International Journal of Personality Psychology
The International Journal of Personality Psychology (IJPP) is an online, open-access, peer reviewed journal for research in the areas of personality, individuality, intelligence, and individual differences in a broad sense, including studies with a cultural or cross-cultural content. IJPP is the official journal of the WAPP (World Association for Personality Psychology). No fees are involved for either submission or final publication.
Submission of an original manuscript to the IJPP will be taken to mean that it represents original work not previously published, that it is not being considered elsewhere for publication and, if accepted for publication, it will be published online. Copyright remains with the author. The journal takes the stance that the publication of scholarly research is meant to disseminate knowledge and, in a non-profit regime, benefits neither publisher nor author financially. It sees itself as having an obligation to its authors and to society to make content available online now that the technology allows for such a possibility.
Validating the Runco Ideational Behavior Scale (RIBS) in Japan: Cultural reflections on everyday creativity
This study investigates the reliability and factor structure of the Runco Ideational Behavior Scale (RIBS) using a sample of 380 Japanese university students. The full 23-item RIBS demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = .913). Exploratory analysis suggested a multidimensional structure, which we tested using set-Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling (set-ESEM), an approach that allows theoretically motivated cross-loadings while retaining confirmatory rigor. Results supported a four-factor structure, Creative Production, Ideational Flow, External/Social Ideation, and Spontaneous Ideation, with good model fit (CFI = .949, RMSEA = .043), substantially better than the traditional two-factor CFA model (CFI = .853, RMSEA = .100). Several item-level patterns also invited cautious cultural interpretation. In particular, improvement- and refinement-oriented items loaded strongly, while items related to social recognition and spontaneous ideation showed more complex patterns. These patterns may be interpreted through Japanese cultural concepts such as kaizen (continuous improvement) and shokunin kishitsu (craftsmanship spirit), and norms of modest self-presentation, although they should not be taken as definitive evidence of cultural difference. Overall, the findings support RIBS as a reliable and structurally informative measure in this Japanese university sample and highlight the value of flexible modelling approaches such as set-ESEM when creativity scales are examined in new cultural contexts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sandra Healy, Takuya Inoue https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Characteristics of people who believe in conspiracy theories: Personality disorder traits, paranormal beliefs, and political ideologies
The present study investigated personality disorder traits, paranormal beliefs, and political ideologies associated with people who believe in conspiracy theories. Through Amazon Mechanical Turk, 133 adults (M = 45.16 years, range = 23–65 years, 84 women, 46 men, three not stated) completed two conspiracy measures: A newly constructed Conspiracy Ideational Scale and the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale. They also completed the Coolidge Axis II Inventory, Revised Paranormal Belief Scale, and Political Beliefs Scale. It was found that personality disorder traits weakly predicted conspiracy theory beliefs, while paranormal beliefs and political beliefs were found to be stronger predictors. The strongest relationship among the measures was between the Conspiracy Ideational Scale and Conservative/Republican-leaning attitudes (r = .60, p < .001). Interestingly, even the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale, designed to be independent of political beliefs, was still strongly associated with people who have Conservative/Republican-leaning attitudes (r = .42, p < .001). It appears that paranormal beliefs and Conservative/Republican leaning-attitudes are better predictors of conspiracy beliefs than personality disorder traits.
