Core Self Research Articles

Experiences and narratives – Drug users with antisocial personality disorder retelling the process of treatment and change

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the value of adding a narrative perspective when listening to how two drug users with comorbid antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) experienced their participation in an intervention treatment targeting their antisocial behaviour. Methods: Two cases were chosen, representing a low and high level of change after participation in a programme intervention targeting ASPD within outpatient drug treatment. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to capture the quality of their experiences and their narrative sense-making strategies. Findings: The two cases converged with some of the core preconceptions about individuals with ASPD but contradicted them in others. Experiences and narratives differed in the ways they perceived their life challenges and their feelings of agency and control concerning their ability to engage in change processes without losing their core self. Conclusions: Responding adequately to user experiences requires paying attention to individual narratives and sense-making strategies. Certain aspects of ASPD may not be exclusive indications of pathological processes, but serve an important function when engaging in treatment and change. Taking this approach has the potential to facilitate a more constructive dialogue about which aspects of their behaviour that it makes sense to change.

Must cognitive anthropology be mentalistic? Moving towards a relational ontology of social reality

Maurice Bloch’s Anthropology and the Cognitive Challenge (Bloch 2012) is a luminous essay about the tumultuous relationships between cultural anthropology and disciplines more oriented towards the natural sciences. In a theoretical tour-de-force, Bloch’s clear writing allows the reader to better understand why most anthropologists are so reluctant to take into account naturalistic attempts to specify what makes us human. According to Bloch, one of the best ways to reduce the gap between anthropology and the cognitive sciences is to take the architecture of human cognition more seriously. This architecture is constituted by the deepest, universal level that is inherited ‘from our very remote pre-mammalian ancestors’ and the higher levels that are ‘unique specializations ofour species’. Bloch argues thatsuch an architecturealsounderlies human identity, which he calls the ‘blob’ in order to avoid confusion with any relevant existing theories. The blob can be separated into several levels that are ‘organically united’ with each other. The ‘core self’ is characterised by the pre-reflective experience of one’ sb ody as an agent located in space and differentiated from other entities. The ‘minimal self’, which is particularly developed in social species, involves the sense of continuity of oneself and others in time and requires episodic, short-term memory in order to process information about past behaviours and to plan future behaviours. Last but not least, the‘narrative self’ involvesautobiographicalmemorythatismoreorlessreflexively‘sustained’bynarratives that create an identity, invariant over time and contexts. Because this narrative self is infusedwithlanguageandmetarepresentations,itiseasilycaughtupinthepublicdiscourses onwhichanthropologiststendtofocus.But,toBloch,focusingonthese‘publicselves’,so readily accessible to the anthropological gaze, might be misleading. The blob is a multilayered phenomenon that results from a two-way process, one going from the cultural settings to the core layers of the blob, the other going from natural neuro-psychological processes to high-level self-narratives. While we applaud and admire Bloch’s proposal to reconcile anthropology with cognitive sciences, we are more sceptical about the way he tends to take up the mentalistic framing of social cognition as theory of mind that most psychologists tend to favour. Indeed, after characterising the blobs as naturally differentiated entities, Bloch defines social interactions as the mutual process of reading, penetrating or colonising the minds or the ‘blobs’ of others. The social and cultural world is thus based on a process of ‘interpenetration’ that allows us to go in and out of each other’s bodies and minds. Admittedly, this process of interpenetration has different scales of space

Dispositional Effects on Job Stressors and Job Satisfaction: The Role of Core Evaluations

