Differences In Personality Styles Research Articles

Helper Syndrome and Pathological Altruism in nurses - a study in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pathological Altruism and the concept of Helper Syndrome are comparable. We focused on Schmidbauer's description because it provides a comprehensive and testable definition. Nevertheless, this concept of Helper Syndrome has not yet been empirically investigated in a sample of helping professionals. To investigate whether nurses working with covid-19 patients are more likely to have Helper Syndrome compared with individuals from non-helper professions. The online survey took place between April 2021 and February 2022, in urban and rural regions of Salzburg, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses (n = 447) and controls (n = 295) were compared regarding Helper Syndrome characteristics. To measure characteristics of Helper Syndrome the following questionnaires were used: WHO-Five (WHO-5), selected scales of the Personality, Style and Disorder Inventory (PSSI) and the Freiburg Personality Inventory-Revised (FPI-R), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Insecure gender identity and self-assessment of having a Helper Syndrome was measured by a Likert scale. In both groups, Helper Syndrome was detected (nurses 29.5%, controls 30.5%). Participants with Helper Syndrome showed significant differences in personality styles and traits, namely significantly higher scores for Foreboding-Schizotypical Personality Style, Spontaneous-Borderline Personality Style, Amiable-Histrionic Personality Style, Ambitious-Narcissistic Personality Style, Loyal-Dependent Personality Style, Helpful-Selfless Personality Style, Carefully-Obsessive Personality Style, Optimistic-Rhapsodic Personality Style, Social Orientation, Strain, Emotionality and lower well-being. The only difference between nurses and controls was that nurses were significantly less open aggressive. For the first time, we were able to demonstrate Schmidbauer's concept of Helper Syndrome. According to our data, we found a subgroup of individuals similar to Schmidbauer's description of Helper Syndrome, but this sample was independent of helping or non-helping profession. These individuals seem to be at higher risk for psychiatric disorders.

“How obsessive are dentists?”––A personality styles & disorder inventory based prospective, controlled study

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine the typical personality traits of dentists and to discuss critically their influence on the necessary characteristics for a good dentist-patient relationship. MethodsTwo groups were invited via e-mail to participate the study in 2015–2020. One group consisted of German dentists (DENT N = 580). The other group was formed by German speaking psychotherapists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH N = 1.027). The Personality Styles and Disorder Inventory was used in its short form (PSDI-S) via online survey. The normalization sample (NORM N = 3.392) of the PSDI-S was used to compare the results with a normative sample. ResultsDentists differed in 10 out of 14 personality styles from the normalization sample (NORM), and in 13 out of 14 personality styles compared with the psychotherapists (DACH). Female dentists differed in 7 out of 14 personality styles to their male colleagues. ConclusionsThe most significant differences in personality styles were willful (PN), spontaneous (BL), reserved (SZ), ambitious (NA), optimistic (RH) and conscientious (ZW), which seem to be necessary for a good dentist-patient relationship and dental procedures. The expression of personality styles is most likely to influence the choice, delivery and cost as well as patient perception of treatment. Clinical significanceDentist's personality has an important impact on the interpersonal, which influences the dentist-patient relationship and its therapeutic outcome.

Personality Styles of Dentists Practicing Hypnosis Confirm the Existence of the Homo Hypnoticus.

Several publications with healthcare professionals, such as psychotherapists, have shown a significant difference in personality styles in practitioners using hypnosis compared to those not using hypnosis. To investigate differences in personality styles, dentists were contacted to participate in a personality-inventory [Personality Style and Disorder Inventory (PSDI)] online survey. Dentists using hypnosis (HYP DGZH) (n = 418) were compared to dentists not using hypnosis (NONHYP DENT) (n = 162). Results show that hypnosis-practicing dentists score significantly higher in the intuitive/schizotypal ST personality style (p < 0.001) compared to non-hypnosis-practicing dentists. Female dentists scored significantly higher in intuitive/schizotypal ST and unselfish/self-sacrificing SL in the HYP DGZH sample but only in unselfish/self-sacrificing SL in the NONHYP DENT sample. The percentage of women was similar in both samples (68.2%; 67.3%). Intuitive/schizotypal ST was found to be the predominant personality style of men who are interested in or use hypnosis, metaphorically so-called “homo hypnoticus.” Within the limitations of this cross-sectional non-interventional observational online-questionnaire study, results expand this notion to the so-called “homo hypnoticus dentalis.” However, further research on the subject is needed to investigate and confirm this personality type in other than the German-speaking DACH countries.

