmares are frightening dreams that cause the dreamer to wake, with the events that occur within the nightmare well remembered after awakening. There are those who experience nightmares frequently (at least one nightmare a week). While studying nightmares, Hartmann (1989, 1991) theorized a distinct personality trait he referred to as boundaries of the mind, and conceptualized a boundary continuum ranging from thin boundaries to thick boundaries. Those with thin boundaries were hypothesized to express permeability between cognitive processes, whereas those with thick boundaries are thought to better separate cognitive processes. Those who experience frequent nightmares are typically shown to report …

Personality And Substance Abuse, Juliana Gonzalez

Masters Theses

The Big Five have shown to be distinct personality traits that do not overlap and have universal applicability, so this study examined whether there are specific personality trait differences in users of Marijuana, Pain Medication, Sedative/Hypnotics, and Stimulants.

Study was placed in the 50 most visited Craigslist pages in the United States. Anonymous web users (N = 547) were recruited through Craigslist. High Neuroticism was associated with Marijuana and Stimulant use. Low Conscientiousness was associated with Marijuana and Stimulant use. High Extraversion was associated with Pain Medication use only. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research were discussed.

Invisible Chronic Illness: Invisible Is Not Imaginary, Rebecca L. Tadlock-Marlo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The need for counselors to be versed in various areas of multicultural counseling is a requirement to the profession (ACA Code of Ethics, 2005). Providing a basis of counselor knowledge in dealing with the various areas of multiculturalism is necessary to revolutionize how we are able to help clients with various life stories. One of the goals within the ACA standards is to help navigate a sense of empowerment for such clients. Counselors must promote holistic wellness in the often challenging social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual path of comeback. With the rise in invisible chronic physical conditions, the importance of …

The Relationship Between Dialectical Self And Hedonic, Eudaimonic, And Social Well-Being, Ayaka Hisanaga

2012 Awards for Excellence in Student Research & Creative Activity - Documents

Many researchers in psychology have sought to identify and examine various factors that foster mental health and psychological well-being. The way one perceives and experiences one's self (also called "sense of self') has been one of these factors. The concept of a dialectical self refers to a specific way we sense or view ourselves. An individual with a dialectical sense of self recognizes not only positive attributes of the self but also negative qualities. It represents an ability to accept and tolerate contradictions and fluidity in the self. Although previous studies have shown that a dialectical self is associated with …

Invisible Chronic Illness: Invisible Is Not Imaginary, Rebecca L. Tadlock-Marlo

Rebecca L Tadlock-Marlo

The need for counselors to be versed in various areas of multicultural counseling is a requirement to the profession (ACA Code of Ethics, 2005). Providing a basis of counselor knowledge in dealing with the various areas of multiculturalism is necessary to revolutionize how we are able to help clients with various life stories. One of the goals within the ACA standards is to help navigate a sense of empowerment for such clients. Counselors must promote holistic wellness in the often challenging social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual path of comeback. With the rise in invisible chronic physical conditions, the importance of …

Invisible Chronic Illness: Invisible Is Not Imaginary, Rebecca Tadlock-Marlo

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The need for counselors to be versed in various areas of multicultural counseling is a requirement to the profession (ACA Code of Ethics, 2005). Providing a basis of counselor knowledge in dealing with the various areas of multiculturalism is necessary to revolutionize how we are able to help clients with various life stories. One of the goals within the ACA standards is to help navigate a sense of empowerment for such clients. Counselors must promote holistic wellness in the often challenging social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual path of comeback. With the rise in invisible chronic physical conditions, the importance of …

Exploring Balanced Polymorphism Theory: Homosexuality, Personality, And Attractiveness, Rikki Singh

Masters Theses

An evolutionary theory known as balanced polymorphism (Hutchinson, 1959), which accounts for the prevalence of the deadly hereditary disease called sickle cell anemia, may prove to be a possible solution to the evolutionary paradox of homosexuality. The evolutionary advantage supported by the theory may account for the current and future prevalence of homosexuality. The theory works on the basis of a heterozygotic advantage, which is simply the advantage gained by a combination of two extreme genotypes. In this case, the heterozygotic advantage is the personality of a homosexual and the sexual orientation of a heterosexual. To test this theory, forty-eight …

The Relationship Of Religiosity With Self-Esteem And Personality, Melissa A. Shea

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to look for meaningful relationships between religiosity, defined as both past religious involvement and present religious involvement, and see if there are significant relationships with self-esteem and personality. Participants were from a denominational university and a secular university, to determine if the type of school one attends has any difference with their self-esteem and personality in terms of religiosity. Participants were administered the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Spiritual Transcendence Scale and Bi-Polar Adjective Ratings Scale. Results support only the initial hypotheses that personality has a significant relationship with religiosity and that school of attendance does …