Copyright (c) 2026 Frederick L. Coolidge, Apeksha Srivastava, Cydney Chappelle, Daniel L. Segal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Pathways linking the facets of conscientiousness to subjective well-being: Examining the role of cognitive flexibility and emotional intelligence
This study aimed to (1) investigate the potentially conflicting relationships between conscientiousness facets and subjective well-being (SWB), and (2) examine the mediating roles of cognitive flexibility (CF) and emotional intelligence (EI) in these relationships, thereby elucidating distinct motivational pathways underlying conscientiousness and its connection to well-being. Path analyses were calculate based on data from 459 Japanese employees (237 men, mean age = 42.35). Facets of conscientiousness were measured using both the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP)-300 and the IPIP-Abridged Big Five-Dimensional Circumplex (AB5C) to obtain robust results and assess possible instrument-specific effects. Both instruments revealed mixed positive and negative relationships between conscientiousness facets and SWB. Competence, self-discipline, and achievement-striving — components of the industriousness subdomain — showed positive associations with SWB. In contrast, orderliness, dutifulness, and cautiousness — components of the orderliness subdomain — exhibited negative associations. Mediation analyses identified CF and EI as critical factors enhancing the positive effects of industriousness and lower EI as a key factor contributing to lower SWB among cautious individuals. Conscientiousness demonstrates dual effects on well-being: proactive facets enhance, while inhibitory facets diminish well-being via cognitive-emotional pathways. Improving flexibility and social skills may enhance well-being by leveraging industriousness and mitigating the downsides of orderliness.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lei Zhang, Yusuke Takahashi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Five-factor model personality traits and cognition in the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol sub-study of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe
Five-factor model (FFM) personality traits are associated with cognitive function. The present research seeks to replicate and extend prior research on FFM traits and performance in five cognitive domains and informant-rated cognition. Participants (N=2,501) from the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol sub-study of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe completed a 10-item personality measure in 2017 and were administered a comprehensive cognitive assessment in 2022. Neuroticism was associated with lower global cognitive performance, episodic memory, speed-attention, visuo-spatial ability, verbal fluency and informant-rated cognitive decline; the effects were attenuated by clinical (e.g., hypertension) and behavioral (e.g., physical inactivity) risk factors for cognitive impairment, which may mediate the associations. Openness was associated with better performance in most cognitive domains, even after accounting for behavioral and clinical covariates. Conscientiousness was related to less informant-rated cognitive decline but was surprisingly unrelated to performance in any cognitive domain; extraversion and agreeableness were also largely unrelated to cognitive function. There was not a consistent pattern of moderation by sociodemographic factors, cognitive impairment, or depression across domains, suggesting more similarities than differences across groups. The present research suggests that even with brief FFM scales, neuroticism and openness have replicable associations with multiple cognitive domains, whereas a more comprehensive assessment of conscientiousness may be needed to detect robust associations with cognitive performance.
Copyright (c) 2025 Martina Luchetti, Damaris Aschwanden, Selin Karakose, Yannick Stephan, Antonio Terracciano, Angelina R. Sutin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Narcissism and intimate partner violence: The mediating role of desire for power
This study examined how distinct facets of narcissism – extraverted, antagonistic, neurotic, and communal – relate to intimate partner violence (IPV) and whether desire for power mediates these associations. Using a community sample of 515 Iranian adults in committed heterosexual relationships, participants completed validated measures of narcissism, desire for power, and three forms of IPV: physical violence, inflicted injury, and sexual coercion. Antagonistic narcissism was most consistently linked with IPV, showing direct associations with partner-inflicted injury and sexual coercion, and an indirect link with partner-directed violence via desire for power. Neurotic narcissism predicted partner-directed violence but was not mediated by power motives. Extraverted and communal narcissism were not directly related to IPV but showed positive indirect associations with partner-directed violence through desire for power. These findings highlight the multifaceted nature of narcissism and suggest that power motives play a nuanced role in the perpetration of IPV. By extending this research to a non-Western cultural context, the study underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity in understanding narcissism’s interpersonal consequences.
Copyright (c) 2025 Virgil Zeigler-Hill, Ali Mohammad Beigi, Renée LeBlanc, Jocelyn LaVallee https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Exploring the connection between personality and psychological capital: Insights from the CPAI-2 in a Chinese context
Positive psychological capital (PsyCap) has been found to predict various individual outcomes such as well-being and effectiveness. While it encompasses a trait baseline, little research has examined the role of personality as an antecedent in impacting the development of PsyCap. Despite some studies linking specific Big Five personality traits to PsyCap, research utilizing culturally relevant assessments in non-Western contexts, particularly in the Chinese setting, remains scarce. This study addresses this gap by employing the Cross-Cultural (Chinese) Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI-2) and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24) to analyze data from 326 undergraduate students in Hong Kong. The CPAI-2 is a culturally grounded personality assessment tool that enables a fair understanding of personality traits uniquely relevant in the Chinese context, thereby enriching insights from Western-centric personality models. Regression analyses revealed significant associations: higher scores on traits of novelty seeking, leadership, and responsibility correlated with increased hope; divergent thinking and leadership, along with lower inferiority, were linked to greater self-efficacy; higher responsibility and lower anxiety related to increased resilience; and higher optimism, internal locus of control, and graciousness were associated with enhanced optimism. A path model was established to illustrate the relationships between personality traits and PsyCap. The findings emphasize the importance of culturally relevant assessments for understanding these relations, and they suggest that similar frameworks could be adapted globally to explore how local cultural factors inform the development of PsyCap.
