Personality and the Prediction of Consequential Outcomes

Back to the Future: Personality and Assessment and Personality Development

In this essay I consider the future of personality development in light of the past effects of Personality and Assessment on the field of personality in general and personality development in particular. The essay is organized around 1) the effect of Mischel's book on the foundational theories informing personality development; 2) definitions of personality traits; 3) an alternative model of personality traits, described as the sociogenomic model of personality traits, that can bridge the divide that still characterizes the field of personality development; 4) the application of the sociogenomic model of personality traits to issues of personality trait development, and 5) a "Newtonian" vision for the future of personality psychology.

Early personality traits as predictors of mortality risk following conjugal bereavement

This study explored pre-bereavement personality traits and gender as predictors of post-widowhood mortality risk, using newly derived life span data for participants originally recruited for Lewis Terman's classic study of the gifted. Personality traits measured in 1940 were used to predict mortality risk from 1940 through 2004 for married participants who were either widowed between 1940 and 1986 or who remained married. Results indicated that widowhood predicted a decrease in mortality risk for these (intelligent) individuals (relative hazard [rh]=0.68, N=843, p<.001) and neuroticism significantly moderated this effect. Specifically, neuroticism in young adulthood was significantly associated with decreased mortality risk among men who were later widowed (rh=0.50, N=66, p<.02) but not among women or consistently married men. Conclusions reveal the importance of personality-situation interactions and the adoption of a long-term perspective.

Where does personality have its influence? A supermatrix of consistency concepts

An understanding of the nature of personality depends on clear conceptions of consistency. Researchers have applied the term consistency in ambiguous and inconsistent ways over the last half century, which has led to a great deal of confusion and debate over the existence of personality. This article seeks to reframe and extend conceptions of consistency and thus proposes three important ways consistency concepts differ from each other. The first way consistency concepts differ from each other is in the competing determinant of behavior that the consistency is across: time, situation content, or behavior content. The second way consistency concepts differ from each other is in the definition of behavior enactment: single enactment, aggregate enactment, contingent enactment, or patterned enactment. When these two dimensions are crossed with a third dimension-definition of similarity (absolute, relative-position, or ipsative)-they create a supermatrix of 36 consistency concepts. Empirical support for each of these 36 consistency concepts, or its failure, has uniquely different implications for the fundamental nature of personality. This supermatrix can serve as a guide for future research aimed at discovering the nature of personality.

Sociogenomic personality psychology

In this article, we address a number of issues surrounding biological models of personality traits. Most traditional and many contemporary biological models of personality traits assume that biological systems underlying personality traits are causal and immutable. In contrast, sociogenomic biology, which we introduce to readers in this article, directly contradicts the widely held assumption that something that is biological, heritable, or temperamental, is unchangeable. We provide examples of how seemingly unchanging biological systems, such as DNA, are both dependent on environments for elicitation and can be modified by environmental changes. Finally, we synthesize sociogenomic biology with personality psychology in a model of personality traits that integrates this more modern perspective on biology, physiology, and environment that we term sociogenomic personality psychology. We end the article with a discussion of the future directions of sociogenomic personality psychology.

Personality and health in middle age as predictors for well-being and health in old age

In research literature, the question to what extent specific personality traits and health functioning in midlife can predict physical and psychological well-being in old age is still discussed controversially. The present study aims to shed light on this issue by using data from the Basel Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Structural equation modelling was performed in order to test the relation between personality dimensions, namely, self-preoccupation and emotional reactivity, as well as cardiovascular functioning (blood pressure) and medication intake (tranquilizer use) in middle age on psychological and physical well-being and health as assessed in old age 24 years later. Results show that high levels of self-preoccupation in middle age are negatively related to psychological and physical well-being in old age, but not to medical diagnoses. In addition, blood pressure and tranquilizer use in middle age predict physical well-being in old age; blood pressure is furthermore related to medical diagnoses. Our findings emphasize the importance for the adoption of a life-span approach and further interdisciplinary prospective studies in order to better predict pathways to well-being and health in old age.