School Refusal Behavior: Role of Personality Styles, Social Functioning, and Psychiatric Symptoms in a Sample of Adolescent Help-Seekers.

ObjectiveSchool refusal (SR) in adolescence represents an important risk factor associated with adverse consequences. Although many clinical features of adolescents presenting with SR have been studied, the relationship between SR and personality styles—specifically in the help-seeking population—remains unclear. The present study aimed at investigating differences in personality style, adaptive functioning, and symptomology between Italian help-seeking adolescents who refused (SRa) and did not refuse (non-SRa) to attend school, to provide preliminary evidence of personality patterns in adolescent help-seekers presenting with SR.MethodThe study sample was comprised of 103 help-seeking adolescents (54 female, 49 male) aged 14–18 years. Participants were recruited during their first clinical visit and evaluated using the Shedler and Westen Assessment Procedure – Adolescent version (SWAP-A), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), the Maniac Rating Scale (MRS), the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), the Global Functioning Social Scale (GFSS), and the Global Functioning Role Scale (GFRS). Differences in the studied variables between SRa and non-SRa were measured and a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify possible predictive factors of SR.ResultsSRa presented with more anxious and depressive symptomatology and worse social functioning compared to non-SRa. With respect to personality, SRa displayed more schizoid and schizotypal characteristics and fewer adaptive and healthy personality features. Irrespective of any differences between groups, SRa were largely characterized by inhibited–self-constricted and emotionally dysregulated personality styles.ConclusionsThe results suggest that personality styles are clinical features that may contribute to broadening our knowledge of SR behavior and aid in the detection of SRa, also in the help-seeking population. The findings have clinical, social, and political implications for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, in both clinical and non-clinical settings. However, more data are needed on personality features to clarify their contribution to the more complex phenomenon of school absenteeism.

Significant Differences in Personality Styles of Securely and Insecurely Attached Psychotherapists: Data, Reflections and Implications.

This is a contribution to the research on the therapist variable aiming to improve effectiveness of psychotherapy. It is shown that attachment styles shape personality styles of psychotherapists in a favorable or unfavorable manner. Data on personality (PSDI) and attachment (RSQ) styles was collected from 430 psychological psychotherapists of the DACH countries using an online survey. The 88 insecurely attached psychotherapists differed significantly from their 342 securely attached colleagues in 9 of 14 personality styles: They were – even though well within normal range – more paranoid, borderline, schizoid, dependent, negativistic, self-sacrificing, avoidant, and depressive, as well as less optimistic. This corresponds to results of other researchers. Data regarding their effectiveness was not available. It is argued that a secure attachment style predispose to be a good psychotherapist. Yet, insecurely attached psychotherapists possibly compensate their adverse traits through self-therapy, continuous education, and supervision.

A Novel Approach for Investigating Parkinson's Disease Personality and Its Association With Clinical and Psychological Aspects.

ObjectiveA complex relationship between neuropsychiatric symptoms, personality traits and neurochemical changes in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been highlighted in the past several decades. In particular, a specific Parkinson personality with obsessive traits has been described. However, despite the great amount of anecdotal evidence, this aspect, together with its neurobiological, psychological and clinical correlates, are still not clearly defined. Therefore, we performed a case-control study in order to investigate the presence and rate of obsessive personality traits in PD patients within the theoretical framework of cognitive-constructivist model. Moreover, the relationship between PD personality and clinical, psychological and quality of life (QoL) aspects in PD were investigated.MethodsFifty-one non-demented patients with probable or possible PD (not demented) were recruited at the inpatient-outpatient San Luca Hospital, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano. Control group was composed by forty-eight age- and education-matched healthy volunteers. Patients underwent a neurological investigation including Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), Modified Hoehn and Yahr and Schwab and England staging scales. The following psychological questionnaires were administered to the overall sample: Personal Meaning Questionnaire (PMQ), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y (STAI-Y), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Symptom Check List-90 (SCL-90), Short-Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36).ResultsNo significant differences in personality styles were observed in PD patients and controls, with a prevalence of phobic personal meaning organization (PMO) in both groups. However, PD patients showed more anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms than controls at the psychological questionnaires, as well as poorer QoL levels. The intensity of personality traits, and in particular for the obsessive personality style, were negatively associated with QoL and positively with disease severity. No significant relationships were observed between personality and other clinical aspects, such as side of onset and disease duration.ConclusionParkinson’s disease patients did not show a different personality profile according to the cognitive-constructivist model with respect to controls. However, in this population, a general enhancement in the tendency to codify experience by means of specific cognitive and emotional patterns was associated to disease progression and to a poorer QoL.