cross-cultural personality assessment inventory
Copyright (c) 2025 Clara Y-W. To, Anita W.Y. Lee, Debbie M-W. Pong, Jack M.F. Wong, Darius K-S. Chan, Fanny M. Cheung https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
From chaos to conviction: Competitive social worldview mediates the associations between childhood unpredictability and ideological attitudes
Across four online self-report studies with college students and community members (N = 597; N = 273; N = 1,100; N = 882), we examined whether perceived childhood harshness and unpredictability were associated with ideological attitudes through dangerous and competitive social worldviews. Perceived childhood unpredictability consistently predicted a competitive social worldview, which, in turn, mediated its associations with social dominance orientation, anti-hierarchical aggression, equalitarianism, and the need for chaos. These findings suggest that perceiving one’s early environment as unpredictable may foster a competitive view of the world, which can lead to ideological attitudes that either uphold (e.g., social dominance orientation) or disrupt (e.g., need for chaos) social hierarchies. In contrast, perceived childhood harshness was not reliably linked to the dangerous worldview or to ideological attitudes via this pathway. This research contributes to the limited literature on how early life experiences shape ideological beliefs, highlighting the role of competitive social worldviews as a key mediator of the effects of childhood unpredictability.
Copyright (c) 2025 Virgil Zeigler-Hill, Jennifer Vonk, Deirdre Myers https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Temperamental overexcitability, household chaos, and lack of focused attention for academic learning
Individuals high in temperamental sensitivity are considered to orient their attention even to irrelevant stimuli in their current environments. Since this characteristic makes it more difficult for them to focus on the relevant stimuli in a situation, they should be more distractible than less sensitive individuals. However, how strongly this heightened distractibility results in actual distraction (i.e., lack of focused attention) should depend on the extent to which situations provide distracting stimulation. This study predicted that the relationship between university students’ overexcitability (i.e., an aspect of sensitivity) and lack of focused attention to academic learning was moderated by the degree of household chaos (i.e., potentially distracting noise and disorganization) in their homes during the lecture period. One hundred students approached on a Swiss university campus completed self-report measures on the variables of interest. Multiple regression analysis involving simple slope analyses revealed the expected interaction: The more intense the household chaos, the stronger the positive relationship between overexcitability and lack of focused attention for academic learning. The findings were robust when the current level of recovery was statically taken into account. The findings suggest practical implications for highly sensitive learners.
Copyright (c) 2025 Alex Bertrams, Max Blaise https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Personality and psychopathology: The moderating effect of mentalized affectivity
Our personality is an important component in understanding ourselves and it influences how we navigate our environments and develop interpersonal relationships. The two-polarities model of personality describes the development of personality through the dialectical interaction between two developmental psychological processes, interpersonal relatedness and self-definition. Both dimensions have unique characteristics contributing to either adaptive or maladaptive personality development, shaping the meaning of psychological experiences. Too much of one configuration at the expense of the other has been related to psychopathology. Mentalized affectivity (MA), a component of mentalization, is similar to the two-polarities model of personality in that it also helps us to understand ourselves and others, but through our emotional experiences. One component of MA, processing emotions, is a powerful transdiagnostic feature that can create susceptibility to psychopathology or act as a protective factor and help promote change. Although research has looked at the relationship between mentalization and personality, less is known about the relationship between personality and mentalized affectivity. Participants (N = 201; 53.2% male) completed measures, related to mentalized affectivity, to personality, and to psychological symptoms. Moderation analysis revealed patterns of lower levels of processing emotions strengthening the relationship between personality and forms of psychopathology. When personality becomes maladaptive and there are impairments in processing, there is more susceptibility to pathology. Our research supports the use of mentalization-based and personality-based treatment to alleviate symptoms of psychopathology by increasing levels of processing emotions and fostering adaptive personality development.
Copyright (c) 2025 Georgia J. Bush, Andrew F. Luchner https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Types of perceived social support and dimensions of the hardiness trait: A multivariate regression analysis
While existing research has explored the buffering effects of social support and hardiness separately, there is a gap in understanding their interrelationship within the college student population. This study aimed to explore which dimensions of the hardiness trait (capturing commitment, control, and challenge) are associated with which types of perceived social support (attachment, guidance, social integration, reliable alliance, reassurance of worth) among college students. This study thus will contribute to the social support and hardiness literature by providing empirical evidence on how these constructs are specifically related to each other, offering insights that can inform future research, interventions, and practice. The data for this study were obtained from Dang’s (2024) doctoral dissertation examining the relation between social support, distress tolerance, and self-regulated learning. The participants were 323 full-time students (59% male, Mage = 28.3). Multivariate regression analyses were conducted in R to assess the relations between subscales of hardiness and types of perceived social support. Social support turned out to be positively related to commitment and control dimensions of hardiness and was negatively related to the challenge dimension of hardiness. The results of further analysis indicated that perceiving attachment support and guidance support were associated with the control dimension of the hardiness trait.