Core self-evaluations (CSE) is a broad, integrative trait indicated by self-esteem, locus of control, generalized self-efficacy, and (low) neuroticism (high emotional stability). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of core self evaluations and its traits in the job stressors and job satisfaction. Two hundred and twenty eight (45 males, 183 females) of Islamic Azad University employees completed Measures of Job Stressors which consisted of the Interpersonal Conflict at Work Scale, the Organizational Constraints Scale, and Quantitative Workload Inventory, Overall Job Satisfaction, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), Eysenck Personality Inventory Neuroticism Scale, Internality, Powerful Others and Chance Scale (IPC), as well as Core Self-Evaluation Scale (CSEs). Findings revealed the negative correlation of self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy and core self-evaluations with interpersonal conflict at work, organizational constraints, and job satisfaction. Neuroticism had also a positive correlation with them. Furthermore, regression analysis of the data demonstrated that self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, neuroticism, and core self-evaluations significantly predicted interpersonal conflict, organizational constraints, and job satisfaction. Therefore, based on the results it could be concluded that core self evaluation and four traits influence the job satisfaction and job stressors with the exception of quantitative workload.

Unpacking the Mechanism by Which Psychological Ownership Manifests at the Level of the Individual: A Dynamic Model of Identity and Self

Increasing prominence of the psychological ownership (PO) construct in management studies raises questions about how PO manifests at the level of the individual. In this article, we unpack the mechanism by which individuals use PO to express aspects of their identity and explore how PO manifestations can display congruence as well as incongruence between layers of self. As a conceptual foundation, we develop a dynamic model of individual identity that differentiates between four layers of self, namely, the “core self,” “learned self,” “lived self,” and “perceived self.” We then bring identity and PO literatures together to suggest a framework of PO manifestation and expression viewed through the lens of the four presented layers of self. In exploring our framework, we develop a number of propositions that lay the foundation for future empirical and conceptual work and discuss implications for theory and practice.

Evolutionary aspects of self- and world consciousness in vertebrates.

Although most aspects of world and self-consciousness are inherently subjective, neuroscience studies in humans and non-human animals provide correlational and causative indices of specific links between brain activity and representation of the self and the world. In this article we review neuroanatomic, neurophysiological and neuropsychological data supporting the hypothesis that different levels of self and world representation in vertebrates rely upon (i) a “basal” subcortical system that includes brainstem, hypothalamus and central thalamic nuclei and that may underpin the primary (or anoetic) consciousness likely present in all vertebrates; and (ii) a forebrain system that include the medial and lateral structures of the cerebral hemispheres and may sustain the most sophisticated forms of consciousness [e.g., noetic (knowledge based) and autonoetic, reflective knowledge]. We posit a mutual, bidirectional functional influence between these two major brain circuits. We conclude that basic aspects of consciousness like primary self and core self (based on anoetic and noetic consciousness) are present in many species of vertebrates and that, even self-consciousness (autonoetic consciousness) does not seem to be a prerogative of humans and of some non-human primates but may, to a certain extent, be present in some other mammals and birds

Unlocking the Core Self: Mindful Occupation for Cancer Survivorship

Individuals who survive cancer can often expect to live many additional years after remission. However, in order to achieve holistic well-being, these individuals may need to pursue life management approaches beyond the requisite coping strategies at the level of the physical (protoself) and the narrative (autobiographical) self. When viewed through the lens of neuroscientist Antonio Damasio's three-tiered framework, it is clear that future conceptualizations of the cancer survivor's unique self within occupational science must transcend Cartesian dualism by turning to a third level—the core self—that acts as a bridge between the physical body and the conscious mind. Ultimately, the authors suggest that through mindful engagement in everyday occupations, cancer survivors may unlock the core self and enjoy enhanced quality of life.

HRM Bundles and Organizational Deviance: Exploring the Moderating Role of Core Self- Evaluations

Although studies demonstrate that employee perceptions of human resource management (HRM) practices result in positive employee attitudes and behaviors, there is a dearth of research that examines ...

"Exuberance in the Corner Office:CEO Personality and the Rise and Fall of Irish Firms, 2005-2009"

We shed new light on the double-edged implications of CEO confidence, conceptualized as the personality trait of core self- evaluation (CSE). Our central thesis is that the implications of executiv...

