Do people diagnosed with psychosis spectrum disorders share the same personality space as the general population? Big Five complemented by the proneness to psychotic-like experiences/behaviors

OBJECTIVE

Disintegration is a recently proposed broad, trait-like reconceptualization of the proneness to psychotic-like experiences/behaviors.

METHODS

We tested the assumption that the 6-factor model (Five-Factor traits plus Disintegration) was the most adequate one and that it was invariant across clinical and non-clinical populations. The clinical sample (n = 161) consisted of patients who had at least one psychotic episode, duration of illness less than 10 years, currently in remission. The general population (n = 409) was matched with the patient sample by age, gender, and education. NEO PI-R and DELTA were used to measure personality dimensions in both samples. Invariance of one to six-factor solutions was tested by Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling.

RESULTS

We found that: (a) several criteria for deciding on the number of factors to retain converged to the conclusion that the assumed 6-factor model was the most adequate one, (b) the assumed factorial structure appeared to satisfy the criteria for the scalar invariance across the two samples, (c) all nine Disintegration subdimensions separated from the Big Five, forming the Disintegration factor, and (d) Disintegration was unrelated to Openness.

CONCLUSION

The Big Five personality structure-complemented with disintegration-was invariant across individuals from the general population and patients with psychosis.

The Development of the Five-Factor Schizoid Inventory

The current study sought to provide evidence for a measure of schizoid personality disorder (SZD PD) traits using the Five-Factor Model framework of personality. In the first study, undergraduate participants (n = 496) completed the Five-Factor Schizoid Inventory (FFZI) and other self-report measures. The first half of the sample was used to develop the FFZI, while the second half was used to validate it. The FFZI demonstrated excellent internal consistency, convergent validity with measures of SZD PD and hypothesized IPIP-NEO facets, and discriminant validity with other PDs and non-hypothesized IPIP-NEO facets. The second study recruited MTurk participants (n = 181) and demonstrated preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the FFZI in an online, community sample. Ultimately, these data suggest that the FFZI is a useful measure of SZD PD and provide further evidence that SZD PD can be conceptualized as a maladaptive extension of introversion traits.

Empirically-identified subgroups of children with autism spectrum disorder and their response to two types of cognitive behavioral therapy

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is heterogeneous and likely entails distinct phenotypes with varying etiologies. Identifying these subgroups may contribute to hypotheses about differential treatment responses. The present study aimed to discern subgroups among children with ASD and anxiety in context of the five-factor model of personality (FFM) and evaluate treatment response differences to two cognitive-behavioral therapy treatments. The present study is a secondary data analysis of children with ASD and anxiety (N=202; ages 7-13; 20.8% female) in a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) randomized controlled trial (Wood et al., 2020). Subgroups were identified via latent profile analysis of parent-reported FFM data. Treatment groups included standard-of-practice CBT (CC), designed for children with anxiety, and adapted CBT (BIACA), designed for children with ASD and comorbid anxiety. Five subgroups with distinct profiles were extracted. Analysis of covariance revealed CBT response was contingent on subgroup membership. Two subgroups responded better to BIACA on the primary outcome measure and a third responded better to BIACA on a peer-social adaptation measure, while a fourth subgroup responded better to CC on a school-related adaptation measure. These findings suggest that the FFM may be useful in empirically identifying subgroups of children with ASD, which could inform intervention selection decisions for children with ASD and anxiety.

Dynamics of personality: The Zurich model of motivation revived, extended, and applied to personality

Personality researchers are increasingly interested in the dynamics of personality, that is, the proximal causal mechanisms underlying personality and behavior. Here, we review the Zurich Model of Social Motivation concerning its potential to explain central aspects of personality. It is a cybernetic model that provides a nomothetic structure of the causal relationships among needs for security, arousal, and power, and uses them to explain an individual's approach-avoidance or "proximity-distance" behavior. We review core features of the model and extend them by adding features based on recent behavioral and neuroscientific evidence. We close by discussing the model considering contemporary issues in personality science such as the dynamics of personality, five-factor personality traits and states, and personality growth.