Copyright (c) 2025 Thuy Dang, Fatmanur Çifci https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Self-presentation of extraversion shifts all the Big Five personality traits in a socially desirable direction
The internalization of self-presentation (IOSP; Tice, 1992) is a phenomenon where individuals internalize presented traits (e.g., extraversion) and shift the level of their traits in the presented direction. While IOSP predicts self-concept shifts only in the presented traits, this pre-registered study examined whether self-concepts of non-presented traits also shift in socially desirable directions. Based on statistical power analyses, 89 Japanese undergraduate students were recruited. They completed measures of the Big Five personality traits at two time points: 7–10 days prior to and immediately following a task where they wrote a self-introduction designed to convey an extraverted impression. Paired t-tests revealed shifts in all the Big Five traits in the predicted socially desirable directions (Cohen's |dz| = .29–.36). These findings suggest that self-presentation of extraversion influences the self-concept of both presented and non-presented traits, challenging the current understanding of IOSP. Possible mechanisms underlying this phenomenon and implications for future research on personality change are discussed.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sasuke Ueda, Shinji Yamagata https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Using Reinforcer Sensitivity Theory to predict difficulties in emotional regulation: Data from students in Mexico and the US
The present study assessed the capacity of revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (r-RST) to predict difficulties in emotional regulation (DER), and in both internalized and externalized anger difficulties. Participants were college students (N = 705) from Mexico and from the US. Regression analyses showed that both the behavior inhibition system (BIS) and impulsivity (IMP) are direct and significant predictors of all three dependent variables, in both samples. Reward interest is an inverse and statistically significant predictor of both internalized and externalized aggression. Although both samples share a common footing regarding the importance of BIS and IMP as predictors of the dependent variables, protection variables differed between the samples. The results of the study suggest that elements belonging to the sensitivity to punishment and sensitivity to reward domains interact to generate DER. Finally, the results suggest that personality theories derived from basic neurobiological processes are not exempt from cultural variations.
Copyright (c) 2025 Marco A. Pulido, Camila Ballesteros, Alondra Becerril https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Outsiders in the moral domain: The dark core of personality and moral foundations
This study is about the relationship between the general dark triad factor and the five moral foundations (care/harm, fairness/reciprocity, ingroup/loyalty, respect/authority, and purity/sanctity). Participants (N = 723) provided ratings on the Dirty Dozen Dark Triad (DDDT) and on the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ).. A structural validity and reliability test was carried out for the constructs and a structural equation was modeled, relating the general dark triad factor to the moral foundations. The results gave adequate fits for the dark triad, for moral foundations, and for the integrated model, obtaining negative and significant relationships between the general dark triad factor and all of the five moral foundations. It is concluded that there is a negative and statistically significant correlation between each of the moral foundations and the general dark triad factor.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mauricio Enrique Silva-Alegria https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Narcissistic personality features and warmongering: The mediating of role of dangerous and competitive social worldviews
The associations between narcissistic personality features and warmongering were examined, as well as whether these associations were mediated by the dangerous and competitive social world views believed to accompany these behaviors. Participants were 664 students from Iranian universities, who provided self-ratings on a short form of the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory, on a warmongering measure (capturing several categories), and on the Social World-view Scale-Revised. The results showed that there is a relationship between narcissism and warmongering and its categories. Also, the results showed that the aspects of narcissism (antagonistic narcissism, extraverted narcissism, and neurotic narcissism) had strong indirect relationships with warmongering and its categories, through the dangerous and competitive social worldviews. An important point about the obtained results was that the role of the competitive social worldview in this relationship was greater than the dangerous social worldview. The literature of this research and its results can be used to deepen our understanding of warmongering and factors related to it. Using its results, we may get a better understanding of the role of personality factors and of worldviews in warmongering and put it to use to help prevent such unfortunate events.