Antecedents and consequences of within-person variation in Core Self-Evaluations

Even though an increasing body of research shows that differences in trait core-self evaluations (CSE)--or the fundamental appraisals individuals make about themselves, their worth, and their abilities-- relate to beneficial employee-level outcomes (e.g. increased performance and job satisfaction), empirical research on the antecedents and consequences of state CSE is scarce. Yet, this research area requires attention both from a theoretical and a practical point of view. Theoretically, research on state CSE is needed to understand how internal and external events at work affect state CSE and how state CSE relates to important work outcomes. From a practical point of view, research on the antecedents of state CSE may guide the implementation of organizational initiatives. In this symposium, we present four empirical papers exploring causes and consequences of within- person fluctuations in state CSE. Following the presentations, John Kammeyer-Mueller will provide theoretical and practical suggestions and start up and lead an interactive group discussion. Environmental stressors and transformational leadership: The role of state core self- evaluations Presenter: Edina Dóci; Vrije U. Brussel Presenter: Joeri Hofmans; Vrije U. Brussel Core self-evaluations within an approach/avoidance framework: A day-reconstruction study at work Presenter: Annika Nübold; Maastricht U. Presenter: Günter W. Maier; Bielefeld U. The effect of life events on intrinsic motivation: The role of state core self-evaluations Presenter: Austin Lee Nichols; U. of Navarra Presenter: Charlice Hurst; U. of Notre Dame The effect of state core self-evaluations on performance Presenter: Jonas Debusscher; Vrije U. Brussel Presenter: Joeri Hofmans; Vrije U. Brussel Presenter: Filip De Fruyt; Ghent U.

Cognitive versus Non‐Cognitive Individual Differences and the Dynamics of Career Success

We examine the effects of cognitive and non‐cognitive individual differences on the dynamics of career success (i.e. pay, occupational status) by comparing temporal changes in the validities of two measures of personality—Core Self Evaluations and the Big Five personality dimensions—to temporal changes in the validities of two standard intelligence tests. The main finding of two studies based on large representative samples is that the validity of intelligence clearly increases over time, whereas the validity of personality tends to be stable, indicating that intelligence, but not personality, drives career success.

A Dignifying Shame: On Narrative, Repetition, and Distance in Anne Carson’s Nox

Abstract This article examines the relationship between the form of Canadian poet Anne Carson’s Nox and its content, particularly as they relate to shame and subjectivity. As an elegy, Nox is as much about the person mourned – Carson’s long-estranged brother – as it is about Carson herself. Yet, even as the book hints at real personalities and the kinds of shame they experienced, Nox also lends a dignity to both, enacting therefore the protective measures of shame through both the aesthetics of the book and the narratives it recounts. As a study of shame, therefore, I argue that Nox writes of the self without relying on the construct of the coherent, core self. Nox illustrates the various shames a self can feel but also the way shame can emerge as an aesthetic or poetics independent of the feeling self.

The dramaturgical perspective in relation to self and culture.

Social scientists have studied human behavior from the dramaturgical perspective (DP), through which society is viewed as an elaborate play or game in which individuals enact different roles. The DP is more than a theoretical construct; members of individualist, secular societies occasionally adopt the DP with relation to their own lives. The current research examined the consequences of adopting the DP for evaluations of the self and conceptions of reality at large. Study 1 examined the attitudinal correlates of DP endorsement to test our claim that the DP is situated in an ideological context of individualism and secular modernism. Supporting our claim that the DP invalidates external information about the self's value, in Studies 2A and 2B individuals endorsed the DP to a greater extent after a self-esteem threat, and Studies 2C and 3 showed that exposure to the DP (but not a direct system threat) buffered self-esteem threats. Examining moderators of the DP's influence on self-esteem, Study 4 showed that taking the DP with regard to the ultimate value (vs. concrete experience) of a social role decreased self-esteem and investment in that role. Studies 5A and 5B examined the DP's consequences for perceived moral objectivism. Adopting the DP decreased moral objectivism and moralization of various behaviors but not when the intrinsic self was dispositionally or situationally salient. The latter finding suggests that although contemporary individuals can and occasionally do adopt a reflective stance toward their place within social reality, they nevertheless continue to believe in a true, core self that transcends that precarious drama.

