Character Dimensions Research Articles

P.4.b.016 - Will early intervention with SSRI versus benzodiazepines reduce the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder?

In recent years, several twin studies adopted a dimensional approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and estimated the contribution of genetic and environmental influences to variation in autistic traits. However, no study was performed on adults over 18 years of age and all but two studies were based on parent or teacher ratings. Also, the genetic and environmental contributions to the interplay between autistic traits and adult personality dimensions have not been investigated.A sample of 266 complete twin pairs (30% males, mean age 40 ± 12 years) drawn from the population-based Italian Twin Register was administered the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Genetic structural equation modelling was performed with the Mx program. Estimates were adjusted for gender, age, and GHQ-12 score.Genetic factors accounted for 44% and 20%–49% of individual differences in autistic traits and TCI dimensions, respectively. Unshared environmental factors explained the remaining proportion of variance. Consistently with the notion of a personality profile in ASD characterised by obsessive temperament, autistic traits showed significant phenotypic correlations with several TCI dimensions (positive: HA; negative: NS, RD, SD, C). Genetic and unshared environmental correlations between AQ and these TCI dimensions were significant. The degree of genetic overlap was generally greater than the degree of environmental overlap.Despite some limitations, this study suggests that genetic factors contribute substantially to individual differences in autistic traits in adults, with unshared environmental influences also playing an important role. It also suggests that autistic traits and the majority of temperament and character dimensions share common genetic and environmental aetiological factors.

Temperament and character in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

BackgroundIn addition to identified neuropsychiatric characteristic of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), changes in personality seem to occur in patients with SLE. Even in absence of an axis I psychiatric diagnosis, personality variations play important role in general wellbeing of these patients. This study investigated personality features in patients with SLE using Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). MethodIn this case-control study personality features of 59 patients with confirmed diagnosis of SLE were evaluated using Persian version of TCI-125 questionnaire. Collected data from patients with SLE were statistically compared with normative data for Iranian population. ResultsAmong four subscales of temperament, reward dependence (RD) and harm-avoidance (HA) were significantly lower than general population. Self-directedness (SD) character dimension was significantly lower in SLE patients compared to normative data. No significant difference was noted in novelty-seeking (NS) and persistence (PS) temperament scales and cooperativeness (CO) and self-transcendence (ST) character scales. ConclusionPersonality changes in SLE is characterized by higher HA and RD along with low SD. These features are associated with higher anxiety, social withdrawal and lower resourcefulness and purposefulness.

Does Personality Matter? Temperament and Character Dimensions in Panic Subtypes.

Symptomatic heterogeneity in the clinical presentation of Panic Disorder (PD) has lead to several attempts to identify PD subtypes; however, no studies investigated the association between temperament and character dimensions and PD subtypes. The study was aimed to verify whether personality traits were differentially related to distinct symptom dimensions. Seventy-four patients with PD were assessed by the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.), and the Temperament and Character Inventory (T.C.I.). Thirteen panic symptoms from the M.I.N.I. were included in a factor analysis with varimax rotation. A correlation analysis (Pearson's correlation), a linear regression analysis, and a forward stepwise regression analysis between the identified factors and T.C.I. variables were performed for evaluating the association between panic subtypes and personality features. Three factors were obtained: "Somato-dissociative", "Respiratory", and "Cardiologic" explaining respectively 18.31%, 13.71%, and 12.78% of the total variance. Correlations analyses showed that only "Somato-dissociative" factor was significantly correlated with T.C.I. "Self-directedness" (p<0.0001) and "Cooperativeness" (p=0.009) variables. Results from the regression analysis indicate that the predictor models account for 33.3% and 24.7% of the total variance respectively in "Somatic-dissociative" (p<0.0001) and "Cardiologic" (p=0.007) factors, while they do not show statistically significant effects on "Respiratory" factor (p=0.222). After performing stepwise regression analysis, "Self-directedness" resulted the unique predictor of "Somato-dissociative" factor (R²=0.186; β=-0.432; t=-4.061; p<0.0001). Current results, although preliminary, suggest the importance of assessing personality and temperament features that may be potentially related to poor treatment response for a better understanding and characterization of PD subtypes.