dangerous and competitive social worldviews
Copyright (c) 2025 Ali Mohammad Beigi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Gender and ethnic identity differences in narcissistic personality traits
Narcissistic traits, though often viewed negatively, can serve as protective mechanisms, shielding individuals from harmful self-attributions and enhancing performance in competitive environments. Consequently, different environmental contexts are likely to predict varying levels of narcissism. In mating contexts, for example, these traits may be adaptive, with gender differences expected due to differing reproductive fitness pressures on men and women. The present research investigated gender and ethnic identity differences in narcissistic traits. Across four studies conducted with participants from the United States, men consistently reported higher levels of extraverted and antagonistic narcissism, whereas women exhibited higher levels of neurotic narcissism. Black participants reported higher levels of extraverted and antagonistic narcissism compared to White participants, aligning with prior research that suggests narcissistic traits may act as protective responses to systemic discrimination. An unexpected finding emerged regarding communal narcissism, where Black participants consistently scored higher than their White counterparts, suggesting that marginalized groups may express narcissism through prosocial or communal behaviors. The studies provided evidence supporting the measurement invariance of narcissistic traits across gender and ethnic identity groups. This suggests that the tools and methods used to measure these traits function equivalently across these groups. The findings offer valuable insights into the connections between demographic factors and narcissistic traits, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of how narcissism manifests in different populations.
Copyright (c) 2025 Virgil Zeigler-Hill, Jennifer Vonk, Felicia Gordon, Jamie Klemashevich, Richard S. Mohn https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Personality, geography, and socio-demography: A Danish survey among adult men
Personality may vary with geography and with socio-demographical determinants. Research is, however, limited to a few countries and often involves only selected groups of the population, like students. At the same time, electronic survey methods using authorities’ web platforms for communicating with citizens constitute an attractive new way of achieving data on a general population level. In this survey, we used the Danish authorities’ electronic mailbox solution, in order to investigate the variation of personality with geographical and socio-demographical characteristics. This is a secondary analysis of data from a web-based survey among Danish men aged 45-70 years in the general population. In total, 6,755 completed the survey (response rate of 30 percent), which included the ten item Big Five Inventory (BFI-10) as a measure of personality. The survey responses were connected to municipality-level register data. Among the five traits, openness showed the strongest geographical variation. Differences in personality scores--particularly in agreeableness and openness--were observed across regions and between the western and eastern parts of the country. However, these differences could be largely explained by sociodemographic variables such as age, marital status, and education. In conclusion, in this national web-platform based survey using a self-report personality measure in men, we found regional differences in personality. However, in agreement with previous research findings, personality also was found to be associated with a variety of socio-demographic characteristics.
Copyright (c) 2025 Søren Birkeland, Anders Haakonsson, Sören Möller https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Personality traits and interpersonal behaviors in romantic couples
The relationship between personality traits and moment-to-moment interpersonal behavior is influenced by the context of the interaction. The aim of the current study was to understand associations between personality traits and interpersonal warmth and dominance in heterosexual romantic couples (Ncouples = 140). Actor-Partner Interdependence Models were used to examine the relationships between interpersonal behavior and the traits of negative emotionality, positive emotionality, and constraint. Results suggested personality traits were associated with behaviors of both the actor and partner, with the strongest positive relationships found between positive emotionality and warm behavior and between negative emotionality and cold behavior. These results provide evidence that personality traits are related to momentary behaviors in romantic couples.
Copyright (c) 2025 Alexandra L. Halberstadt, Katherine M. Thomas, Aaron L. Pincus, Christopher J. Hopwood https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Adaptation and psychometric properties of the Disgust Scale-Revised in a Peruvian sample
Objective: Adapt and validate the psychometric properties of the Disgust Scale-Revised in Peruvian Adults. Method: A non-probabilistic, snowball sample of 335 Peruvian adults was taken. For content validity, the clarity of the items was evaluated using Aiken's V. For internal structure validity, the fit indices of a series of CFAs were evaluated for the one, two, and three-factor models. For external validity, the DS-R constructs were correlated with the purity subconstruct of the Moral Foundations Questionnaire. For reliability, the ordinal alpha and the omega coefficient were used. Results: Acceptable fit indices were obtained for the two and three-factor models. Acceptable reliability indices for the core disgust and animal reminder scales were obtained. And small, significant positive correlations were obtained between the contamination and animal reminder factors with the purity scale of the MFQ. In conclusion, the DS-R is an instrument with acceptable psychometric properties for research contexts, although some adjustments could be made to increase the reliability of the contamination scale.
