The primary research questions dealt with whether parents consider different personality characteristics of importance for boys and girls. Data were collected by conducting a telephone survey of a random sample of parents in the city of Denton with children under the age of eighteen living in the household. Respondents were asked whether they considered the personality characteristics of responsibility, strict obedience, being respectful of the opinions of others, showing good manners, being independent, and having loyalty to a religion not important, somewhat important, or very important for boys and girls. Of the respondents fifty-nine were fathers and one hundred and twenty-one were mothers. The analysis of the data revealed that mothers and fathers have similar attitudes concerning the importance of these personality characteristics.

Past research has shown how personality characteristics and demographics influence the likelihood of couples and individuals participating in marital interventions. However, these studies do not focus on the factors that influence men’s participation and are limited to their respective sample frames, making them difficult to generalize to a population. A nationally representative, population-level study of newlywed males may help to provide more generalizable insights regarding the factors that influence men’s participation in marital interventions. The current study had two purposes. First, this study sought to examine the personality and demographic factors that influenced the likelihood of men participating in a variety of marital interventions. Second, this study attempted to provide a demographic description of men who participated in marital interventions. A sample of 2,150 men were drawn from a nationally representative random probability sample known as the CREATE survey. Binary and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to address the research questions. A total of three factors were found to be influential in the likelihood of men participating in marital interventions – religiosity, depressive symptoms, race/ethnicity. This study provides an in-depth view as to how men’s religiosity largely influenced the likelihood of them participating in marital interventions, nationwide. Such conclusions have valuable potential to help practitioners understand, in detail, how men’s religiosity may influence men to participate in marital interventions.

This study investigated the effects of personality characteristics on emergent leadership in small group settings. Two instruments were used to assess personality factors: The BASIS-A and the California Personality Inventory (CPI). A sociometric tool was developed to elicit leader ranking of female group members. The BASIS-A, was used to test for Taking Charge and Wanting Recognition lifestyles in women who emerged as leaders. The CPI was used to assess female emergent leaders for Dominance and Leadership Potential. The two instruments and a sociometric form were distributed to 115 female graduate counselor-in-training students the last week of their group counseling experience. This survey resulted in 55 respondents (N=55) from eleven discussion groups. It was expected that women who had the highest averaged leader rank would demonstrate higher test scores in Dominance, Leadership Potential, Taking Charge, and Wanting Recognition than women who received a lower averaged leader rank. It was also thought that these four test factors would be highly related. If so, a case would be made to use the BASIS-A as an emergent leader assessment tool because it is consistently based in one psychological theory. No significant effect was found between the highest leader rank and three of the test measures: Dominance, Leadership Potential, and Taking Charge. Using four one-way ANOVAs, a significant effect was found between highest leader rank and Wanting Recognition. This demonstrated that individuals high in interpersonal caution, empathy, and with a need to succeed emerged as leaders. Possible explanations for this finding were discussed. Significant relationships were found using the Pearson-r correlation statistic between three of the four test variables. From the CPI, the Dominance and Leadership Potential scales were highly correlated to the BASIS-A Taking Charge life-style. The BASIS-A Wanting Recognition lifestyle was not related to either Dominance or Leadership Potential. Unexpectedly, a significant relationship was found in this population between Wanting Recognition and Taking Charge. Perhaps due to the limited inter-correlational analysis and small sample, these research results did not support using the BASIS-A as a sole emergent leader assessment. More research is needed before such a case can be made.

No description available.

The study aimed to investigate if personality characteristics were associated with quantitative job insecurity among Swedish employees. This study implemented a cross-sectional design and a total of 157 employees participated in the study. Participants filled in an electronic survey consisting of 27 questions and the collected data was analyzed through one unadjusted and one adjusted regression analysis. The unadjusted regression analysis showed that personality characteristics were negatively associated with quantitative job inecurity, and the explained variance for personality characteristics on quantitative job insecurity was 14%. The results from the adjusted regression model showed that employment contract was positively, and personality characteristics were negatively associated with quantitative job insecurity, while seniority and qualitative job insecurity were not associated with quantitative job insecurity. Meaning that people with high values on personality characteristics and permanent employees were least affected by quantitative job insecurity. In total, employment contract, seniority, personality characteristics and qualitative job insecurity could explain 25% of the variance of quantitative job insecurity. Job insecurity is detrimental to both the individual and the organization and a strategy to counteract the experience of job insecurity might be to develop personality characteristics among employees.