A meta-analytic review of the relationships between the five-factor model and DSM-IV-TR personality disorders: a facet level analysis

Theory and research have suggested that the personality disorders contained within the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) can be understood as maladaptive variants of the personality traits included within the five-factor model (FFM). The current meta-analysis of FFM personality disorder research both replicated and extended the 2004 work of Saulsman and Page (The five-factor model and personality disorder empirical literature: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 23, 1055-1085) through a facet level analysis that provides a more specific and nuanced description of each DSM-IV-TR personality disorder. The empirical FFM profiles generated for each personality disorder were generally congruent at the facet level with hypothesized FFM translations of the DSM-IV-TR personality disorders. However, notable exceptions to the hypotheses did occur and even some findings that were consistent with FFM theory could be said to be instrument specific.

Mechanisms by Which Childhood Personality Traits Influence Adult Well-being

Children's personality traits have enduring effects that shape adult well-being. In particular, childhood conscientiousness influences core aspects of adult well-being: health, friendships, and mastery. Research is now examining the mechanisms by which early personality traits initiate and sustain particular life paths. These include mediating and moderating mechanisms that may operate during critical developmental periods or may build cumulatively over time. Future research would benefit from testing theoretically derived mechanisms for different traits, and examining variables as they change over time, using both short- and long-term longitudinal designs over different life stages.

Hippocampal volume is positively associated with behavioural inhibition (BIS) in a large community-based sample of mid-life adults: the PATH through life study

The fields of personality research and neuropsychology have developed with very little overlap. Gray and McNaughton were among the first to recognize that personality traits must have neurobiological correlates and developed models relating personality factors to brain structures. Of particular note was their description of associations between conditioning, inhibition and activation of behaviours, and specific neural structures such as the hippocampus, amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. The aim of this study was to determine whether personality constructs representing the behavioural inhibition and activation systems (BIS/BAS) were associated with volumetric measures of the hippocampus and amygdala in humans. Amygdalar and hippocampal volumes were measured in 430 brain scans of cognitively intact community-based volunteers. Linear associations between brain volumes and the BIS/BAS measures were assessed using multiple regression, controlling for age, sex, education, intra-cranial and total brain volume. Results showed that hippocampal volumes were positively associated with BIS sensitivity and to a lesser extent with BAS sensitivity. No association was found between amygdalar volume and either the BIS or BAS. These findings add support to the model of Gray and McNaughton, which proposes a role of the hippocampus in the regulation of defensive/approach behaviours and trait anxiety but suggest an absence of associations between amygdala volume and BIS/BAS measures.

Personality and health in Japanese older adults

OBJECTIVE

Change versus stability of personality in late adulthood is an intriguing yet understudied issue. This cross-sectional study examined age and gender differences in Cloninger's biosocial model of personality, as well as their relation to health in a Japanese community sample whose age exceeds 50 years.

METHOD

Participants (N=330) completed the Temperament and Character Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire. MANOVA and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

Age-related decreases in Reward Dependence, Self-Directedness, Cooperativeness, and an increase in Self-Transcendence were found. Health was significantly predicted by Harm Avoidance and Self-Directedness.

CONCLUSION

Personality change in late adulthood tends to occur in environmentally-based character, in a pattern of gradual social detachment and internal spiritual growth. Personality is a stronger predictor of health than demographic variables.

Personality and Defense Mechanisms in Late Adulthood

Objective: Current understanding of the use of psychological defense mechanisms (DMs) in older adults is limited. This study set out to examine individual differences in DMs and Cloninger's biosocial model of personality in two age groups (50—64, 65—93), as well as their influence on health. Methods: A Japanese community sample ( N = 330) completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125), the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Results: Across age groups, psychological well-being was related to lower levels of harm avoidance and higher levels of self-directedness. In addition, older age was related to decreases in reward dependence, cooperativeness, and increases in self-transcendence, DMs of isolation, denial, and splitting. Discussion: An Age × Gender interaction revealed that men and women varied in their pattern of age differences for some specific DMs. Results further suggest that image-distortion defense may function to compensate resource loss.

Convergence of narcissism measures from the perspective of general personality functioning

The construct of narcissism has a lengthy history and has been operationalized and measured by a variety of instruments. In this study, five narcissism scales were compared in terms of alternative conceptualizations of narcissism offered by C. C. Morf and F. Rhodewalt (2001), D. L. Paulhus (2001), and S. Vazire and D. C. Funder (2006), using the domains and facets of the five-factor model as a common point of comparison. The findings provided little support for the conceptualizations of Morf and Rhodewalt or Vazire and Funder. Support was obtained for the conceptualization of Paulhus, particularly as assessed by the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and, secondarily, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III. Implications for the assessment and conceptualization of narcissism are discussed.

