Personality Traits Predict Irrational Beliefs

The relationship between personality traits and dysfunctional attitudes in individuals with or without major depressive disorder: a case control study

BACKGROUND

Dysfunctional attitudes, which are characterized by distorted self-cognitions, were considered to be linked to personality traits. It was found that certain personality traits may predict dysfunctional attitudes in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Nonetheless, the relationship between personality traits and dysfunctional attitudes remains under-researched.

AIMS

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between specific domains of Sixteen Personality Factor (16PF) and dysfunctional attitudes in Chinese participants with or without MDD. In addition, the present study explores the associations between 16PF and eight subtypes of dysfunctional attitudes, based on the proposed eight-factor structure of the Chinese version of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale-Form A (C-DAS-A).

METHODS

One hundred and sixty-eight participants with MDD and 130 healthy participants were included in the study (Trial Registration Number: ChiCTR1800014591). Personality was assessed using the 16PF Questionnaire. Dysfunctional attitudes were measured through the C-DAS-A.

RESULTS

The 16PF dimensions associated with dysfunctional attitudes and the eight subtypes were mainly concentrated in the four anxiety facets including factors C, L, O, and Q4, in both MDD and HC groups. There were significant differences in the 16 PF dimensions that would explain dysfunctional attitudes between the two groups, which were as follows: factors C, G, and O in the MDD group, and factors L and Q4 in the HC group.

CONCLUSIONS

Personality traits, especially the anxiety-related personality traits, were distinctly associated with the development of dysfunctional attitudes in people with or without MDD.

Association between proactive personality and professional identity of nursing undergraduates: The mediating role of resilience and irrational belief

AIM

To examine the relationship between proactive personality and professional identity of undergraduate nursing students, including the role of psychological resilience and irrational belief as mediators.

BACKGROUND

Personality has been shown to play a crucial role in determining professional identity. However, the influence of proactive personality on professional identity in the nursing field is poorly understood and requires further investigation.

DESIGN

We conducted a cross-sectional study in China. Between July and December of 2021, 860 nursing undergraduates participated in an online questionnaire survey.

METHODS

Four main variables (proactive personality, psychological resilience, irrational belief and professional identity) and two covariates (willingness to choose nursing profession and family attitude towards nursing) were assessed. The assessment tools chosen are both valid and reliable. To test the proposed multi-mediation model, linear regression analysis by Hayes's SPSS macro-PROCESS was used.

RESULTS

The results revealed that PP, PR and PI were positively connected with one another, but negatively with IB. PP positively predicted PI through direct and indirect paths, after controlling for two covariates. The percentage of indirect path (78.72%) outweighed the direct path (21.28%). The indirect effect of PR (72.51%) was higher than that of PR and IB (6.21%). PI was also positively predicted by students' "Yes" willingness and families' "supportive" attitude towards nursing.

CONCLUSION

This study stated that nursing educators should take nursing students' PP seriously, which would allow for activities to be taken to improve their PR and decrease their IB, hence continuously enhancing their PI. In addition, respecting students' professional aspirations and improving family support may also be valuable ways to boost their PI.

Relationships of the Big Five facets and dysfunctional attitudes with depression

There are two parallel lines of research on the relationship between personality and depression, one based on the Big Five personality model and one on Beck's cognitive theory of depression. However, no study has jointly examined the dimensions and facets of the Big Five and the dysfunctional attitudes of Beck's theory. This was the objective of the present study. The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R), the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS-A), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-IA) were applied to 221 adults from the Spanish general population (53.7% females; mean age: 38.3 years). Various multiple linear regression analyses revealed that only the facet of depression was significantly related to depressive symptomatology. The different associations of the broad and specific personality traits and the need to control as many third variables as possible to prevent the finding of spurious relationships are discussed.

Do the happy-go-lucky?

While popular aphorisms and etymologies across diverse languages suggest an intrinsic association between happiness and luck beliefs, empirically testing the existence of any potential link has historically been constrained by varying and unclear conceptualizations of luck beliefs and by their sub-optimally valid measurement. Employing the Thompson and Prendergast Personality and Individual Differences, 54(4), 501-506, (2013) bi-dimensional refinement of trait luck beliefs into, respectively, ‘Belief in Luck’ and ‘Belief in Personal Luckiness’, we explore the relationship between luck beliefs and a range of trait happiness measures. Our analyses (N = 844) find broadly that happiness is negatively associated with Belief in Luck, but positively associated with Belief in Personal Luckiness, although results differ somewhat depending on which measure of happiness is used. We further explore interrelationships between luck beliefs and the five-factor model of personality, finding this latter fully accounts for Belief in Luck’s negative association with happiness, with additional analyses indicating this is wholly attributable to Neuroticism alone: Neuroticism appears to be a possible mediator of Belief in Luck’s negative association with happiness. We additionally find that the five-factor model only partially attenuates Belief in Personal Luckiness’ positive association with happiness, suggesting that Belief in Personal Luckiness may be either a discrete facet of trait happiness or a personality trait in and of itself.

Maladaptive beliefs as mediators of the relationship between personality traits and Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms

Abstract The present study analyzes the relationship between maladaptive beliefs, personality traits, and Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms by focusing in the mediating role of beliefs in the prediction between personality and psychiatric disorders. The sample consisted of 823 adults aged between 18 and 39 years (M = 24.09, SD = 4.71), who answered a questionnaire of symptoms and beliefs for Borderline Personality Disorder and Big Five Personality Inventory. The predictive model that fit better to the data indicates Neuroticism and Conscientiousness as predictors of Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms, mediated by maladaptive belief patterns. In this sense, it is possible to conclude that both personality traits and maladaptive beliefs are important for the understanding of Borderline Personality Disorder. The theoretical implications of this result and the limitations of the study are discussed.

Does the Dark Triad of Personality Predict Corrupt Intention? The Mediating Role of Belief in Good Luck

The current study is the first attempt to examine the association between the Dark Triad of personality (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) and corruption through a mediator—belief in good luck. Based on Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, we assumed that individuals with Dark Triad would be more likely to engage in corruption as a result of belief in good luck. In Study 1, a set of hypothetical scenarios was used to assess the bribe-offering intention and the corresponding belief in good luck. Results indicated that while the Dark Triad of personality positively predicted bribe-offering intention, it was mediated by the belief in good luck in gain-seeking. In Study 2, we presented participants with some hypothetical scenarios of bribe-taking and the corresponding belief in good luck. Findings revealed that the Dark Triad of personality was positively related to bribe-taking intention; the relationship between narcissism and bribe-taking intention, and that between psychopathy and bribe-taking intention was mediated by the belief in good luck in penalty-avoidance. However, this belief in good luck did not mediate the relationship between Machiavellianism and bribe-taking intention. These results hold while controlling for demographic variables, dispositional optimism, and self-efficacy. Taken together, this study extended previous research by providing evidence that belief in good luck may be one of the reasons explaining why people with Dark Triad are more likely to engage in corruption regardless of the potential outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.