Self-concept of Adolescent Students from Single Sex and Co- Educational Schools

In order to evaluate the hypothesis that there is no difference in the self-concept of adolescent students from single sex and co- educational high schools, the investigator conducted a study on 60 subjects (30 boys and 30 girls) out of which 30 subjects were from single sex schools and remaining were from the co- educational school. The measurement was done using the Self-concept Rating Checklist by Dr. Pratibha Deo which contains 90 adjectives describing a person’s self-concept. The result shows that adolescent students from co- educational schools have a better self-concept as compared to the adolescent students from single sex schools. When the various dimensions were analyzed, it was found that the boys from co- educational schools had better aesthetic and character dimensions while the girls from the co- educational schools were found to be better in social and intellectual dimensions.

Characteristics of patients in an eating disorder sample who dropped out: 2-year follow-up.

This manuscript explores the characteristics of individuals diagnosed with an eating disorder who dropped out of treatment, compared with those who completed it. The participants were 196 patients diagnosed with eating disorders (according to DSM-IV-TR criteria) who consecutively began treatment for the first time in an eating disorders unit. They were assessed at baseline with a set of questionnaires evaluating eating habits, temperament, and general psychopathology. During the follow-up period, patients who dropped out were re-assessed via a telephone interview. In the course of a 2-year follow-up, a total of 80 (40.8%) patients were labeled as dropouts, and 116 (59.2%) remaining subjects were considered completers. High TCI scores in the character dimensions of Disorderliness (NS4) (p<.01) and total Novelty Seeking (NST), along with low scores in Dependency (RD4), were significantly associated with dropout in the course of 2years. Once the results were submitted to logistic regression analysis, dropout only remained associated with high scores in Disorderliness (NS4) and, inversely, with an initial Anorexia Nervosa (AN) diagnosis (p<.05). Reasons for dropout stated by the patients included logistic difficulties, subjective improvement of their condition, and lack of motivation. Clinicians should handle the first therapeutic intervention with particular care in order to enhance their understanding of clients and their ability to rapidly identify those who are at risk of dropping out of treatment. Level III: Cohort Study.

Diagnostic Concordance Between Categorical and Dimensional Instruments to Assess Personality Disorder in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Abstract. The study examines the relationship between a categorical and a dimensional personality assessment instrument in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). A total of 162 CFS patients were included in the study (91.4% women; mean age 47.5 years). All subjects completed the Spanish versions of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+) and the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R). Results: 78 (48.1%) of the patients presented a Personality Disorder (PD), the most frequent being Cluster C, specifically Obsessive-compulsive disorder, followed by Avoidant disorder. PDs showed a specific pattern of correlation with temperament scales. All PD clusters correlated positively with Harm Avoidance and Self-Transcendence, and negatively with Reward Dependence, Self-Directedness, and Cooperativeness. In a logistic regression analysis, Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness predicted PD presence. The findings are consistent with previous studies in non-CFS samples and suggest that the combination of the Temperament and Character dimensions (low Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness and high Harm Avoidance and Self-Transcendence) correlates with PD severity, and that Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness are associated with PD presence in CFS patients. The integration of these two perspectives expands the current comprehension of personality pathology in CFS patients.

THE TEMPERAMENT AND CHARACTER TRAITS IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AND BIPOLAR AFFECTIVE DISORDER WITH AND WITHOUT SUICIDE ATTEMPT

