Psychology 415; Social Basis of Health Behavior Personality, 9-9-09, 1 Personality.

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Personality, 9-9-09, 1

Personality

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Personality & health: Methodology

“Nomological net” – based research

Antecedents• Origins• Context• Moderators(?)• Developmental

trajectory• Neurological basis

Antecedents• Origins• Context• Moderators(?)• Developmental

trajectory• Neurological basis

Construct• Core assumptions

• Stability• Generality

• Validity• Discriminant• Convergent• Correspondence to

known neuroψ process

• Mediators• “Boundary

conditions”• Assessment

Construct• Core assumptions

• Stability• Generality

• Validity• Discriminant• Convergent• Correspondence to

known neuroψ process

• Mediators• “Boundary

conditions”• Assessment

Consequences• Direct v. indirect

• “Main effects”• Stress –

vulnerability• Biomedical v.

behavioral• 2nd mediators

• Social-cognitive processes

• Ancillary behaviorsSupportconflict

Consequences• Direct v. indirect

• “Main effects”• Stress –

vulnerability• Biomedical v.

behavioral• 2nd mediators

• Social-cognitive processes

• Ancillary behaviorsSupportconflict

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Methods: outcomes & processes

de Wit (2009): Illustration of integrated processes, outcomes & operational definitions

(By population: ADHD for “waiting turn”, alcoholics for “resisting drink”)

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Methodology, 2

Trait correlations v. mediating research:

“What” Type A / hostility CHD risk in non-ill samples

Optimism speed of recovery from breast cancer

“How”

Type A alcohol & drugs / smoking + cardio vascular reactivity / HPA activation inflammation

Optimism Instrumental coping, lower basal arousal

Contextual variables: moderating research Gender effects (x cultural expectancies)

Race / ethnicity

Other minority status’: Sexual orientation and personality development, stress responses

SES.

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Methods, 3 Core potential circularity in personality

explanations:

Behavioral consistency is basis for trait ascription, and then serves as explanation of that same consistency:

how do you know someone is “warm”?

Core limitation in personality research:

Diverse measures of personality traits

Self-report measures of personaltiy

Self-report measures of health bias in health reports may reflect of personality constructs! (stoicism, neuroticism…)

Lack of construct validity studies

Cross sectional research designs

“Shotgun” / non-hypothesis based approaches to personality prediction

E.g., Taylor paper & iteration through 5 factor model

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Basic conceptual frameworks

Personality Trait Conception

Social – Cognitive Perspective

Behavioral Consistency

Broad traits• “Type A” / “hardiness”

Big 5…

Social / cognitive processes

•Attitudes & expectancies

•Self-schema

Outcomes

• Biomedical processes

• Health behaviors

• Health status

Social / cognitive processes

• Outcome & efficacy expectancies

• Self-schema, attitudes

• Choice of social environments

• Structure of social interactions

Behavioral Consistency

• Reinforcement & increasing stability of social – cognitive processes

Outcomes

• Biomedical processes

• Health behaviors

• Health status

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Social-cognitive + personality famework:

“Personality”-based consistency in social – cognitive processes

Sarason: Within-Ss consistency in social support

Self-esteem self-efficacy

BIS / BAS approach v. avoidant coping (see Amodio paper)

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Biologically based models

Approach v. avoidance

Behavioral inhibition system (BIS) v. Behavioral activation system (BAS)

Introversion v. extroversion (v. neuroticism) [Esynck]

Korte: “Hawks” v. “Doves” in coping with allostatic load (stress).

Controlled v. automatic processing

Impulsivity, sensation seeking, “thrill seeking” Developmentally early “Prepotent” response

PFC / “executive functioning”: self regulation Developmentally (& temporally) late Language dependent (?) Disposition toward effortful cognitive control (?)

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Personality health approaches

General mediating / heuristic model of personality effects on health

PersonalityPersonality

Health Behaviors

Health Behaviors

“Appraisal”: Stress & coping


Selective approach of

social contexts


social contexts

Biomedical processes Outcomes


Physiological reactivity


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Potential mental health mediators

PersonalityPersonalityBiomedical

processes Outcomes


Health Behaviors

Health Behaviors




social contexts


social contexts



Negative affect

Negative affect

Depression, “illness

behavior”


behavior”

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Potential mental health mediators, 2

PersonalityPersonalityBiomedical

processes Outcomes


Health Behaviors

Health Behaviors




social contexts


social contexts



Negative affect

Negative affect


behavior”


behavior”

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Personality health approaches:Personality constructs


Health Behaviors

Health Behaviors




social contexts


social contexts





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Personality constructs

Type A Personality

Externalizing anger & hostility

Striving & dominance

Time urgency

Negative affectivity / Neuroticism

Watson & Clark, 1984: low construct validity of affect subscales

Anxiety, dysphoria / depression, alienation, loneliness, self-esteem…

Differentiation from clinical depression?