This study was concerned with the investigation of the relationships that may exist between certain personality characteristics, as measured by the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey, and the choice of major of students enrolled in seven fields of study in a school of business administration. It also investigated differences in these relationships between two different levels of academic performance, as measured by grade-point average. The seven fields of business included in this study were Accounting, Business Education, Banking and Finance, Insurance, Management, Marketing, and Secretarial Administration.

This study was undertaken to determine what differences are found among personality characteristics of superior students, in special English classes, who score high on a standardized achievement test and superior students in the same classes who score low on this test. A second dimension of the study was to determine whether the same personality characteristics are evident among superior students in these classes at the eighth, tenth and twelfth grade levels.

O efeito placebo caracteriza-se pela redução de um sintoma ou melhora de um quadro clínico que se obtém após a administração de uma substância farmacologicamente inerte (placebo) ou um procedimento sabidamente ineficaz. O efeito placebo tem sido observado em diferentes doenças e sintomas e a magnitude de resposta varia entre 30% a 70%. Alguns fatores que estão associados ao efeito placebo são conhecidos e diversas teorias tentam elucidar os mecanismos psicobiológicos envolvidos na resposta a placebo. No entanto, o entendimento ainda é limitado. Objetivos: a) Verificar se há característica de personalidades associadas à resposta a placebo em estudos com antidepressivos; b) Verificar se há associação de polimorfismos em genes do sistema serotonérgico com resposta a placebo. Métodos: Foram incluídos no estudo pacientes que participaram de ensaios clínicos com antidepressivos e placebo conduzidos no Instituto de Psiquiatria do Hospital de Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (IPQ-HCFMUSP), entre 2000 e 2005. Os sujeitos (n=57) [pacientes deprimidos (n=14), pacientes fóbicos (n=22) e voluntários saudáveis (n=21)] foram considerados respondedores a placebo, de acordo com os critérios estabelecidos pelo estudo de origem. Para a análise das variáveis de personalidade os sujeitos responderam o Inventário de Temperamento e Caráter (ITC) e para a análise das variáveis genéticas foram escolhidos três genes polimórficos do sistema serotonérgico: do transportador de serotonina (SLC6A4), do receptor de serotonina subtipo 2A (HTR2A) e do receptor de serotonina subtipo 1B (HTR1B). Análise estatística: foi utilizado o modelo de análise discriminante para avaliar o comportamento das variáveis [idade, escolaridade, gênero e diagnóstico] e uma regressão logística para verificar quais destas variáveis explicavam as diferenças observadas entre os respondedores e não respondedores, bem como seu grau de importância. Resultados: Não houve diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os respondedores e não respondedores a placebo, em relação à idade, escolaridade e gênero. Os respondedores a placebo apresentaram escores significativamente maiores nos fatores de personalidade busca de novidade e autotranscendência quando comparados aos não respondedores. Os resultados da análise genética mostraram uma sugestiva associação entre dois genes polimórficos [o 5HTTLPR (SLC6A4) e o gene 5HTR1B (G861C)] e a resposta a placebo. Conclusões: Os resultados sugerem que a resposta a placebo é influenciada por características de personalidade em sujeitos sadios e pacientes com diagnóstico de fobia social e depressão e por polimorfismos genéticos em sujeitos sadios. / The placebo effect is characterized by symptom reduction or the improvement of a clinical picture after the administration of a pharmacological inert substance (placebo) to be ineffective or a procedure already known to be ineffective. The placebo effect has been observed in different illnesses and symptoms and the magnitude of this response varies from 30% to 70%. Some factors associated with the placebo effect are known and various theories aid to elucidate the psychobiological mechanisms involved in the placebo response; however, the knowledge is still limited. Objectives: a) To verify if personality characteristics are associated with placebo response in studies with antidepressants, b) To verify if polymorphisms in serotonergic system genes are associated with placebo response. Methods: Patients that participates in clinical trials of antidepressants and placebo realized at the Instituto de Psiquiatria do Hospital de Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (IPQ-HCFMUSP), among 2000 to 2005 were included. Subjects (n=57) [depressed patients (n=14), phobia social patients (n=22) and healthy volunteers (n=21)] were classified as placebo respondents following criteria established criteria by the origin study. For the personality analysis, subjects answered the Inventory of Temperament and Character (ITC) and for the genetic analysis, were chosen three polymorphic genes: the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4), the serotonin receptor subtype 2A (HTR2A) and the serotonin receptor subtype 1B (HTR1B). Analysis statistics: A discriminate analysis model was used to evaluate the variables behavior [age, education, gender and diagnostic] and a logistic regression to verify, which of these variables explained the differences observed between placebo respondents and no respondents, as well as its degree of importance. Results: There were no significant statistical differences between placebo respondents and non respondents regarding age, education, and gender Placebo respondents presented a significantly higher score´s for personality factors novelty seeking and self-transcendence in comparison to non respondents. The results of the genetic analysis suggest an association between two polymorphic genes [the 5HTTLPR (SLC6A4) gene and 5HTR1B (G861C)] and placebo response. Conclusions: The results suggest that placebo response in healthy volunteers and depressed and phobia social patients is influenced by personality characteristics and by genetic polymorphisms in healthy subjects.

