This study tests the hypothesis that persons will express relatively independent degrees of preference for ambiguity in different experiential domains. An original measure consisting of four subscales was developed to assess individual differences in the theoretical, social, economic and aesthetic domains, and was administered to a student sample.…

The use of self-monitoring and self-reported variability in cross-situational behavior to identify persons most likely to manifest covariation between their attitudes and behaviors was investigated. In the first session, subjects (N=102) completed Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale, assessed their religious attitudes and indicated the extent to which…

If we define irrationality as thought, emotion, or behavior that leads to self-defeating consequences or that significantly interferes with the survival and happiness of the organism, we find that literally hundreds of major irrationalities exist in all societies and in virtually all humans in those societies. These irrationalities persist despite…

An inquiry was conducted into the question of the influence of Christmas and Easter on the occurrence of death. The authors hypothesized that dying might be postponed until after these two important events resulting in a significantly increased frequency of death after these holidays. Obituaries were read for 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after each…

Studied relationships between depth of depression, anaclitic and introjective depressive experiences, and illness behavior in 37 chronic pain patients. Depth of depression and degree of introjective depressive experiences showed similar positive covariation with a broad range of illness behavior, hypochondriasis, disease conviction, affective…

While a great deal of clinical research attention has been directed toward assertive training, there have been few studies examining the social impact or interpersonal evaluation of assertive versus unassertive behavior, including the differential evaluation of assertiveness exhibited by males and females. In this study, subjects observed a…

Tested the hypothesis that psychological androgyny permits greater behavioral flexibility and leads to better adjustment. Contrary to expectations, findings indicated flexibility and adjustment were associated with masculinity. Subsequent experiments revealed that feminine subjects prefer to become more masculine if possible. Results suggest an…

This study examined the influence of an individual's attributions upon the type of tasks that individuals would select. Questions guiding this study concerned the predictability (congruence) of tasks from attributions, the consistency of this task-attribution congruency, and the generalizability of the results. Subjects were 801 students drawn…

This article assesses the affects of several factors; sex, age, occupation, size of residence, anomie, marital status, class, and world view, on attitudes towards death. The author's attitudes model is based upon the four-part basic Durkheimian typology, varying in degree and nature of an individual's integration in societal groups. Included in…

This theoretical paper explores the implications of some modifications and extensions of the Transactional Analysis (TA) theory of personality and attempts to understand some specific aspects of human nature and behavior in evolutionary terms. "Ego State" as used in TA designates both a structural and functional unit of the personality.…

Ninety college students were randomly assigned to be high or low-power and interacted with another who consistently cooperated, consistently competed, or alternately cooperated and competed. Low-power persons were hypothesized to be motivated to take another's cognitive perspective in order to reduce their uncertainty and to help them decide how…

A study was undertaken to determine which types of verbal humor are preferred by children and to discover how well adults can predict what children will perceive as humorous. Fifteen adults (education students, parents, and teachers) were asked to rate 25 jokes on a four point scale ranging from not funny at all and not very funny to kind of funny…