Threshold for Rx v. chronic state

Differentiation of NA from PA (?)

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Personality constructs

Coping styles

Approach v. avoidant

“BIS” / “BAS”

“Self-monitorer” v. “Blunter”

Affective v. instrumental

Impulsivity

Effortful control / “Need for control”

Optimism Carver & Schier, Seligman: LOT – R

Differentiation from: Neuroticism, NA / PA, pessimism

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LOT - R Please be as honest and accurate as you can throughout. Try not to let

your response to one statement influence your responses to other statements. There are no "correct" or "incorrect" answers. Answer according to your own feelings, rather than how you think "most people" would answer.

1. In uncertain times, I usually expect the best.

[2. It's easy for me to relax.]

3. If something can go wrong for me, it will.

4. I'm always optimistic about my future.

[5. I enjoy my friends a lot.]

[6. It's important for me to keep busy.]

7. I hardly ever expect things to go my way.

[8. I don't get upset too easily.]

9. I rarely count on good things happening to me.

10. Overall, I expect more good things to happen to me than bad.

A = I agree a lot B = I agree a little C = I neither agree nor disagree D = I DISagree a little E = I DISagree a lot

A = I agree a lot B = I agree a little C = I neither agree nor disagree D = I DISagree a little E = I DISagree a lot

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Big 5 model

Openness to experience Intelligence? Tolerance for ambiguity? Sensation seeking?

Conscientiousness Impulse control “Need for control” “Perfectionism” Perspective taking

Introversion Extraversion Sensation seeking

BIS / BAS disposition

Sociability

Optimism?

Agreeableness Intelligence? Tolerance for ambiguity? Sensation seeking? Effortful cognitive control

Neuroticism Trait anxiety “Threat sensitivity” Avoidance

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Big 5 model





Sociability

Optimism?



Hans Eysenck’s model•Highly stable x time & context•Strong predictor of misc. social behaviors

Hans Eysenck’s model•Highly stable x time & context•Strong predictor of misc. social behaviors

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Big 5 model





Sociability

Optimism?



Strong associations with health behaviors & outcomes

Strong associations with health behaviors & outcomes

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Grande 5

2009

2010

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Health Behaviors

Health Behaviors




social contexts


social contexts





Personality health approaches:Health behaviors

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Health behaviors

Alcohol or drug use

Smoking

Health precautionary behaviors

Exercise

Diet

Social support acquisition / social isolation

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Health Behaviors

Health Behaviors




social contexts


social contexts





Personality health approaches:Appraisal & coping

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Appraisal & coping: Stress Taylor: Allostatic load

(Perceived) Demands exceed (perceived) capacity

Limited coping resources

Key distinctions:

Acute v. chronic

Controllable v. non-controllable

Cohen: Threat & affect Perceived threat

Personal susceptibility / vulnerability

Outcome expectancies

Efficacy expectancies

Perceived harm

Perceived loss

Stress component

Approach context

Avoidance context

ThreatFrustration,

angerFear, anxiety

Harm Anger Discomfort, pain

LossSadness,

shame?

Key assessment issue:“Objective” v. perceived stress

Key assessment issue:“Objective” v. perceived stress

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Affective (emotion-focused) v. instrumental (problem-focused)

Short-term, abstract / high-level v. concrete, longer-term

Strong effect of efficacy & outcome expectancies

Approach (engagement) v. avoidant (disengagement) Overlaps with emotion problem focused coping

Goal pursuit goal abandonment

Governs effect of coping behaviors:

Coping models, 1

Coping behavior Approach motive Avoidance motive

Seek social support

• Instrumental assistance•Emotional support

• Distraction,• Emotional solace

Information seeking

•Problem solving• Downward

comparisons

Religious or spiritual

•Restore resolve•Emotional support

•Fatalism•Avoidance

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Accommodation v. Meaning Changing / abandoning goals

Accommodating to.. negative affect

diminished capacity

Searching for meaning

“Transforming” to new life approach

Finding controllable actions Tailor: cancer survival

Rodin: geriatric morbidity

“Negative” coping

Coping models, 2

“Positive” coping

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Coping models, 3

Cognitive escape v. self-awareness / self-monitoring “Automatic”, affective v. controlled responding

“Problem” behaviors as escape strategies

Escape as context for risk / “problem” behaviors Substance use

High sensation activities

Driven by, e.g., •Low self-efficacy / generalized self-esteem•High negative affectivity•High impulsivity (?)

