The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the potential effect of sudden loss on the personality structures of bereaved individuals. For this purpose, I focused on the individual personality structures of five nuclear family members during the first year following the sudden loss of their daughter/sister. I followed a concurrent nested mixed model research approach and relied upon both the post-positivist and interpretivist paradigms, allowing me to integrate the complementary strengths of quantitative and qualitative data collection by means of triangulation. I utilised a within group interrupted time series design, comparing the family’s MBTI® profiles prior to and following the sudden loss they had experienced. In addition, I incorporated the results of 16PF profiles of the participants administered post-sudden loss. I further substantiated my findings in terms of recurring themes on individual metaphors concerning the sudden loss experience, constructed by the participants. The findings of the study indicated that distinct changes in personality structures occurred in terms of the personality structures of the participants. Pertaining to the four polarities of the MBTI®, I found that the participants displayed a greater preference for the Introversion attitude, as well as both the Sensing and Feeling functions, after they had experienced sudden loss. All participants displayed an inclination towards personal growth by moving closer to the Judging/Perceiving axis post-sudden loss. In addition, two general tendencies were evident amongst the participants, namely a greater dependence on the inferior functions; and secondly the tendency to rely on type exaggeration when dealing with sudden loss. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

<p>Social engineering attacks, especially trust exploitation, have become a focus of attention</p> <p>for cybercriminals attempting to manipulate or deceive users to take actions that further</p> <p>expose their vulnerabilities. This has also become a budding field for researchers as these</p> <p>interactions are based on complex social equations that are constantly taken advantage of.</p> <p>Identifying the "weakest link" is a popular method of identifying how these exploits take</p> <p>place, generally by observing when individuals fall for a social engineering attack. However,</p> <p>valuable insights may be used to harden security by observing patterns in users resistant</p> <p>or vigilant to these attacks. Primarily, this trend may be discovered in resistant users’</p> <p>personality traits. This has been found to be a more accurate indicator of behavior than</p> <p>self-reported intentions. Survey responses (n=120) indicate correlations between high test</p> <p>scores in trust exploitation exercises and Conscientiousness in the Big 5 Personality Model</p> <p>(p<0.001). No significant correlation was seen between self-reported cybersecurity habits</p> <p>and actual security behavior.</p>

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Change has become a prevalent feature of today’s organizations, resulting in an increased demand for workers who are able to adapt to the dynamic nature of the environment. Recently, many have suggested that traditional models of job performance should be expanded to include an adaptive performance dimension. Research in this relatively new domain has focused on defining adaptive performance and understanding how it may be predicted. This study contributes to these efforts by testing the personality trait of conscientiousness as a predictor of adaptive performance, with both constructs being studied at their domain and facet levels. The incremental validity of conscientiousness over cognitive ability is also examined, and autonomy is investigated as a moderator of the conscientiousness-adaptive performance relationships. A sample of 212 undergraduate students who work at least 20 hours per week participated in the study by completing an online survey and a cognitive ability assessment. Conscientiousness was supported as a good predictor of adaptive performance overall. However, the predictor-outcome results did vary over the domain and facet levels, emphasizing the importance of studying both levels. At the two-facet level of conscientiousness, the achievement motivation facet was shown to have stronger relationships with the adaptive performance dimensions compared to the dependability facet. At the six-facet level of conscientiousness, the three achievement motivation facets and one dependability facet (i.e., dutifulness) were significantly related to all eight performance dimensions, but the other two dependability facets (i.e., orderliness and cautiousness) were not significantly related to all of the adaptive performance dimensions. Conscientiousness did provide significant incremental validity over cognitive ability at the domain level and for almost all of the facet-level relationships, but cognitive ability was not related to adaptive performance or any other study variables. Autonomy was supported as a moderator with 16 significant interactions uncovered at the facet level. However, these significant interactions only involved three (i.e., interpersonal, learning, and cultural) of the eight adaptive performance dimensions. Overall, these results supported the conscientiousness-adaptive performance relationship and contributed new findings to the adaptive performance domain that have implications for employee selection and performance management.

This research explores the relationship between personality traits, Psychological Capital and job performance amongst sales employees within an Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector in South Africa. The study was conducted through quantitative research. The study used the Basic Traits Inventory short form (BTI) to measure personality traits; the Psychological Capital questionnaire (PCQ) to measure the Psychological Capital; and the Job Performance questionnaire (JBQ) to measure individual performance. A biographical questionnaire was also used. The questionnaires were administered to a population of 145 sales employees, 85 of whom were based in the company’s Johannesburg office, with the rest dispersed in the company’s Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, wider Free State and Mpumalanga offices. In view of the fact that the sample was small, 100% of the population was included in the study. A theoretical relationship between the constructs was determined and an empirical study provided evidence of the degree of relationship that existed between them. The results reveal significant relationships to exist between some sub-scales; however, statistical significance could not be reached for some correlations. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Cloninger’s Psychobiological Theory of Personality proposes four temperament dimensions, each underpinned by a different neurotransmitter system. The serotonergic system is purportedly linked to Harm Avoidance (HA). The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between HA and serotonin in migraine without aura (MO). A second aim was to explore the personality profile of MO patients. Sixty-six participants completed an online questionnaire and donated blood samples. Results indicated no significant association between HA and serotonin and a significant relationship between MO and HA. This study indicates that both Cloninger’s Psychobiological Theory of Personality and the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire used for its assessment have value in South African personality research. In addition, the findings of the study reveal support for personality influences on the processes involved in migraine. This not only produces worthwhile avenues of research but also an alternative perspective for clinical practice. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology (Research Consultation))