Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-97).

Thesis (doctoral)--La Salle University, 2002. / ProQuest dissertations and theses ; AAT 3108289. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-78).

Individuals responding in a socially desirable (SD) fashion, rather than in a manner that reflects their true behavior, has been a problem for self-report questionnaires since their inception. The purpose of this study was to examine the hypothesis that the probability an item is endorsed on a self-report measure of anger is directly proportional to the rated SD of that item. Eighty-two subjects completed the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), the Profile of Moods State (POMS), and the State- Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). A probability of endorsement was computed for each of the measures' items. Twenty additional subjects rated the measures' items for SD. Each item's SD rating was paired with the probability the item was endorsed to produce a correlation coefficient for each measure. Results strongly support the stated hypothesis. Directions for future research are discussed.

No description available.

The purpose of the study was to determine if exposure to a challenging interpersonal situation would have an adverse impact on intra- and interpersonal constructs. Individual difference variables including level of hostility and anger, Type A behavior, control in social situations, depression and sex were examined as "predictors" of those more likely to be adversely affected by personal challenge. Eighty subjects, 40 male and 40 female, completed questionnaires at a pretesting session including measures of hostility, the Type A behavior pattern, trait anger, exaggerated social control, depression, and self-other constructs. Twenty subjects then participated in a "supportive" role-play condition where the confederate was agreeable and friendly. Sixty subjects participated in a "challenge" role-play condition; the confederate was disagreeable, confrontive, and unpleasant. The posttesting measures were then completed.

The purposes of the study were to examine the psychosocial variables of hostility and social support, and their independent relationships with resting physiological levels and chronic pain symptoms, and to examine the independent relationships of chronic pain chronicity and social support with hostility.

The present study investigated the relationship between hostility, self concealment, social support, stress, and health. A path model was proposed, evaluated, and modified using the linear structural relations (LISREL) method of latent variable path analysis. Subjects were 402 undergraduate psychology students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All subjects completed self-report measures initially and 293 subjects completed mailed follow-up measures of health status one semester later. Health care utilization data was obtained from the Student Health Services. Results indicated that social support had strong direct effects, but relatively weak indirect effects on health. Whereas, hostility and self-concealment were found to have indirect effects, but not direct effects, on health. Hostility affected health via effects on social support, stress, and self-concealment. Self-concealment affected health via its effect on stress, and stress directly affected health. These findings suggest that emotional expression has an important influence on the relationship between social support, stress, and health. / Ph. D.

Previous research on the construct and measurement of Masculine Gender Role Stress (MGRS) validates the assumption of sex differences in the appraisal of stressful situations. The present study was designed to extend the validity of the construct, MGRS, by examining its association with a set of physiological responses known as cardiovascular reactivity. Generally, such reactivity is measured in terms of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR). Cardiovascular hyper-reactivity has been implicated as the major pathogenic mechanism through which psychological variables such as Type-A behavior and hostility may increase one's risk of coronary heart disease. A major underlying assumption of the dissertation is that the same gender-role socialization which leads to MGRS may also underlie development of Type-A behavior and hostility, and most importantly, cardiovascular hyper-reactivity. Forty-eight male undergraduate students volunteered to complete questionnaires measuring MGRS, Type-A behavior, and hostility, and participated in a one-hour laboratory session in which cardiovascular reactivity was assessed. Measures of SBP, DBP, and HR were obtained during consecutive phases of the assessment: (1) relaxation baseline, (2) the first stressor, (3) relaxation baseline, (4) the second stressor. All subjects were exposed to both stressors, a Cold Pressor Task (CPT) and a structured Masculine Threat Interview (MTI) in counter-balanced order. Subjects were divided into equal groups representing lower, middle, and upper thirds of MGRS. Results indicated that MGRS scores were significantly related to cardiovascular reactivity, specifically the SBP response. Thus, higher levels of MGRS were associated with proportionate increases in SBP reactivity. Within-subjects comparisons demonstrated no difference between stressors, the CPT versus the MTI, for SBP reactivity. Regression analyses indicated that MGRS scores were a better predictor of SBP reactivity than either Type-A behavior or hostility. Together, all three psychological variables accounted for 20% of the variance of systolic reactivity; however MGRS alone accounted for 17% of that variance. These findings add considerable support to the theoretical assumption that gender role socialization plays an important role in men's appraisal of psychological stress, and that such stress has measurable (harmful) effects on cardiovascular physiology. / Ph. D.

The influence of autonomic activation in response to controllable versus noncontrollable stress, anger imagery induction, and relaxation imagery was studied among 80 participants between the ages of 18 and 34. Participants differed in level of trait hostility as assessed by the Irritability Subscale of The Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (Buss & Durkee,1957) and the Ho scale of the Cook-Medley Hostility Inventory (Cook & Medley, 1954). Groups were further subdivided with regards to either having a positive family history of cardiovascular disease or having no significant history. Results were obtained through analyses of electrocardiograph R-R intervals which produced an index of autonomic nervous system activation. Findings supported hypotheses involving the relations between autonomic balance and stress and hostility for the female and male populations. Among both populations, parasympathetic regulation was diminished during anger induction for individuals with high levels of trait hostility and having a family history of cardiovascular disease. Similar results were obtained for men during relaxation imagery induction.

To the author's knowledge, this is the first systematic study of the concept of enmity in the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. Examining this important category does not only elucidate the concept itself, but also provides an opportunity to reconnect fragments of Hobbes's thought that are increasingly being treated as disparate subjects. It is suggested that the notion of enmity can shed further light on related aspects of his political philosophy, including human competitiveness, the roles of fear and trust, the evil of violent death, the status of rebels, and his theory of international relations. In addition, the subject invites a rethinking of Hobbes's place in the history of political thought. It is argued that he was among the first to make enmity a central subject of political philosophy. This seems to be related to Hobbes's break with the traditional notion of natural sociability, as a consequence of which he describes the natural condition of mankind as a war of all against all. Although Hobbes depicts human beings as natural enemies, he holds that enmity does not exclude the possibility of reconciliation; individuals can supposedly overcome their hostility through subjection to a sovereign. These views give rise to a dynamic distinction between public and private enmity, according to which outright hostility can be transformed into private rivalry if human beings renounce their natural right of war. Conversely, subjects become public enemies if they rebel against the sovereign. Hobbes's views on natural enmity and reconciliation also have important implications for his theory of international relations. This thesis particularly highlights the possibility that states can be decomposed and reassembled after a foreign invasion, which precludes wars of annihilation.