Organization Conditions Enabling Employee Empowerment and the Moderating Role of Individual Personalities

Empowerment is considered a key driver of organization growth. Companies are realizing that in today’sknowledge economy, high levels of supervision and direction actually hamper the full utilization of the employees’potential to contribute towards the overall organization’s objectives. Data was gathered from 243 employees to understand what really counts as empowerment and what impact it hason their effectiveness at work, their levels of innovation, leadership skills, commitment to the organization andtheir ability to manage stressful situations at the workplace. The research shows that except stress management, a highly empowered workplace has a strong positivecorrelation to all the above mentioned factors- at least as far as employee perceptions are concerned. The moreinteresting fact emanates when one tries to see if the personality of the employees also has any impact in all of this. The results clearly show that employees with higher levels of core self evaluation, self-efficacy, risk takingabilities, pro-activeness and an internal locus of control will do best only when provided with a work culture thatallows for their empowerment. In fact, wider the gap between the employees personality type and the workenvironment in terms of empowerment, the poorer will be the outcome on all these parameters-effectiveness,innovation, leadership skills, commitment and stress management. Interestingly, the reverse isn’t true. Providing amore empowered environment than what employees are thought to be able to handle (in case of employees withlower levels of self efficacy, etc.) does not lead to any similar negative consequences.

Les troubles de la personnalité dans le DSM-5

This presentation summarizes the revision process in preparing DSM-5 for personality disorders. The preliminary steps were The Research Agenda for DSM-5 published by D Kupfer et al. in 2002 and the APA/NIH Conference on Dimensional Models of Personality Disorders (Arlington, 12.01.2004) published in 2006 by T Widiger et al. DSM-IV categories showed excessive comorbidities and within- diagnosis heterogeneity, temporal instability and poor convergent and discriminant validity. The workgroup on personality and personality disorders chaired by Andrew Skodol has been working since 2007. The initial recommendations were published online on February 10, 2010. A major reconceptualization of personality disorders has been proposed by the workgroup with five severity levels of personality functioning based on degrees of impairment in core self and interpersonal capacities. A reduction in the number of categories (5) was expected to reduce the comorbidities and the replacement of some behavioral criteria by traits in 6 broad domains was expected to result in a better coverage and temporal stability. This new model did not receive a real approval from the American Psychiatric Association. The final decisions consist in the removal of the multiaxial perspective and the maintenance of DSM-IV personality disorders categories and criteria in DSM-5 Section II. The alternative hybrid model was placed in Section III with five domains and 25 trait facets. More validation studies are needed for the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) from R. Krueger (stability of factorial structure in psychiatric samples and concurrent validity with the new version of NEO PI-R (NEO 3).

Peran Core Self Evaluation dalam Memprediksi Persipan Pensiun

ABSTRACT This study examines the role of core self evaluation on predicting retirement preparation of pre retirement employees. This research involves 50 pre retirement employee of the exploration section of “ X Company” who get pre retirement program on 2013. Retirement preparation scale is used to measure effort of the employee’s retirement planning and core self evaluation is measured through core evaluation scale. Results show that there is no significant effect of core self evaluation on retirement preparation (F = 0.581, p = 0.679, p > 0.05). Based on data analysis it indicated that core self evaluation does not have effect on retirement preparation. It’s mean that core self evaluation could not predict employee’s retirement preparation. Thera are non-motivational and cultural factors that affect employees’ intention on retirement preparation. Keywords: core self evaluation, emotional stability, self esteem, self efficacy, locus of control, retirement preparation

Effect of Perceived Organizational Politics and Core Self Evaluation on Job Satisfaction