Sense of coherence and diabetes: a prospective occupational cohort study

BACKGROUND

Sense of coherence (SOC) is an individual characteristic related to a positive life orientation leading to effective coping. A weak SOC has been associated with indicators of general morbidity and mortality. However, the relationship between SOC and diabetes has not been studied in prospective design. The present study prospectively examined the relationship between a weak SOC and the incidence of diabetes.

METHODS

The relationship between a weak SOC and the incidence of diabetes was investigated among 5827 Finnish male employees aged 18-65 at baseline (1986). SOC was measured by questionnaire survey at baseline. Data on prescription diabetes drugs from 1987 to 2004 were obtained from the Drug Imbursement Register held by the Social Insurance Institution.

RESULTS

During the follow-up, 313 cases of diabetes were recorded. A weak SOC was associated with a 46% higher risk of diabetes in participants who had been = <50 years of age on entry into the study. This association was independent of age, education, marital status, psychological distress, self-rated health, smoking status, binge drinking and physical activity. No similar association was observed in older employees.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that besides focusing on well-known risk factors for diabetes, strengthening SOC in employees of = <50 years of age can also play a role in attempts to tackle increasing rates of diabetes.

Yang and Yin in Communication: Towards a Typology and Logic of Persuasion in China

In contrast to the individualistically focused paradigm, this article suggests that persuasion is a relationship- and context-specific phenomenon. The article analyses how interpersonal and mass persuasion operates in Chinese daily life. The key concepts of filial piety and guanxi as a major feature of persuasion in the public sphere are thoroughly analysed. It is argued that persuasion is indispensable in dialogical relationships between the self and other, and between the individual and society; yet at the same time it is indigenous to the socio-cultural context.

Personality in Middle Childhood: A Hierarchical Structure and Longitudinal Connections With Personality in Late Adolescence

Research on the structure of personality in middle childhood, while advancing, is still in the early stages of development. In this study, we employed a group of 1563 twins to elucidate the hierarchical structure of personality in middle childhood and provide connections to established personality traits in adult populations. Our results provide evidence for a higher-order structure of personality in middle childhood that maps on to recent findings in adult populations supporting hierarchical relationships among 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-factor models of personality. In addition, primary higher-order personality traits rated by parents at age 11 showed substantial predictive validity for analogous traits rated by self at age 17. We discuss our results within the context of developing a convergent hierarchical taxonomy of personality in middle childhood and the importance of multiinformant investigations.

Scaling Response Processes on Personality Items Using Unfolding and Dominance Models

Abstract. Stark, Chernyshenko, Drasgow, and Williams (2006) and Chernyshenko, Stark, Drasgow, and Roberts (2007) suggested that unfolding item response theory (IRT) models are important alternatives to dominance IRT models to describe the response processes on self-report personality inventories. To obtain more insight into the structure of personality data, we investigated whether dominance or unfolding IRT models are a better description of the response processes on personality trait inventories constructed using dominance response processes or ideal-point response processes. Data from 866 adolescents on a Dutch personality inventory, the NPV-J ( Luteijn, van Dijk, & Barelds, 2005 ), and from 704 adolescents on a Dutch translation of an Order scale ( Chernyshenko et al., 2007 ) were used. Results from Stark et al. (2006) and Chernyshenko et al. (2007) were partly supported. The self-report inventory that was constructed using dominance response processes (NPV-J) consisted mostly of items with monotonically increasing item response functions (IRFs), but some IRFs were single-peaked. The Order scale (constructed on the basis of ideal-point response processes) consisted of items with monotonically increasing, decreasing, and single-peaked IRFs. Further implications for personality test construction are discussed.

The Power of Personality: The Comparative Validity of Personality Traits, Socioeconomic Status, and Cognitive Ability for Predicting Important Life Outcomes

The ability of personality traits to predict important life outcomes has traditionally been questioned because of the putative small effects of personality. In this article, we compare the predictive validity of personality traits with that of socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive ability to test the relative contribution of personality traits to predictions of three critical outcomes: mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment. Only evidence from prospective longitudinal studies was considered. In addition, an attempt was made to limit the review to studies that controlled for important background factors. Results showed that the magnitude of the effects of personality traits on mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment was indistinguishable from the effects of SES and cognitive ability on these outcomes. These results demonstrate the influence of personality traits on important life outcomes, highlight the need to more routinely incorporate measures of personality into quality of life surveys, and encourage further research about the developmental origins of personality traits and the processes by which these traits influence diverse life outcomes.