The continued evolution of the diagnosis of Personality Disorders
This paper traces the evolution of the diagnostic formulations for personality disorders (PDs) through the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR; American Psychiatric Association, 2022) and in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11; World Health Organization, 2019). It outlines key arguments for and against three major diagnostic approaches: the categorical approach that is currently in use in the DSM-5-TR, which lists ten categories of PDs; the dimensional model, which diagnoses PDs according to five domains, their respective facets, and their severity; and the mixed/hybrid approach in Section III of the DSM-5-TR, which has been proposed as an Alternative Model of Personality Disorder (AMPD) diagnosis. Finally, three case studies are compared and contrasted using all three approaches. All three diagnostic systems appear to have advantages and disadvantages, although the dimensional and mixed/hybrid seem to be gaining adherents, particularly among younger mental health professionals.
Alternative Model of Personality Disorders
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
International Classification of Diseases
Copyright (c) 2025 Frederick L. Coolidge, Daniel L. Segal, Apeksha Srivastava, Dhwani P. Sadaphal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Exploring self-victimhood’s place in moral personality and unethical organizational behavior
Recent research has shown that a tendency for interpersonal victimhood (TIV) predicts maladaptive thinking and antagonistic behavior. However, understanding TIV’s place in the nomological network of personality variables used to predict moral behavior in organizations. This paper attempted to bridge this gap by examining TIV’s associations with morally relevant personality traits and TIV’s prediction of unethical organizational behavior in two studies. For the studies, we relied on two samples of U.S. adults recruited via an online crowdsourcing platform (NTotal = 1,080) using survey methods. Study 1 (N = 485) showed that TIV had a sizeable loading onto an overarching Dark Factor of Personality (D), which contained TIV, the Dark Tetrad, and moral disengagement. Study 2 (N = 405-595) showed that TIV predicted counterproductive work behavior (CWB) and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB), even after controlling for morally relevant HEXACO traits and demographic variables. Supplemental analyses indicated that TIV’s rumination facet primarily drives its relationship with CWB, while its lack of empathy facet primarily drives its relationship with UPB. TIV tended to have small to moderate positive correlations with dark traits (e.g., the Dark Triad, moral disengagement) (r = 0.30-0.50) and small negative correlations with light traits (e.g., the Light Triad, Honesty-humility, moral identity-internalization). This research provides evidence supporting TIV’s place in the nomological network of moral personality and its influence on destructive organizational behavior.
Copyright (c) 2025 Thomas Wilmore, Ana Kriletic, Daniel Svyantek, Lilah Donnelly https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Founder personality and harmful social exchanges within new venture teams
Though scholars have explored how the personality composition of a new venture team relates to critical firm-level outcomes, research has not yet accounted for the impact of the lead founder, whose personality likely exerts a unique influence on team processes due to their elevated role. This is particularly critical in light of recent research highlighting the prevalence of the Dark Triad in entrepreneurship. We draw on social exchange theory to theorize and test how lead founder Dark Triad personality traits influence three intra-team processes: autonomy, innovation, and relationship conflict. In a time-lagged field study of nascent founders and their new venture teams (N = 102 intact teams), we found that lead founders who score high on Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy differentially effect these socially motivated team processes. By focusing on the influence that a single individual – the lead founder – can have within a new venture team, our findings offer balance to the literature, which predominantly focuses on team composition.
Copyright (c) 2024 Katrina M. Brownell, Elizabeth Embry https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
The conceptualization of the Behavior Approach System: An analysis based on resource acquisition strategies
The study assessed the possibility of using the revised reinforcement sensitivity theory to predict resource acquisition strategies. It was hypothesized that the Behavior Activation System would differentiate between individuals that favored competitive and those that favored cooperative strategies. A total of 405 undergraduate students from Mexico City answered four questionnaires, namely (1) the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory Personality Questionnaire, (2) the Sensitivity to Punishment, Sensitivity to Reinforcement Questionnaire, (3) the Assessment of Individual Motives Questionnaire, and (4) the Self-Report Altruism Scale. Results showed that five out of seven competitive motives were predicted by a combination of fight-flight-freeze scores and impulsivity ones. Some cooperative motives may be predicted by specific combinations of behavior inhibition, reward responsiveness, reward intensiveness, and FFFS. Overall, results showed that, only using the BAS to predict individual motives, as previous research has done, may lead to misleading or incomplete conclusions.