Many studies explore the effect of perception of organizational politics on job satisfaction but a very few investigate for the factors that are salient to this relationship. Perceptions of politics have been considered to be a source of stress at workplace which has detrimental consequences on the desired outcomes. Current study aims to explore the effects of perception of organizational politics (POP) and core self-evaluation (CSE) on employee job satisfaction. The present research also examines core self-evaluation as a moderator in the relationship between perception of organizational politics and job satisfaction. With a sample size of 100 respondents drawn from the health sector of 3rd largest city of Pakistan, named Faisalabad, the current study tested the main effects of POP and CSE on job satisfaction by using a self-administered survey having a total of 30 items. For analyzing the data, SPSS was used. As hypothesized, results show that perceived organizational politics had a significant negative relationship with job satisfaction but the results for CSE were not significant. Furthermore, CSE moderated the relationship of POP and job satisfaction, such that the negative relationship between perception of organizational politics and job satisfaction was weaker when core self-evaluation was high.

Effect of Perceived Organizational Politics and Core Self Evaluation on Turnover Intention: A South Asian Perspective

Previously a great stream of research is available on perceptions of organizational politics and its harmful aftermaths at workplace. Now a day’s scholarly attention diverts from aftermaths to search out for moderators or mediators that could reduce the harmful effects of POP at workplace outcomes. The purpose current study carries in itself is to explore the combined effects of perception of organizational politics and core self-evaluation on the work outcome of turnover intention. The present research also focuses on the use of a moderator named as core self-evaluation in the relationship of perception of organizational politics and turnover intention. In our study a sample size of 100 respondents were taken from the health sector of 3rd largest city of Pakistan, named Faisalabad, through this study we want to explore the main effects that POP and CSE could have on turnover intention for this purpose self-administered surveys were conducted by using a questionnaire having a number of 27 items in it. In this research we analyzed the data by using SPSS software. As hypothesized, that Perceived organizational politics had a significant positive relationship with turnover intentions but the results for CSE were not significantly support the hypothesis. As hypothesized, negative relationship exists between perception of organizational politics and turnover intention was weaker when core self-evaluation was high.

The Core Self in Psychoanalytic Literature and Its Benign and Ideal Dimensions

The author garners support in psychoanalytic literature for the conceptualization of a core self with transcendent properties and the ca- pacity to experience a communal sense of union. This core self is thought to contain a dual track notion of self/other experience in which the boundaries of self and other are paradoxically differentiated and yet identical. Rather than pathological, this self/no-self experience is unitive and unambivalent and leads to ecstatic experience of transcendence and communion with benign capacities. The author draws from psychoanalysis and from Plotinian philosophy to frame the core self with its loving capacities as ultimately benign and ideal and as originary experience embedded in our deepest nature. All character defects, faults and malevolent affects and experience are considered permutations of the positive elements of core self experience. The author suggests a goal of psychoanalysis can be the liberation of this core self from the shroud of negative affects and character faults. Through the containment and transformation of negative affect and experience, the eventual discovery of the numinous sublime qualities of the core self may emerge.

Emotional and Developmental Repair through Psychodrama: Floortime for Grown-Ups

Emotional and Developmental Repair through Psychodrama: Floortime for Grown-Ups

Feelings as agents of selection: putting Charles Darwin back into (extended neo-) Darwinism

This cross-disciplinary essay employs some illustrations (‘vignettes’) of behavioural interactions examined by the authors (man, mammals, fish, octopus) to show feelings and emotions (affects) acting as essential regulators of the process of living. The notion of the primacy of feelings as both necessary feedbacks operating in self-preservation and growth, and as agents of selection during inter-subjective and predator–prey exchanges, is supported by a wealth of human and comparative neuroscience findings. The trans-species core self of vertebrates, identifiable with ancient brain structures on or near the midline, and studies of the vasopressin/oxytocin system that have uncovered a functional and epigenetic continuum traceable to pre-Cambrian times, helps to re-align evolutionary theory upon Darwin's original unabashed notion of a place for emotions, separate from ‘cognitive’ ideas. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 112, 332–353.