Personality Traits and Memory: A Multilevel Analysis Across 27 Countries From the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

Personality traits are associated with memory in older adulthood: Individuals higher in conscientiousness and openness and lower in neuroticism tend to perform better on memory-recall tasks. We conducted a preregistered study to replicate these associations in a large, multinational cohort and test whether the associations varied by national-level socioeconomic indicators (e.g., per capita gross domestic product). Multilevel modeling was used to analyze data from 71,566 individuals (age: M = 67.9 years, SD = 9.5; 57% women) across 26 European countries and Israel. Higher conscientiousness, openness, and extraversion and lower neuroticism were associated with better memory performance, even when analyses accounted for risk factors including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, emotional disorders, and sleeping problems. Consistent with the resource-substitution hypothesis, results showed that higher conscientiousness and agreeableness and lower neuroticism were associated with better memory in countries with lower gross domestic product. This pattern suggests that psychological (trait) resources may help compensate for country-specific disadvantaged contexts.

The Role of Violent Video Game Exposure, Personality, and Deviant Peers in Aggressive Behaviors Among Adolescents: A Two-Wave Longitudinal Study

The impact of violent video game exposure (VVGE) on aggressive behaviors has been extensively explored, but still remains controversial. Although some studies have shown slight detrimental short-term effects of VVGE, other studies have failed to find any consequence. In addition, the existence of long-lasting effects on aggressiveness, or their impact on adolescents, are still not well established. One limitation of most of these studies is that they do not control for other important risk variables for aggressive behaviors, such as personality and deviant peers, nor have they investigated the possible moderation role of these risk factors in the link between VVGE and aggression. Therefore, the main aim was to examine the additive and interactive role of VVGE, personality, and deviant peers in adolescent aggressive behaviors cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Many regression analyses and a cross-lagged autoregressive model were carried out. At both waves, aggressive behavior was predicted by having deviant peers and specific personality traits, especially low agreeableness. VVGE also presented a slight but significant effect at both waves, but it became nonsignificant when controlling for other variables. No long-term effects on the relation between VVGE and aggressive behaviors were found. Some moderation effects were consistently found at both waves: when participants reported having more deviant peers, the effects of VVGE and low agreeableness on aggressive behaviors significantly increased. These findings suggest that multiple biopsychosocial variables and their complex interplay need to be examined to gain a better understanding of the origin and expression of aggressive behavior.

Personality traits as an organizing framework for personality pathology

We review evidence establishing important parallels between the general structure of psychopathology, the more specific structure of personality pathology and the structure of normal-range personality. We then present data to explicate the nature of associations between the alternative model of personality disorder (AMPD)-as operationalized by the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-and the domains and facets subsumed within the five-factor model of personality. Our data demonstrate substantial links between four of the five domains within these models but also indicate that the AMPD could be realigned to enhance its convergence with the five-factor model of personality. Based on our data, we tentatively propose an expanded four-facet model of AMPD Negative Affectivity (Anxiousness, Depressivity, Hostility and Emotional Lability); an alternative bipolar scheme for Detachment that includes two positively keyed (Withdrawal and Anhedonia) and two negatively keyed (Risk Taking and Attention Seeking) facets; a broader five-facet model of Antagonism (Deceitfulness, Manipulativeness, Callousness, Grandiosity and Suspiciousness); and a reduced two-facet model of Disinhibition (Irresponsibility and Impulsivity). These alternative scores generally showed superior convergent and discriminant validity when compared with current measures of the AMPD domains but also raise other issues. Our findings highlight the strong overlap between normal and pathological personality and clarify the nature of the associations between them. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Affective Neuroscience Theory and Personality: An Update