The Role of Phenotypic Personality Traits as Dimensions of Decision-making Styles

Background:Each individual has unique personality traits which affect decision-making process. Those traits are defined as cautiousness, openness to experience, decision difficulty, agency, emotion neutrality, goal orientation, intuitive awareness, plan orientation, pro-activity, and rationality.Objective:The study aimed to show how established personality traits as dimensions of decision-making can be used to classify four distinct decision-making styles. The personality styles are defined as avoidant, designer, flexible, and auditor styles.Methods:A global survey was conducted to gather information on individual decision-making styles. Quantitative methods, such as tabular analysis, mean score equivalency test, correlation analysis, discriminant analysis and chi-square test for association have been used.Results:We found that there are significant gender differences in personality styles. This is partially due to the differences in emotion-neutrality scores among men and women. Female respondents are more emotional, a finding that is common in educational workers.Conclusion:The results reinforce that gender differences in emotions exist. For a socially interactive occupation such as education, being emotional might lead to better communication.

A Comparison of Osteopathic, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Occupational Therapy Students' Personality Styles: Implications for Education and Practice

ABSTRACTResearch has demonstrated that students with specific personality styles tend to choose particular professions. Even within a discipline, differences in personality traits are evident. With differences in personality styles reported in other professions, the question arises, are there differences in personality styles among the health professions? As such, this study is being undertaken to determine if differences in personality style exist between pharmacy and other health-profession students. Such information can help educators guide prospective students into compatible careers or counsel students who are having a difficult time completing the curriculum. In addition, this information can help enlighten health-profession students about the differences in personality and how these differences may manifest themselves in the workplace. The hypothesis tested was “there is a difference in personality traits between osteopathic, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and occupational therapy...

Differential profile of personality in women who breastfeed or bottle feed

The aim of this work was to explore the individual differences in Personality Styles of mothers who establish breastfeeding bottle feeding. The sample was comprised by 313 women who completed the Inventory Millon Personality Styles (MIPS) in their late pregnancy and answered to a phone interview one month after birth. A total of 237 women (75.7%) were exclusively breastfeeding after one month and 76 (24.3%) were bottle feeding. They were compared with the reference population of Spanish women. The results show differential profiles ( p < 0.001 to p < 0.05) depending on the feeding method used after one month. Women who used bottle feeding had different scores in the bipolarities: ‘Actively modifying’-‘passively accommodating’, ‘Externaly-Focused’-‘Internally Focused’, ‘Asocial/Withdrawing’-‘Gregarious/Outgoing’, ‘Anxious/Hesitating’-‘Confident/Asserting’ and ‘Unconventional/Dissenting’-‘Dutiful/Conforming’. Women who breastfed showed different scores in the same bipolarities, and also in ‘Pleasure Enhacing’-‘Pain-Avoiding’ and ‘Dissatisfied/Complaining’-‘Cooperative/Agreeing’. There are differential profiles of personality that may predict the decisions and guide health promotion interventions.