Driven by, e.g., •Low self-efficacy / generalized self-esteem•High negative affectivity•High impulsivity (?)

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Coping models, 4

Key potential interactions “John Henryism” among African-Americans

Active coping style + limited resources

Age / gender differences:

Stressors

Socially “sanctioned” coping styles

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Health Behaviors

Health Behaviors




social contexts


social contexts





Personality health approaches:Social behavior

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Approach of social contexts

Support garnering

Conflict engendering

E.g., “paranoid personality style” (Lemert)

Exposure to stressful environments

Exposure to risk environments

Peer selection

Neuroticism approach of

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Personality coping styles

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Personality coping styles:Type of stress as a moderator

“Dispositional optimism” is associated with less avoidant coping

Effect is moderated by type of stress

Academic

Health

Optimism not associated with approach coping

Not trauma

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Health Behaviors

Health Behaviors




social contexts


social contexts





Personality health approaches:Reactivity

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Hypothalamic / pituitary / adrenal [HPA] axis

Heart rate

Bp

Cortisol / catecholamines

Pro-inflammatory cytokines

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Personality effects: moderating & mediating variables

Taylor: simultaneous mediating & moderating effects surrounding Big 5 factors Mortality

Figure 5. Structural equation model to show the relationships between NEO-FFI conscientiousness and other risk factors on all-cause mortality in men (N 652). All of the parameters were statistically significant. Coefficients placed beside arrows may be squared to give the percentage of variance shared by adjacent variables.

Figure 6. Structural equation model to show the relationships between NEO-FFI openness and other risk factors on all-cause mortality in men (N 652). All of the parameters were statistically significant. Coefficients placed beside arrows may be squared to give the percentage of variance shared by adjacent variables.

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Crawford et al. (2003):

Consistent with a “cognitive escape” model, lessened concern over HIV mediates the effect of SS on risk.

Personality effects: moderating & mediating variables, 2

Sensation seeking

Sensation seeking

Lessened concern

Lessened concern

Sexual riskSexual risk

Relationship status moderates the effect of lessened concern HIV risk.

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Some general notes on personality approaches

Utility to translate into more practical applications.

Are core personality constructs changeable?

Is stability a defining characteristic?

If so, how is personality research applicable?

Does a general shift, e.g., in “well being” translate into actual health behavior later.

Intersection of (more transient) affect with stable personality variables: Melissa Cyder, U Kentucky

Tendency to act rashly (risky sexual behavior, alcohol abuse) exacerbated by intense negative and positive mood.

Positive urgency, liked with a specific genetic polymorphism, prospectively predicts increases in the quantity of alcohol consumed per occasion

Sensation seeking only predicts increases in drinking frequency - taking on a more global role.

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Notes, 2

Important aspect of addiction research in general is a lack of clearly defined terms.

de Wit: impulsivity not defined consistently across studies

Also true of the term "addiction“:

Translation of addiction -like constructs into, e.g.,

Internet

Sex

Exercise …

BIS / BAS model is changing:

shifting from looking at behavioral outcomes

to broader cognitive and self-regulatory processes.

What does BIS / BAS actually capture?

Pinball?

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Context of personality effects?

Context-dependency and its role in personality behavior linkages

focusing on broad links between personality and health behavior is missing a fundamental, more exogenous, component: social context.

Yanovitzky (2005):

Sensation seeking

Sensation seeking

“Deviant” peers

“Deviant” peers

Bad behavior

Bad behavior

~ Crawford and my findings re: ψ context (mediator)…

Sensation seeking

Sensation seeking

Lessened concern

Lessened concern

Sexual riskSexual risk

Psychology 415; Social Basis of Health Behavior Personality, 9-9-09, 1 Personality.

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Transcript of Psychology 415; Social Basis of Health Behavior Personality, 9-9-09, 1 Personality.