Copyright (c) 2024 Marco A. Pulido, Ana De Santiago, María Gual, Santiago Guerrero, Alicia Luthe, Paola Rincón-Gallardo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Personality and grocery hoarding during a pandemic
This study investigates the relationship between personality traits and grocery hoarding. Data were obtained from a representative sample of the U.S. population (N = 1,149) through a web-based survey conducted during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Grocery hoarding was assessed as a dichotomous variable, capturing whether respondents stocked up on food or daily necessities beyond their usual purchases during the initial spread of Covid-19. Personality traits were measured using the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10). An independent t-test showed that individuals who engaged in grocery hoarding exhibited higher levels of Extraversion and Agreeableness compared to those who did not. Logistic regression analysis revealed that in the initial step, higher levels of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Agreeableness significantly predicted grocery hoarding. However, after controlling for age, gender, and residential area, only Neuroticism and Agreeableness remained significant predictors, while Extraversion lost its effect. These findings suggest that grocery hoarding during the early stages of Covid-19 in the U.S. was associated with higher levels of Neuroticism and Agreeableness. The results align with some previous research but diverge from others, highlighting the need for further investigation into the role of personality traits in hoarding behaviors during crises.
Copyright (c) 2024 John Magnus Roos, Jonas Flodén, Johan Woxenius https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Self-compassion and emotional recovery in the relationship between neuroticism and subjective well-being
Studies have consistently found the neuroticism personality trait to be related to lowered subjective well-being. Previous research has also found neuroticism to be related to lower self-compassion and slower recovery from emotionally stressful reactions. This study examines whether neuroticism and subjective well-being are negatively related, via the correlational sequence, from higher neuroticism to lower self-compassion, from lower self-compassion to slower emotional recovery, and from slower emotional recovery to lower subjective well-being. The present sample (N = 284) completed measures of these variables, and the responses were analyzed within a serial multiple regression model. While the analyses confirmed the hypothesis on the correlational sequence, the evidence for self-compassion as the sole intermediate variable (i.e., without considering emotional recovery) was stronger. The paper includes a discussion of whether a methodological reason underlies the present minor role of emotional recovery in the correlational sequence. A differentiated look at the data suggests that relatively low self-compassion and, potentially, slow emotional recovery are decisive factors for decreased life satisfaction and positive affect among those who are high in neuroticism. As a practical implication, existing self-compassion interventions may be a promising path for people who are high in neuroticism to improve their subjective well-being.
National gender equality and sex differences in Machiavellianism across countries
Machiavellianism is characterized by a focus on self-interest and a desire to achieve personal goals at any cost. Research consistently found that, on average, men score higher on Machiavellianism than women. However, the factors contributing to this sex difference remain unclear. The present research examined whether sex differences in Machiavellianism vary across countries and whether national levels of gender inequality are related to these differences. We analyzed Machiavellianism scores of 56,936 adults across 48 countries. We operationalized gender inequality at national level using two indices (the Gender Inequality Index and the Global Gender Gap Index) and assessed Machiavellianism at the individual level using the MACH-IV scale. Multilevel modeling indicated that men scored higher in Machiavellianism than women, with a larger sex difference in countries with higher levels of gender equality, irrespective of the gender inequality index used. This pattern emerged because women’s MACH-IV scores decreased as national gender equality increased, whereas men’s scores remained stable. We discuss the relevance of these findings for the literature on sex differences in personality and gender equality paradox.
Copyright (c) 2024 Dan Confino, Paolo Ghisletta, Gijsbert Stoet, Juan M. Falomir-Pichastor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Swahili personality-trait vocabulary: A psycho-lexical study using dictionary and day-to-day conversations by indigenous speakers
Human social behavior is a function of peoples’ personalities and individual differences. As humans engage in social behaviors, peoples’ traits and other unique attributes come out and get noticed, and community members may feel tempted to talk about these attributes and either encourage them or discourage them: words are created and they become part of the community’s lexicon. In this study we employed the psycho-lexical approach to hunt for those words that describe people’s traits and unique attributes and that have thus become encoded in the lexicon, in particular of the Swahili language, an eastern Africa Bantu language. We used two resources for this purpose, (1) a Swahili dictionary, as the tangible repository of the lexicon, and (2) free descriptions. As a final result we concluded that the trait vocabulary of the Swahili language contains a useful set of 1,338 trait terms, of which 4% are adjectives, 55% are nouns, and 41% are verbs. Thus, nouns form the largest number of trait terms, followed by verbs, while adjectives occupy an insignificant third position in the Swahili trait vocabulary.