The present work gives a short overview of central aspects of Jaak Panksepp's Affective Neuroscience Theory (AN theory) and its relevance for modern personality neuroscience. In contrast to the widely used Big Five approach to studying and understanding human personality, AN theory provides researchers with a distinct roadmap to the biological basis of personality, including molecular and neuroanatomical candidates, to understand individual differences in human behavior. Such molecular and neuroanatomical brain candidates have been derived by means of electrical brain stimulation and pharmacological challenges, while investigating primary emotional systems anchored in the subcortical mammalian brain. Research results derived from the study of emotions in mammals are also of relevance for humans because ancient layers of our minds-those layers where primary emotions originate-have been homologously conserved across species. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense because primal emotions represent "built-in tools for survival" for all mammals. In this context, Montag and Panksepp recently illustrated a potential ancient neurobiological effect by carving out robust associations between individual differences in primary emotions (assessed via self-report) and the Big Five in a cross-cultural study with data from the United States, Germany, and China. These associations together with some ideas derived from MacLean's Triune Brain concept highlighted (a) that primary emotions likely represent the phylogenetically oldest parts of human personality and (b) that primary emotions influence human personality in a bottom-up fashion given their localization in ancient subcortical brain regions. A comment on the work by Montag and Panksepp asked for insights on putative links between primary emotions and facets of the Big Five. Therefore, we provide some first insights into such associations from recent Germany data. In addition, the present work provides a new short version of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales to assess individual differences in primary emotions.

The Development and Validation of the Bergen-Yale Sex Addiction Scale With a Large National Sample

The view that problematic excessive sexual behavior ("sex addiction") is a form of behavioral addiction has gained more credence in recent years, but there is still considerable controversy regarding operationalization of the concept. Furthermore, most previous studies have relied on small clinical samples. The present study presents a new method for assessing sex addiction-the Bergen-Yale Sex Addiction Scale (BYSAS)-based on established addiction components (i.e., salience/craving, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict/problems, and relapse/loss of control). Using a cross-sectional survey, the BYSAS was administered to a broad national sample of 23,533 Norwegian adults [aged 16-88 years; mean (± SD) age = 35.8 ± 13.3 years], together with validated measures of the Big Five personality traits, narcissism, self-esteem, and a measure of sexual addictive behavior. Both an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis (RMSEA = 0.046, CFI = 0.998, TLI = 0.996) supported a one-factor solution, although a local dependence between two items (Items 1 and 2) was detected. Furthermore, the scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.83). The BYSAS correlated significantly with the reference scale (r = 0.52), and demonstrated similar patterns of convergent and discriminant validity. The BYSAS was positively related to extroversion, neuroticism, intellect/imagination, and narcissism, and negatively related to conscientiousness, agreeableness, and self-esteem. High scores on the BYSAS were more prevalent among those who were men, single, of younger age, and with higher education. The BYSAS is a brief, and psychometrically reliable and valid measure for assessing sex addiction. However, further validation of the BYSAS is needed in other countries and contexts.

Instructor personality matters for student evaluations: Evidence from two subject areas at university

BACKGROUND

Instructors are under pressure to produce excellent outcomes in students. Although the contribution of student personality on student outcomes is well established, the contribution of instructor personality to student outcomes is largely unknown.

AIM

This study examined the influence of instructor personality (as reported by both students and instructors themselves) on student educational outcomes at university.

SAMPLE AND METHOD

Mathematics and psychology university students (N = 515) and their instructors (n = 45) reported their personality under the Big Five framework.

RESULTS

Multilevel regressions were conducted to predict each outcome from instructor personality, taking into account the effects of student gender, age, cognitive ability, and personality, as well as instructor gender and age. Student-reports of instructor personality predicted student evaluations of teaching but not performance self-efficacy or academic achievement. Instructor self-reports did not predict any of the outcomes. Stronger associations between student-reports and the outcomes than instructor self-reports could be explained by students providing information on both the predictor and the outcome variables, as well as a greater number of raters providing information on instructor personality. Different domains of the instructor Big Five were important for different element of student evaluations of teaching.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlights the importance of studying instructor personality, especially through other-reports, to understand students' educational experiences. This has implications for how tertiary institutions should use and interpret student evaluations.