Personality Style in Behavioural Disturbances in Parkinson?s Disease

Objective: Non-motor changes in Parkinson’s disease (PD) can include behavioural disturbances, such as apathy and impulse control disorders (ICDs). These behavioural problems impact on quality of life and carer burden. In the case of impulsivity, there is some association with specific personality styles at the time of assessment. This study compares current and pre-morbid personality attributes among people with PD who experience a clinically significant ICD, apathy, or no behavioural disturbance. Methods: 94 PD participants without dementia (ICD, n=34; apathy, n=24; control, n=36) were examined for current and pre-morbid (10 years before PD onset) personality style using self- and informant- versions of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. All informants were knowledgeable about patients’ midlife personalities and provided both current and pre-morbid ratings. Results: When key co-variates (depression, anxiety, age and dopamine load) were controlled for, a difference in self-reported current personality style was found among the three PD groups, with the ICD group rating themselves as less agreeable compared to those with apathy or no behavioural disorder. Informant-rated current and pre-morbid measurements of personality style did not differ. Conclusion: While PD patients with clinically significant ICDs currently report themselves as being less agreeable, their informants did not support this finding and reported no change from pre-morbid personality. Differences in personality style with impulsive-compulsive behaviours in PD may not be discernable to others and may be related to transient ‘state’ factors (i.e. influenced by the disease process or response to treatment), rather than the more enduring trait characteristics exhibited prior to the onset of PD. Until longitudinal investigation of personality determinants has been conducted, there should be a cautious approach in screening for at-risk individuals using specific personality attributes, to avoid overlooking persons with PD who may be vulnerable to developing behavioural complications.

Do Personality Differences Between Teachers and Learners Impact Students' Evaluations of a Surgery Clerkship?

Historically, the surgery clerkship at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) has received poor evaluations from medical students, and the authors of this article hypothesized that this negative feedback may reflect, at least in part, inherent differences in the personality styles of the learners compared with those of the surgery teachers (faculty and residents). Differences between teachers and learners could impede effective communication and impact adversely students' perception of, and satisfaction with, the learning environment. The objective of this study was to compare the inherent personality styles of surgery teachers and medical students. Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to assess personality styles, we administered the instrument to 154 teachers in the surgery department and to 1395 medical students. Aggregate MBTI data for teachers and learners were analyzed based on four dichotomous scales. Chi square tests of independence were performed to examine the relationship between teachers and learners on the MBTI scales. The study was undertaken at IUSM, which has been engaged in a process of cultural change for over 10 years, in part to ensure that both the formal curriculum and the learning environment support the development of self-awareness and professionalism among our graduates. We found that teachers were similar to learners on the Introversion/Extraversion scale and dissimilar from learners on the three remaining scales: Sensing/Intuition scale (p < 0.008), Thinking/Feeling scale (p < 0.000), and the Judging/Perceiving scale (p < 0.022). These results suggest that differences in personality styles may affect the teacher-learner interaction during the surgery clerkship and may influence negatively students' perception of the learning environment.

Diet and personality: Associations in a population-based sample

Background Large portions of the population of the United States of America fail to follow dietary recommendations. Psychological factors may contribute to non-adherence. Objective Establish the associations between heritable personality styles, attitudes towards food, and habitual eating behavior. Design Variables were assessed by questionnaire in a population-based sample of 629 subjects. Associations were established using correlation and regression analysis, taking gender, demographic, lifestyle and other factors into account. Results Differences in personality style were reflected in diet. For example, hostility and anxiety-proneness was associated with greater likelihood to continue eating when satiated, while sociability and low impulsivity correlated with greater monitoring and control of dietary intake and body weight. Immaturity, aloofness, self-consciousness and self-gratification were associated with greater susceptibility to hunger and lack of persistence with increased snack and alcohol consumption. These associations differed for the sexes and were stronger for attitudes towards food than actual eating behavior. Taking other factors into account reduced the number of significant associations between diet and personality, particularly for habitual eating behavior. Conclusions Associations exist between personality and diet. However, the strength of these associations is influenced by demographic, lifestyle and other factors. These findings have implications for future studies and efforts aimed at changing unhealthy dietary habits.

A Comparison of Learning Styles Among Seven Health Professions: Implications for Optometric Education

Educational research and development efforts are most often directed at the improvement of teaching while neglecting students’ learning styles. Besides being marginally effective, an exclusive focus on improving teaching methods may lead to reinforcement of inappropriate and nontransferable learning strategies. As such, this study is being undertaken to determine if differences in personality style exist among health profession students. This retrospective-descriptive study tested the null hypothesis “there is no difference in personality traits between osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, dental medicine, optometry and occupational therapy students.” Differences as well as similarities were discovered across all seven professions. Implications for instruction, student retention and practice are provided.