Suicide and mood disorders (especially major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar affective disorder (BD)) represent a significant global health burden. Major depressive disorder and bipolar affective disorder have been associated with increased risk for suicide. Some specific suicide risk factors might be found in underlying individual personality traits. Specific personality features may predispose an individual to mood disorders (MDD or BD) hence increased suicide risk. The specificity of this research is in the assessment of personality features during the acute phase of illness immediately after suicide attempt which resulted in psychiatric inpatient treatment. The study included 119 unrelated Caucasian participants with MDD-severe depressive episode without psychotic symptoms (MDD) and BD-severe depressive episode without psychotic symptoms (BD-sDE). Both groups of patients with MDD and BD-sDE were divided into the suicide attempters and non-suicidal group. The diagnoses of the severe depressive episode without psychotic symptoms in major depressive disorder (MDD; F32.2) and bipolar disorder (BD-sDE; F31.4) were made according to ICD-10 (WHO 1992) diagnostic criteria. Methods of suicide attempts were also assessed according to ICD-10 and a self-report questionnaire, the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was applied. The participants who exhibited suicide attempt had significantly higher scores on harm-avoidance (HA) (p<0.001), significantly lower score on persistence (PS) (p=0.037) and lower score, however not statistically significant, on novelty-seeking (NS) (p=0.319) regarding temperament dimensions. In character dimensions, the patients with suicidal attempt had significantly lower scores on self-directedness (SD) (p<0.001) and significantly lower scores on cooperativeness (CO) (p=0.001). Patients who had suicide attempt may have some significantly different personality traits than non-suicidal patients with mood disorders. The combination of high harm-avoidance (HA) and low self-directedness (SD) may be specific for depressive episode while the combination of high HA, novelty-seeking (NS), and self-transcendence (ST) with low SD may be related to suicide attempts during the depressive episode in bipolar disorder. The novelty-seeking (NS), self-transcendence (ST) and self-directedness (SD) may be specific for suicidal group of bipolar patients.

Attentional focus affects how events are segmented and updated in narrative reading.

Readers generate situation models representing described events, but the nature of these representations may differ depending on the reading goals. We assessed whether instructions to pay attention to different situational dimensions affect how individuals structure their situation models (Exp. 1) and how they update these models when situations change (Exp. 2). In Experiment 1, participants read and segmented narrative texts into events. Some readers were oriented to pay specific attention to characters or space. Sentences containing character or spatial-location changes were perceived as event boundaries-particularly if the reader was oriented to characters or space, respectively. In Experiment 2, participants read narratives and responded to recognition probes throughout the texts. Readers who were oriented to the spatial dimension were more likely to update their situation models at spatial changes; all readers tracked the character dimension. The results from both experiments indicated that attention to individual situational dimensions influences how readers segment and update their situation models. More broadly, the results provide evidence for a global situation model updating mechanism that serves to set up new models at important narrative changes.

Temperament and character profile of college students who have suicidal ideas or have attempted suicide

ObjectiveSuicide is a major cause of death in university students. Personality traits have been suggested as possible risk factors for suicidal behaviors. This study looked at the relationship between the personality dimensions of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and suicidal behaviors. MethodA total of 5644 college students took the TCI test and the suicidality module of the M.I.N.I. The students were divided into the suicidal ideation group (n = 302; 5.4%) and the suicide attempt group (n = 301; 5.3%). Each group's TCI dimension and sub-dimension scores were compared with one another. To find out which TCI dimension affects suicide risk when depressed, regression analysis and mediation analysis were conducted. ResultsFirst, we adjusted for age, sex and depressive mood and compared the TCI scores of the participants based on their suicide risk. After the adjustment, self-directedness decreased in the suicidal ideation group while novelty seeking and persistence increased in the suicide attempt group. It turned out that self-directedness has a partial mediating effect between depressive symptom and suicide risk (β = −0.068 P < 0.001). ConclusionWe adjusted for depressive mood and it turned out that the suicidal ideation group is affected by character whereas the suicide attempt group is affected by temperament. Among the character dimensions, self-directedness was found to reduce the effect of depressive mood on suicide risk. Therefore, when evaluating suicide risk, assessing character dimensions, especially self-directedness along with depressive mood, a risk factor, will be helpful.

