Tested college students (N=153) with one of four personality tests differing in face validity. Subjects received either a bogus interpretation (Barnum) or negative interpretation (Prosecuting Attorney). Barnum feedback was judged more accurate and likeable. Females had higher accuracy scores. Results confirmed findings relative to face validity…

Studied the relationship between personality variables and alcohol abuse in college students. Results indicated that these personality variables were not strong predictors of alcohol abuse. However, subjects identified as being highly trait anxious or trait angry were more likely to abuse alcohol than subjects low on these variables. (Author)

Studied subjects' judgments concerning the affective and control connotations of sentences describing interpersonal relationships. Females judged interpersonal relations to be more extreme in affect while males judged the same relations to be more extreme in control. Implications for communication problems between individuals of opposite sex were…

Tested the utility of the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI), the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and the Girona Affect Scale in predicting the outcomes of a marathon Gestalt therapy workshop. Signigicant predictive equations were generated that use the POI to predict gains on the Girona Affect Scale. (Author/RC)

Presents necessary cross-validational evidence on the Impact of Event Scale, a measure introduced to provide researchers with a psychometrically sound self-report instrument assessing the essential characteristics associated with stress disorders. The data were consistent with a clinically derived theoretical model of the pattern of response to…

Assessed locus of control in a group of 32 boys. Compared to normal controls, hyperactive children scored more external on locus-of-control scale. The findings indicate the value of appraising locus of control and other personality and social variables when treating the hyperactive child. (Author/JAC)

Compared the MMPI Scale 5 to the Bem Sex Role Inventory and Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Femininity measures were related more strongly to Scale 5 score than masculinity measures. It was concluded that Scale 5 may be interpreted more accurately as a measure of femininity rather than masculinity/femininity. (Author)

Definitions of projective tests are critiqued. A distinction is made between projective tests and projective techniques. The unique feature of the latter is its scoring process: response categories are intensionally defined and comprise infinite sets of responses. A continuity from psychometric to projective tests is argued. Statistical…

Overviews themes relating to humanistic psychology. Discusses the tendency of theorists to unconsciously externalize their own psyches. Examines the historical context of humanistic psychology. Discusses humanistic psychology's contribution to understanding the less healthy person. Provides instances of unrealistic thinking by humanistic…

A longitudinal study of personality styles and empathy at the University of Montreal to describe the characteristics of entering freshman medical students and to study changes during medical training is presented. Leisure-time activities and interpersonal relations seem to be little help in predicting capacity for empathy. (MLW)

Discusses three sorts of psychological science: Science 1, a natural science with conditional (causal) laws; Science 2, with probabilistic laws; and Science 3, a "human science" trying to capture the complexity of human experience and behavior. Argues that Science 2 and Science 3 should be treated as belief systems which people may find useful for…

Undergraduates completed self-report inventories of assertiveness, participated in behavior role-playing tasks and in vivo measures of assertiveness, and completed the Personality Research Form E (PRF-E). Of 22 PRF-E scales, 11 had at least one significant correlation with assertiveness measures. Some composites of PRF-E scales were related to…

The research review revealed that neither deception nor gullibility affects individual differences in acceptance, that subjects accurately recognize the triviality and actual accuracy of Barnum feedback, and that bogus feedback may persuade subjects to alter their self-evaluations slightly. The acceptance phenomenon manifests subjects' rationality…

Related the Barron Ego Strength Scale to the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, the Tolerance Scale of the California Psychological Inventory, and the Practical Outlook Scale of the Omnibus Personality Inventory, using 80 female subjects. Results showed significant correlations between ego strength and abasement, dominance, tolerance, and…

Sex-typed and androgynous males were assigned to a masculinity threat, masculinity validation, or control treatment group. Sex-typed males responded anxiously to sex-role threat and reported exaggerated levels of masculinity and antisocial behavior. Androgynous males reported anxiety but responded by lowering their levels of masculine endorsement.…