Aggressors and Victims in Bullying and Cyberbullying: A Study of Personality Profiles using the Five-Factor Model

Bullying and cyberbullying are highly prevalent in today's society. However, the personality profiles of different roles involved in this phenomenon remain little known. This study aims (1) to examine the association between bullying and cyberbullying in adolescents; and (2) to analyze the relationship between bullying and cyberbullying in terms of the domains and facets of the five-factor model (FFM). A total of 910 adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old participated. They were administered self-report assessments of aggression and victimization in bullying and cyberbullying, as well as the JS-NEO-S questionnaire. The results provide evidence of co-occurrence between bullying and cyberbullying (p < .001). We observed higher neuroticism in victims and aggressor-victims, higher openness in victims, higher agreeableness in victims and non-aggressor non-victims and higher conscientiousness in non-aggressor non-victims as compared with the rest of the groups (p < .001). Comparison of the four cyberbullying groups showed that cybervictims score higher in neuroticism and openness, cybervictims and non-cybervictims non-cyberaggressors score higher in agreeableness and non-cybervictims non-cyberaggressors score higher in conscientiousness (p < .001) In conclusion, this study provides a broad, systematic view of the personality traits associated with different roles implicated in traditional bullying and cyberbullying.

Development and Validation of the Faceted Inventory of the Five-Factor Model (FI-FFM)

The Faceted Inventory of the Five-Factor Model (FI-FFM) is a comprehensive hierarchical measure of personality. The FI-FFM was created across five phases of scale development. It includes five facets apiece for neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness; four facets within agreeableness; and three facets for openness. We present reliability and validity data obtained from three samples. The FI-FFM scales are internally consistent and highly stable over 2 weeks (retest rs ranged from .64 to .82, median r = .77). They show strong convergent and discriminant validity vis-à-vis the NEO, the Big Five Inventory, and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5. Moreover, self-ratings on the scales show moderate to strong agreement with corresponding ratings made by informants ( rs ranged from .26 to .66, median r = .42). Finally, in joint analyses with the NEO Personality Inventory-3, the FI-FFM neuroticism facet scales display significant incremental validity in predicting indicators of internalizing psychopathology.

Comparing Two Short Forms of the Hewitt-Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale

Hewitt and Flett's 45-item Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale is a widely used instrument to assess self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism. With 45 items, it is not overly lengthy, but there are situations where a short form is useful. Analyzing data from four samples, this article compares two frequently used 15-item short forms of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-Cox et al.'s and Hewitt et al.'s-by examining to what degree their scores replicate the original version's correlations with various personality characteristics (e.g., traits, social goals, personal/interpersonal orientations). Regarding self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, both short forms performed well. Regarding other-oriented perfectionism, however, Cox et al.'s short form (exclusively composed of negatively worded items) performed less well than Hewitt et al.'s (which contains no negatively worded items). It is recommended that researchers use Hewitt et al.'s short form to assess other-oriented perfectionism rather than Cox et al.'s.