Estilos diferenciales de personalidad en población adulta española y argentina

Differences in Personality Styles based in data gathered administering MIPS (Millon Inventory of Personality Styles) are analyzed. The inventory was administered to two adults samples (Argentine, Spain). Based in Means and Standard Deviations scores for each of the 24 scales that integrate the technique Student´t scores were obtained. We found significative statistical differences in sixteen of those scales for the total samples analyzed. Furthermore, the paper analyzes differences according to sex between the two populations. A discriminant analysis is carried out to study which scales of the questionnaire allow us to discriminate better between subjects. The conclusions include some considerations about the transnational data comparisons and their clinical application.

Considering individual differences in the design of preventive interventions: HIV primary prevention as an example

This study examined how individual differences in personality style influenced children's receptivity to HIV primary prevention. Prior to taking part in a HIV prevention program, 123 fifth graders from an ethnically diverse inner city school district were administered the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI) and scales measuring HIV-related beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge. The HIV scales were readministered at the conclusion of the program. WAI groups (formed by contrasting dimensions of restraint and distress) were found to differ significantly on measures of knowledge about HIV, HIV-related fears, safe behavior attitudes, and risk behavior at pre-test. The intervention's impact, as reflected in scale change scores, did not show significant differences among WAI groups. Although subtle differences were evident among groups, findings suggest that HIV primary prevention programs may be equally effective among children with differing degrees of self-restraint and distress.

Electroencephalogram asymmetry during emotionally evocative films and its relation to positive and negative affectivity

The purpose of the present study was to determine if there were differences in hemispheric lateralization during the experience of emotions and if those differences were related to personality style. College-age adult subjects selected for high positive and negative affectivity on Tellegen's Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; Tellegen, 1982) viewed video stimuli selected for their emotionally evocative nature and rated the intensity of the emotions they experienced. The ongoing electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded while they watched the video clips. Analyses of the EEG data revealed that there were differences in regional activation during the emotional video clips, especially for those stimuli selected to elicit either happy or disgust emotions. These results support the hypothesis that the right hemisphere is specialized for the experience of certain negative affects, whereas the left hemisphere is specialized for the experience of certain positive affects. The findings also indicated some support for the theory that individual differences in personality style are related to differing levels of hemispheric arousal.

Lateral Eye Movements and Personality Style

Recent evidence suggests there might be a relationship between conjugate lateral eye movements in response to questioning and personality style (2). Such eye movements are usually accepted as an index of inferred hemispheric activation or hemisphericiry, with the direction of response thought to be contralateral to the activated hemisphere. Typically, left movers have been described as more inner-directed, creative. imaginative, and emotional than right movers who are reported to be more logical, analytic, critical, and verbal. A recent study (4) suggested that differential hemispheric activation might account for obsessoid and hysteroid personality styles. Using lateral eye movements as an index of inferred hemispheric activation obsessoid individuals seem to show a preference for a left-hemisphere-processing style and hysteroid persons show a similar preference for a right-hemisphere-processing style. The present study reexamined this relationship using the Hysteroid-Obsessoid Questionnaire (I), a more carefully standardized assessment of these two personality styles than chat used before (4). However, rather than selecting obsessoid and hysteroid subjects from an initial pool, the present study investigated those subjects who showed the most consistent hemisphericity as indicated by eye-movements and then assessed differences in personality style. The subjects were 80 right-handed college stud en^ selected from an original pool of 210, on the basis of their eye-movements to questions. The technique was identical to that used elsewhere (4). These subjects were then split into two groups of 40; in one group were those individuals showing the most consistent left-eye movements to questions (29 males, 11 females) and in the other were those showing the most consistent right-eye movements to questions (27 males, 13 females). Each subject was then asked to fill out the Hysteroid-Obsessoid Questionnaire. The mean score for the left movers (24.82, SD = 5.16) was not significantly different from the mean score for the right movers (23.91, SD = 4.91), suggesting that hemispheric activation was not related to this personality measure. These results question earlier results (4) and suggest that che relationship be