Relating The Concepts Of Personality, Temperament And Self-Esteem, Julie Anne Koetters

Masters Theses

Investigating the relationships between personality and temperament was the primary focus of this study. Personality was measured using the NEO-Pl-R, a 240-item measure, based on the five-factor model of personality. The Dimensions of Temperament Survey-Revised (DOTS-R), a 54-item survey exploring temperament across ten dimensions was also administered in this study. A secondary focus of this study was to identify how the concept of self-esteem is related to the differing dimensions of both personality and temperament. The short form of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, a 25-item survey, was used to measure this construct. Eighty adults participated in this study and completed …

Family Environment, Family Structure, And Personality Traits Of Adult Children, Michelle A. Rallins

Masters Theses

There have been several studies on the long-term impact of divorce on children; however there have been relatively few studies on the personality characteristics of adult children of divorce. This study investigates the personality traits and family environments of young adults from varied family structures. College students (n = 75) completed the Personality Research Form (PRF-E) and the Family Environment Scale (FES) and demographic forms. A multivariate of analysis (MANOVA) was conducted. The results revealed no significant differences in regard to personality or family environments between young adults from intact families and divorced families. There were, however, marginal differences in …

Personality Correlates Between Fundamentalist And Non-Fundamentalist Individuals As Measured By The Neo Pi-R And The Religious Fundamentalism Scale, Jason Andrew Witt

Masters Theses

The relationship between religious fundamentalism and personality was examined. Over 150 students total, from two Midwestern universities were administered the NEO PI-R and the Religious Fundamentalism Scale. It was predicted that the individuals who scored highly on the RF Scale would score significantly higher on the Neuroticism scale and significantly lower on the Openness scale of the NEO PI-R than the non-fundamentalists. Results of the study confirmed the prediction that Openness would be significantly lower for fundamentalists, F (1, 103) = 11.093, p < 0.001. Results did not confirm the prediction that Neuroticism would be significantly higher for fundamentalists, but showed that Agreeableness was significantly higher for fundamentalists, F (1,103) = 11.127, p < 0.001. Possible reasons for the differences in personality scores between fundamentalists and non-fundamentalists were discussed, as well as suggestions for future research in this area.

The Relationship Between Burnout And Personality Dimensions In Domestic Violence Staff, Kristi J. Flatter

Masters Theses

An exploratory study was conducted examining the relationship between burnout and personality dimensions. Sixty-nine employees from domestic violence agencies completed survey materials including the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), and a demographic and satisfaction questionnaire. A sample of domestic violence agencies was selected to participate from the state of Illinois using a directory listing all domestic violence agencies. Results suggested that symptoms of burnout occur both at a high and moderate (or average) level among this group of human service providers. Only one personal characteristic, age, was found to have a significant relationship with burnout. A …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Personality Type And Emotional Response To Athletic Injury, Jasmin C. R. Hutchinson

Masters Theses

This investigation was designed to examine emotional response to athletic injury using personality constructs within reversal theory. Twenty-five (male = 19, female = 6) collegiate athletes, ranging in age from 18 to 22 years (mean = 19.95, SD = 1.11) who sustained a minimal criteria injury during a six-week data collection period participated in this study. Each athlete's total mood disturbance (TMD) was measured pre-injury and post-injury using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Athlete's personality orientation was measured using the Paratelic Dominance Scale (PDS). A dependent t-test indicated a significant increase in TMD scores following injury (p < 0.05), thus indicating overall mood disturbance in injured athletes. An independent t-test comparing paratelic and telic dominant athletes on TMD difference scores revealed non-significant results (p = 0.40). Methodological and theoretical reasons for this are examined and implications for further study of reversal theory and athletic injury are discussed.

A Comparison Of Personality Correlates Of Self-Identified And Nonidentified Adult Children Of Alcoholics, Patti K. Hampsten

Masters Theses

This study compared personality traits of adult children of alcoholics with adults who did not come from alcoholic home environments, for the purpose of developing treatment protocols. It was hypothesized that 1) there would be differences between clinical ACOA's and non-clinical ACOA's, 2) clinical ACOA's would differ from non-ACOA's, 3) non-clinical ACOA's would differ from non-ACOA's. Four groups were used in the comparison, adult children of alcoholics in treatment, adult children of alcoholics with no treatment history, non-adult children of alcoholics in treatment, and non-adult children of alcoholics with no treatment history. The fifty-two female participants were administered the Children …

A Comparison Of Personality Traits Of Female Athletes With A High Incidence Of Injury To Those With A Low Incidence Of Injury, J'Nise A. Ramsey

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference in the personality traits of collegiate female athletes with a high incidence of injury when compared to female athletes with a low incidence of injury. Fourteen female intercollegiate athletes completed a personal information questionnaire and Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire during a one hour session of testing.