Fear of pain potentiates nocebo hyperalgesia

Nocebo hyperalgesia has received sparse experimental attention compared to placebo analgesia. The aim of the present study was to investigate if personality traits and fear of pain could predict experimental nocebo hyperalgesia. One hundred and eleven healthy volunteers (76 females) participated in an experimental study in which personality traits and fear of pain were measured prior to induction of thermal heat pain. Personality traits were measured by the Big-Five Inventory-10. Fear of pain was measured by the Fear of Pain Questionnaire III. Heat pain was induced by a PC-controlled thermode. Pain was measured by a computerized visual analog scale. Stress levels during the experiment were measured by numerical rating scales. The participants were randomized to a Nocebo group or to a no-treatment Natural History group. The results revealed that pain and stress levels were significantly higher in the Nocebo group after nocebo treatment. Mediation analysis showed that higher levels of the Fear of Pain Questionnaire III factor “fear of medical pain” significantly increased stress levels after nocebo treatment and that higher stress levels were associated with increased nocebo hyperalgesic responses. There were no significant associations between any of the personality factors and the nocebo hyperalgesic effect. The results from the present study suggest that dispositional fear of pain might be a useful predictor for nocebo hyperalgesia and emotional states concomitant with expectations of increased pain. Furthermore, measurement of traits that are specific to pain experience is probably better suited for prediction of nocebo hyperalgesic responses compared to broad measures of personality.

Personality, Emotions, and the Emotional Disorders

We examined symptom-level relations between the emotional disorders and general traits within the five-factor model of personality. Neuroticism correlated strongly with the general distress/negative affectivity symptoms (depressed mood, anxious mood, worry) that are central to these disorders; more moderately with symptoms of social phobia, affective lability, panic, posttraumatic stress disorder, lassitude, checking, and obsessive intrusions; and more modestly with agoraphobia, specific phobia, and other symptoms of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Extraversion was negatively correlated with symptoms of social anxiety/social phobia and was positively related to scales assessing expansive positive mood and increased social engagement in bipolar disorder. Conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness showed weaker associations and generally added little to the prediction of these symptoms. It is noteworthy, moreover, that our key findings replicated well across (a) self-rated versus (b) interview-based symptom measures. We conclude by discussing the diagnostic and assessment implications of these data.

The relationships between behavioral addictions and the five-factor model of personality

Aims Although relationships between addiction and personality have previously been explored, no study has ever simultaneously investigated the interrelationships between several behavioral addictions, and related these to the main dimensions of the five-factor model of personality. Methods In this study, 218 university students completed questionnaires assessing seven different behavioral addictions (i.e., Facebook addiction, video game addiction, Internet addiction, exercise addiction, mobile phone addiction, compulsive buying, and study addiction) as well as an instrument assessing the main dimensions of the five-factor model of personality. Results Of the 21 bivariate intercorrelations between the seven behavioral addictions, all were positive (and nine significantly). The results also showed that (i) Neuroticism was positively associated with Internet addiction, exercise addiction, compulsive buying, and study addiction, (ii) Extroversion was positively associated with Facebook addiction, exercise addiction, mobile phone addiction, and compulsive buying, (iii) Openness to experience was negatively associated with Facebook addiction and mobile phone addiction, (iv) Agreeableness was negatively associated with Internet addiction, exercise addiction, mobile phone addiction, and compulsive buying, and (v) Conscientiousness was negatively associated with Facebook addiction, video game addiction, Internet addiction, and compulsive buying and positively associated with exercise addiction and study addiction. Conclusions The positive associations between the seven behavioral addictions suggest one or several underlying pathological factors. Hierarchical multiple regressions showed that personality traits explained between 6% and 17% of the variance in the seven behavioral addictions, suggesting that personality to a varying degree explains scores on measures of addictive behaviors.

Psychometrics of a self-report version of the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale

Lahey and Waldman (2003, 2005) proposed a model in which three dispositions-sympathetic response to others; negative emotional response to threat, frustration, and loss; and positive response to novelty and risk-transact with the environment to influence risk for conduct disorder (CD). To test this model, the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale (CADS) was developed to measure these dispositions using parent ratings of the child. Here we report psychometric evaluations of a parallel youth self-report version (CADS-Y). Exploratory factor analysis of CADS-Y items among 832 9- to 17-year-olds yielded a 3-factor structure that was consistent with the model and invariant across sex and informants. In 1,582 pairs of 9- to 17-year-old twins, confirmatory factor analyses supported the CADS-Y 3-factor model. Each CADS-Y dimension was associated with CD and related personality dimensions as predicted.