The Comparative Validity of 11 Modern Personality Inventories: Predictions of Behavioral Acts, Informant Reports, and Clinical Indicators

In science, multiple measures of the same constructs can be useful, but they are unlikely to all be equally valid indicators. In psychological assessment, the many popular personality inventories available in the marketplace also may be useful, but their comparative validity has long remained unassessed. This is the first comprehensive comparison of 11 such multiscale instruments against each of three types of criteria: clusters of behavioral acts, descriptions by knowledgeable informants, and clinical indicators potentially associated with various types of psychopathology. Using 1,000 bootstrap resampling analyses from a sample of roughly 700 adult research participants, we assess the relative predictability of each criterion and the comparative validity of each inventory. Although there was a wide range of criterion predictability, most inventories exhibited quite similar cross-validities when averaged across all three types of criteria. On the other hand, there were important differences between inventories in their predictive capabilities for particular criteria. We discuss the factors that lead to differential validity across predictors and criteria.

SEXUAL SELECTION FOR MORAL VIRTUES

Moral evolution theories have emphasized kinship, reciprocity, group selection, and equilibrium selection. Yet, moral virtues are also sexually attractive. Darwin suggested that sexual attractiveness may explain many aspects of human morality. This paper updates his argument by integrating recent research on mate choice, person perception, individual differences, costly signaling, and virtue ethics. Many human virtues may have evolved in both sexes through mutual mate choice to advertise good genetic quality, parenting abilities, and/or partner traits. Such virtues may include kindness, fidelity, magnanimity, and heroism, as well as quasi-moral traits like conscientiousness, agreeableness, mental health, and intelligence. This theory leads to many testable predictions about the phenotypic features, genetic bases, and social-cognitive responses to human moral virtues.

Incremental Validity of the Typical Intellectual Engagement Scale As Predictor of Different Academic Performance Measures

The incremental validity of the Typical Intellectual Engagement (TIE) scale (Goff & Ackerman, 1992) as a predictor of academic performance (AP) was tested over and above other established determinants of AP, namely, psychometric g (as extracted from 5 cognitive ability tests) and the Big Five personality traits, assessed by the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five Factor Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992). One hundred four British students were tested on arrival to university, and AP measures were collected longitudinally throughout a 3-year period. TIE, g, and Conscientiousness were the highest correlates of AP. A series of multiple-hierarchical regressions showed that TIE had significant incremental validity (over and above g and the Big Five) in the prediction of AP. Implications are discussed in light of the investment theory of intellectual competence and the utility of self-report inventories as predictors of academic achievement.

Assessing the Big Five

Abstract. A new measure of the Big Five personality constructs, the Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism Index Condensed (OCEANIC), was developed and validated. In Study 1 (N = 166), the convergent validity with the Big Five as assessed by the NEO-FFI was established. Study 2 (N = 3 808) served to investigate the structure of the instrument with stepwise exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The incremental predictive validity with respect to objective university grades was examined in Study 3 (N = 145). The results show that a) the scales of the initial item pool converge with those of an established measure of the Big Five, b) the Big Five factor model fits the data both at the item and facet level and both for subsamples of students and workers, and c) consistent with previous research, the Conscientiousness factor of the OCEANIC predicts university grades beyond intelligence measures.

Cross-cultural studies of personality traits and their relevance to psychiatry

AIMS

This article provides a brief review of recent cross-cultural research on personality traits at both individual and culture levels, highlighting the relevance of recent findings for psychiatry.

METHOD

In most cultures around the world, personality traits can be clearly summarized by the five broad dimensions of the Five-Factor Model (FFM), which makes it feasible to compare cultures on personality and psychopathology.

RESULTS

Maturational patterns and sex differences in personality traits generally show cultural invariance, which generates the hypothesis that age of onset, clinical evolution, and sex differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders might follow similar universal patterns. The average personality profiles from 51 cultures show meaningful geographical distributions and associations with culture-level variables, but are clearly unrelated to national character stereotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

Aggregate personality scores can potentially be related to epidemiological data on psychiatric disorders, and dimensional personality models have implications for psychiatric diagnosis and treatment around the world.