Copyright (c) 2024 Harrun H. Garrashi, Boele De Raad, Dick P.H. Barelds https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Examining the effect of impossible problem solving on state anger: Comparing in-person and MTurk participants
This research comprises of two studies examining the effect of impossible problem solving on state anger. For the first study, using 155 participants on Amazon’s MTurk, a significant difference was observed on state anger from baseline to post-intervention (p = .04). Due to the well documented concerns about using MTurk participants, a second study involving 111 participants from a small liberal arts college was conducted. Using the same design, no significant effect of time on state anger was observed (p > .05). Post-hoc analyses indicated a significant difference between MTurk and in-person participants on trait anger (p < .05), pre-test state anger (p < .05), and post-test state anger (p < .05). Implications are discussed.
Copyright (c) 2024 Thomas DiBlasi, Courtney Pisano, Kaleigh Keenan, Anthony Loiacono, Brittany Vincent https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
When great places to work aren't for everyone: How top employer awards can backfire for narcissistic applicants
Drawing on signaling theory, the current experimental study (N = 593) investigated the influence of top employer awards on the connections between the full spectrum of narcissistic personality features (i.e., agentic, antagonistic, neurotic, and communal) and perceived company prestige. The results of our experiment show that employer awards enhance prestige perceptions and that all narcissism facets are positively related to perceptions of prestige. However, the positive associations between narcissistic personality features and company prestige were less pronounced in the award condition than in the no-award condition. Our study contributes to the recruitment and employer branding literature by demonstrating that, while employer awards generally enhance an organization’s prestige, they may not do so for individuals with particular personality features.
Copyright (c) 2024 Ramzi Fatfouta, Radosław Rogoza, Virgil Zeigler-Hill https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Bridging the gaps: Comparing structural equation models to network analysis models of depression, anxiety, and perfectionism
Network models of psychopathology can identify specific items/symptoms that explain the connections among broader constructs such as depression, anxiety, and perfectionism. In two studies, we examine the dynamic interplay between depression, anxiety, and perfectionism symptoms among undergraduates using structural equation modeling (SEM) and network analysis. Participants in two independent samples (N = 774 and N = 759) completed online, cross-sectional questionnaires including measures of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and perfectionism (i.e., concerns over mistakes, doubts about actions, and personal standards). When analyzing data in the traditional fashion using SEM as a point of comparison, results from both samples were consistent with the existing literature. After controlling for all other perfectionism variables in the model, concerns over mistakes and doubts about actions were positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms (βs from .21 to .46), while personal standards showed negative associations with depressive symptoms (β = -.20 both samples) and non-significant associations with anxiety symptoms (βs from -.09. to -.03). Nonetheless, model fit for the confirmatory factor model was below ideal cutoffs in the second sample, suggesting other structures (e.g., a network model) might better represent the data. Network analyses revealed associations between constructs at the item level across both samples. Four key symptoms emerged as central nodes linking depression, anxiety, and perfectionism: difficulty taking initiative to do activities, feeling worthless, feeling close to panic, and doubts about simple everyday activities. This study underscores the importance of investigating item-level associations for a nuanced interpretation of these constructs.
Copyright (c) 2024 Andy J. Kim, Sean P. Mackinnon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Stress and adaptive coping don’t interact in predicting outcomes
In two studies, we tested the combined effects of stress, adaptive coping, and the stress x adaptive coping interaction on outcomes. In Study 1, undergraduates (N = 177) answered questions measuring daily hassles, adaptive coping, and the positive outcomes of personal-emotional, academic, and social adjustment to university. In Study 2, undergraduates (N = 120) answered questions measuring major life events, hassles, adaptive coping, and the negative outcomes of perceived stress, psychiatric symptomatology, and somatization. The complete absence of interactions between stressors and adaptive coping in both studies contradicts our hypothesized moderation of stress-based adverse outcomes by adaptive coping. Strong main effects of both daily hassles and adaptive coping were nonetheless notable for all outcomes in both studies. Theoretically, these results contradict the moderation hypothesis. In applied terms, they nonetheless indicate that adaptive coping is an especially useful personal quality for dealing effectively with stress.
Copyright (c) 2024 Paul M. Kohn, Colleen O'Brien, Melanie Bevington, Donna I. Pickering https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0