In this thesis, product experiences were analyzed in human-product interaction context. The terminology to describe product experiences were gathered and grouped with the studies carried out during the thesis. The conceptual network of product experiences were attempted to be established by examining the stages of human-product interaction in the limitations of the studies. The gathered terminology was composed of both concrete and abstract product features. The abstract product features which are used for defining product personality characteristics took part in the lexicon. The lexicon for product experience related communication resulting from the thesis, was used in designed instructional game for Bachelor degree industrial design students, in order to be informed and develop themselves on the subject. Hereby, while the students have fun, they will explore the terminology to use in design communications easily.

Vyresnių klasių mokinių elgesio ypatumai bei požiūris į sveikatą dažnai lemia vėlesnio gyvenimo kokybę. Didelis priklausomybę sukeliančių medžiagų vartojimas, savižudiško elgesio dažnėjimas tarp jaunų žmonių kelia susirūpinimą. Tokio elgesio priežastys kompleksinės: biologinės, psichologinės ir socialinės. Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti vyresnių klasių mokinių asmenybės savybių, įvertintų MMPI metodika, sąsajas su savo sveikatos vertinimu ir save žalojančiu elgesiu. Tyrimas buvo atliktas Pagėgių Algimanto Mackaus, Tauragės Žalgirių, Salantų ir Šilutės Vydūno gimnazijose. Dalyvavo 725, 9-12 kl. mokiniai (41% vaikinai, 59% merginos), jų amžius svyruoja nuo 15 iki 19 metų. Tiriamųjų asmenybės savybėms įvertinti buvo naudojama MMPI metodika, savo sveikatos vertinimui - savo sveikatos vertinimo faktorius, save žalojančiam elgesiui – beprasmiškumo ir minčių apie mirtį faktoriai, priklausomybę sukeliančių medžiagų vartojimui – atskiri klausimai. Aukštėjant klinikinių MMPI skalių įverčiams blogėja savo sveikatos vertinimas, didėja priklausomybę sukeliančias medžiagas vartojančių mokinių skaičius, stiprėja polinkis savižudybei. Aukštėjant D, Pd, Pt, Sc, Ma skalių įverčiams, mokiniai linkę blogiau vertinti savo sveikatą. Didesnis mokinių priklausomybę sukeliančių medžiagų vartojimas siejasi su aukštesniais Pd, Pt, Sc, Ma skalių įverčiais, rūkymas daugiau skiriasi aukštesniais D, Pd, Pa, Pt, Sc, Ma, Si įverčiais, o alkoholio ir kitų narkotinių medžiagų vartojimas skiriasi aukštesniais Pd... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Senior classes pupils behavioral features and attitudes to health often leads to subsequent quality of life. Intense usage of addictive substances and suicidal behavior among young people is in concern. Reasons of such behaviour are complex: biological, psychological and social. Objective of the study was to determine senior classes pupils personality characteristics, valuated with MMPI questionnaire, links to self-assessed health and self-harmful behavior. The study was conducted in Pagėgiai Algimantas Mackus, Tauragė Žalgiriai, Salantai and Šilutė Vidūnas gymnasiums. 725 pupils in grades 9-12 participated (41% guys, 59% girls), from 15 to 19 years old. MMPI questionnaire was used to evaluate personality characteristics, health evaluation factor for assessment of own health, thought about death and futility factors for evaluation of self-demaging behavior, separate issues for addictive substances usage. When MMPI clinical scale ratings increase, health is assessed worse, more pupils use addictive substances, increase tendency to suicide. Pupils with higher D, Pd, Pt, Sc, Ma scale ratings tend to assess their own health worse. Higher usage of addictive substances links to higher Pd, Pt, Sc, Ma scale ratings, smoking more links to higher D, Pd, Pa, Pt, Sc, Ma, Si scale ratings, alcohol and other drug usage more links to higher Pd, Sc, Ma ratings. Increase of Hs, Pd, Pa, Pt, Sc, Ma scale ratings links to higher tendency to suicide.