The mean raw scores of the two groups were analyzed to determine if they differed statistically. The mean raw scores were then converted to mean sten scores under the recommendations of Cattell. A visual depiction of the mean sten …

Personality Variables Of Adult Children Of Alcoholics In A Treatment Sample As Measured By The Personality Research Form-E, Tamara K. Young

Masters Theses

There has been much personality research in the area of Adult Children of Alcoholics with varying results. This study examines personality variables in archival data of alcoholic clients in a residential treatment center with the use of the Personality Research Form-E (Jackson, 1984). A comparison was made between groups of non-ACOA clients and those with alcoholic parents in the areas of aggression, defendence, dominance and desirability. No significant differences were found between groups. Two other hypotheses were generated concerning male participants only. No significant differences were found for the trait of autonomy; however, male ACOA alcoholic participants were found to …

A Comparison Of Personality Traits Of Female Interscholastic Athletes And Female Intercollegiate Athletes Involved In Basketball And Softball, Katheryn M. Myers

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare personality traits of female high school athletes to female collegiate athletes.

Eighty female athletes participated in the study. Forty-two of them competed at the high school level and thirty-eight participated at the college level. The high school subjects came from either Arcola, Casey/Westfield, or Charleston High School. The college athletes came from either Eastern Illinois University or Illinois State University. All athletes participated in either softball or basketball.

The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire was administered to each of the subjects. Following Cattell's recommendations, raw scores were used for statistical analysis. Form A …

Mmpi Profiles Of Sexual Perpetrators, Steven G. Vaupel

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare MMPI scores of 60 men referred for assessment and/or counseling at community mental health facilities. No MMPI protocols were excluded due to elevated validity configurations (70T or above). Forty of the referrals were referred for suspected child sexual abuse. Twenty of the referrals admitted (Admitter) to sexually abusing a child at the time of referral and twenty did not admit (Nonadmitter) to sexually abusing a child when referred. A control group of the remaining twenty subjects were referred for various offenses, none of which included sexual offenses against children. Significant differences were …

Mbti Personality Types And Preferred Relationship Disengagement Strategies In Intimate Situations, Jeffery Joe Davis

Masters Theses

This thesis poses two research questions that focus on MBTI personality types and specific strategies used to disengage romantic intimate heterosexual relationships. 1) Would one specific MBTI personality type prefer to use one dominate strategy to disengage a relationship? 2) Would any relationship situation yield one dominate strategy to disengage a relationship? A total of 116 college students were surveyed at a small Midwestern university. Age ranged from 18 years to 55 years with a mean age of 23.6 years. The experimental method consisted of administering Form G of the MBTI and an additional questionnaire measuring relationship strategies. The t-test …

Age And Sex Differences In The Responses Of Adolescents To The Hand Test, Sonya R. Castle

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate age and sex differences in the responses of adolescents to the Hand Test (Wagner, 1962). This instrument was administered to 44 14-year olds (26 males and 18 females), 40 15-year-olds (23 males and 17 females), 45 16-year-olds (19 males and 26 females), and 34 17-year-olds (13 males and 21 females) who were enrolled in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 of a public high school. Data for the 24 Hand Test variables was normalized using a Z-score transformation on the group mean of all subjects to allow for simultaneous analysis of …

A Descriptive Study Of Healthy Religion And Its Effects On Personality, Lowell R. Kivley

Masters Theses

"To be, or not to be" religious is no longer the question, according to Erich Fromm. Religion of one form or another permeates humanity, sometimes encouraging, sometimes discouraging healthy personality. The purpose of this study is to analyze factors of healthy religion and to examine their potential association with healthy personality. Although this study did not support the hypothesis that a direct correlation exists between healthy religion and healthy personality (as measured by the Survey of Healthy Religion and Personality), it did bring to light several areas which should interest religious leaders in terms of planning religious instruction. Both secular …

Relationship Of Field Dependence/Independence To Personality For Younger And Older Adults, Thomas T. Lambirth

Masters Theses

The cognitive style of field dependence/independence is a perceptual construct that relates degree of reliance on the visual field to a variety of personality variables. Among the relationships found are that the field independent individuals are less involved with other people, independent in judgment, and cold and distant in interpersonal relationships. In contrast, field dependent subjects are seen as seeking close involvement with others, conforming in judgment, and warm and accepting in interpersonal relationships. Although field dependence/independence has received much attention in the literature over the years, little interest has been shown in the relationship between field dependence/independence and personality …