Abstract
The aim of this investigation is to develop useful research toolsfor assessingpsychological traits and defence mechanisms towardnegative emotions. The present study examined 124 young women adults (19 - 39 years) participating in short-term stress sessions conducted with a non-invasive procedure called “Drawing Recollection” of real personal stressful life experiences (Biasi & Bonaiuto, 1997a, 1997b, 2007). This treatment lasts 20 minutes and is as effective as the heavier traditional techniques. Emotional and motivational changes are documented by pre- and post- treatment bipolar “Self-Appraisal Scales” (Biasi, Bonaiuto, & Giannini, 2010). With the LDM Inventory, the participants were selected and divided into two contrasting extreme groups, according to their very high or very low Need for Harmony (N/H) sub-scale scores. We identified favourable and unfavourable personality traits for developing specific negative emotions under stress: in particular the N/H, concerning the tendency to avoid interpersonal conflicts at the cost of self-sacrifice and self-punishment (Spielberger, 1988; Spielberger & Reheiser, 2000). Participants who obtained high “Sadness” scores under stress (measured by “Self-Appraisal Scales”), had significantly higher scores on N/H scales compared to the opposite group (p < 0.001). The N/H defence mechanism and negative emotion of “Sadness” (“Depression”) combination represents significant co-factors of stress sensitivity.
Highlights
Recent clinical studies conducted by Spielberger & Sarason (2005) and Spielberger & Reheiser (2009) show that anxiety, anger and depression are important indicators of psychological distress and require careful assessment
We confirm that the development of negative emotions under stress is not generic, but is governed by constraints and affective habits already present in the personality: among which, in this case, the typical Lifestyle Defence Mechanism called “Need for Harmony”
We confirm that the “Need for Harmony”, with its aspects of the tendency to avoid interpersonal conflicts at the cost of self-sacrifice and self-punishment, is a significantly predictive trait for the particular increase of sadness under stress
Summary
Recent clinical studies conducted by Spielberger & Sarason (2005) and Spielberger & Reheiser (2009) show that anxiety, anger and depression are important indicators of psychological distress and require careful assessment. The experimental study of short-term stress allows us to identify which defense mechanisms are adopted with respect to the individual personological profile This investigation aims to detect the intervention of a specific defence mechanism called “Need for Harmony” inpersonalities that are extremely sensitive in coping with stress, in conditions of psychological conflict overload. The internal reliability of the Italian LDM Inventory was comparable to that from samples using the English LDM Inventory (range: .89 to .94) suggesting that items from Italian instrument are addressing a unitary construct in this sample They performed a Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a previously reported 2-factor solution for the Italian LDM Inventory subscales derived from different Italian samples (Comunian, Biasi, Giannini, & Bonaiuto, 2001, 2003). We found that bilingual participants’ Italian and English LDM Inventory scores were not significantly different from one another
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