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The purpose of this paper is to investigate one method of understanding why man behaves as he does--personality tests.

Situations are important in relation to behavior and personality (Lewin, 1946, 1951; Ross & Nisbett, 1991; Zimbardo, 2007). However, historical studies of situations have suffered from disagreement about their structure. The Riverside Situational Q-sort (RSQ: Wagerman & Funder, 2009) was developed as a tool to comprehensively measure situation characteristics. Because the RSQ is still relatively new, the factor structure of the RSQ has yet to be examined. Identifying the factor structure of the RSQ is important in order to provide an interpretation of the dimensions of situations and to make the first step in creating a smaller measure of situation characteristics that takes less time for participants to complete. Using a variety of factor extraction methods, 9 factors appeared consistently: Adversity, Social Negativity, Obligation, Cognitive/Intellectual, Mate Attraction, Sensuous, Positivity, and Competition. This study provides in-depth insight into the characteristics of situations based on a quantitative measure from an adult sample. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The problem was to determine whether significant relationships existed between the personality types of deans/directors of continuing education and chief academic officers in institutions of higher education in North Carolina. Literature was reviewed in order to determine the research that had been completed using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) with administrators in post-secondary institutions. A demographic questionnaire was developed to ascertain information about the type and size of the institutions, as well as data about the respondent. All post-secondary institutions, excluding business and trade schools, in North Carolina were included in the study. The dean/director of continuing education and chief academic officer from each institution were identified to receive the personality inventory and the demographic questionnaire. A total of 210 individuals were sent the information and 113 responses were received by the cut-off date. These represented a 54% return. Personal data and demographic data were reported in tables. A nonparametric statistic was utilized to analyze the degree of relationship among the data obtained from the MBTI and the demographic questionnaire. The .05 level of significance was applied in all cases. Results of the data analyses indicated that agreement was not significant between the two groups in the study. The investigator examined the four dimensions of personality types as an entity, as well as analyzed each of the dimensions separately between the two groups. An examination of personality types of deans/directors of continuing education and chief academic officers were made of those in two-year versus four-year institutions. The educational level of these two groups was examined to determine if significant differences existed in this component. Analyses of the two groups in two- and four-year institutions revealed that no significant difference existed between them. In examining the educational level of the persons who were employed in continuing education and those as academic officers, the data revealed that there was a significant difference in this area. Of the academic officers, 73% had terminal degrees as compared with 19% of the individuals in continuing education. Analyses of the demographic data revealed that 57% of the respondents were from institutions that had an enrollment of between 1,000-5,000, 70% of the respondents were very satisfied with their present positions, and 43% were between the ages of 40-49. In the area of education, 43 persons had completed a master's degree, and 58 individuals had a terminal degree.

Four studies were conducted with the aim of developing a measure of narcissism that, unlike previous measures, is not inherently pathological. In Study 1, the NPI—the closest approximation to such a measure—was administered to a large-scale sample. Two separate Principal Component Analyses (PCAs) failed to replicate its reported structure, and revealed further psychometric problems. Use of an alternative item format (Likert ratings) was shown to yield much higher reliabilities than the original forced-choice format. Using the Likert item-format, the Profile of Narcissistic Dispositions (POND) was developed in Study 2. The items were based on a comprehensive analysis of the literature on "normal" narcissism. Five reliable subscales emerged from an oblique factor analysis. All five loaded substantially on the first unrotated principal component. The relationship of the POND to established self-report measures was also explored. In Study 3, the POND's structure was replicated and empirical relations were expanded: In particular, the POND showed negative correlations with various self-reports of psychopathology. In Study 4, the POND was shown to predict peer ratings of narcissism. Further peer-ratings elaborated the character of normal narcissism, that is, an interpersonal style that is marked by a dominant and secure but disagreeable social presence.

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Motivational Distortion is a construct of replicable error characterized by a shift in one's responding on a personality measure from an anonymous role to a role motivated by the testing situation. The Sixteen Personality Factor (16PF) contains an embedded scale designed to measure the this construct. Scores on this scale provide a basis for correcting scores on the primary factors.To date, individual studies on Motivational Distortion have not adequately addressed the construct validity of the scale. The present study utilized a sample of teleeducation students in an attempt determine if varying levels of role aptitude and role-congruent settings does impact Motivational Distortion.The results of regression and Aptitude-by-treatment interaction analysis (ATI) have two implications for Motivational Distortion. Namely, The relation of Motivational Distortion and its components may be moderating instead of causal, and the relation of the construct and other personality factors is more limited. / Department of Psychological Science

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most studied psychological disorders in psychology, and it is also one of the most detrimental to the individual. Research on BPD has consistently found that those with the disorder often experience volatile interpersonal interactions, and several areas of research have been dedicated to the understanding of the mechanisms behind these interpersonal struggles. One of the most common theories is that emotion dysregulation and affective instability, two core traits of BPD, may impact these interpersonal interactions in a negative manner. Several researchers have attempted to identify how those with BPD perceive the emotional states of others, but have obtained mixed results. The purpose of the current study was to examine emotion perception in those with borderline personality features using a paradigm which has not been used in any of the existing literature, as well as to explore the differences between the effects of mood state and personality traits on emotion perception, as those with BPD experience high levels of negative mood. A modified version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task was utilized in combination with a mood induction method and a measure of borderline personality to determine the roles of both affective state and personality traits in emotion perception. Results indicated that although mood was unable to be effectively manipulated in the current sample, several findings emerged which offer support to various theories of the potential mechanisms behind emotion perception in BPD, including evidence for impulsivity as a potential influencing factor in accurate emotion perception. In addition, the current study highlights key areas of future research which may provide a greater understanding of how both affect and personality traits influence the interpersonal experiences of those with BPD. An examination of the results, potential mechanisms behind study findings, and future directions are discussed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1992. / Bibliography: leaves 219-240.