A study on MCIN model in intelligent clothing industry

Purpose This paper aims to study the material conscious information network (MCIN) to present new models of clothing products and persons and propose new crowd-designing patterns to reconstruct an improved supply–demand relationship in clothing industry. Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to study the MCIN to present new models of clothing products and persons and propose new crowd-designing patterns to reconstruct an improved supply–demand relationship in clothing industry. Findings At last, this paper implements a prototype system of novel e-commerce platform based on the CDCI to illustrate the effectiveness and soundness of the CDCI modeling. Originality/value Different from most related works just focusing on the physiology dimension in the matching of customer and clothing, this paper proposes that the dimension of physiology, character, knowledge and experience should be synthetically considered.

The effects of personality traits on academic burnout in Korean medical students

BackgroundPrevious studies suggest that personality traits play an important role in academic burnout. The aim of this study was to investigate how Cloninger’s temperament and character traits explain academic burnout in a highly competitive environment of medical school. MethodsA total of 184 Korean medical students participated in the survey. The Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory was measured around the beginning of the semester and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey at the end of the semester. The correlations and stepwise regression analysis were conducted to explain the association between personality traits and academic burnout. In addition, latent profile analysis and profile analysis were employed to distinguish and explain differences of personality traits among latent academic burnout subgroups. ResultsThe higher harm avoidance of temperament and lower self-directedness and cooperativeness of character predicted the subscales of academic burnout in medical students. The Temperament and Character Inventory personality profile of high, middle, and low latent burnout subgroups were significantly different. ConclusionThis study showed that personality might account for the burnout level in medical education. The importance of character dimension for modulating the effects of temperament traits on academic burnout was discussed for future research.

Temperament and character traits among suicidal patients during depressive episode of bipolar disorder

IntroductionBoth suicide and mood disorders represent current and future global burden on public health system. Bipolar disorder (BD), part of a diagnostic group of mood disorders, is characterized by manic, depressive and mixed episodes with life-expectancy much shorter than in general population. Patients with BD have 30 times higher suicide rate than the general population and 25–50% of these patients attempts suicide. About 15% of patients who attempted suicide eventually end their lives with completed suicide.AimThe aim of our research was to distinguish personality features among bipolar patients with current depressive episode (BD-D) who attempted suicide.Materials and methodsThe research was conducted among patients with depressive episode of BD (according to diagnostic criteria of ICD–10) who attempted suicide and had been admitted for hospital psychiatric treatment. For assessment of personality, we used the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI, Cloninger R.) upon admittance. Our sample consisted of 31 (n = 31) patient who met the above mentioned criteria. All patients given their written informed consent. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 17.0.ResultsIn our sample, we found, higher scores on harm-avoidance (HA), significantly higher scores on novelty seeking (NS) with significantly lower scores on persistence (P), self-directedness (SD) and cooperativeness (C) scales of the TCI. The Mann–Whitney-U test was used to compare samples.ConclusionIn our sample, suicide attempts are associated with temperament and character dimensions. These results confirmed our initial hypotheses on existence of specific personality features among that group of suicidal patients with BD–D.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

The Varieties of Character and Some Implications for Character Education.

The moral and civic dimensions of personal character have been widely recognized and explored. Recent work by philosophers, psychologists, and education theorists has drawn attention to two additional dimensions of character: intellectual character and "performance" character. This article sketches a "four-dimensional" conceptual model of personal character and some of the character strengths or "virtues" proper to each dimension. In addition to exploring how the dimensions of character are related to each other, the article also examines the implications of this account for character education undertaken in a youth or adolescent context. It is argued that "intellectual character education," which emphasizes the development of intellectual virtues like curiosity, open-mindedness, and intellectual courage, is an underexplored but especially promising approach in this context. The relationship between intellectual character education and traditional character education, which emphasizes the development of moral and civic virtues like kindness, generosity, and tolerance, is also explored.

COMORBID DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IDEATION IN PATIENTS WITH COMBAT-RELATED PTSD: THE ROLE OF TEMPERAMENT, CHARACTER, AND TRAIT IMPULSIVITY

War veterans with PTSD have a high chance of developing major depressive disorder (MDD) at some point, while they can also exhibit increased suicidal tendencies. The primary goal of this research was to investigate whether personality dimensions, including temperament, character, and trait impulsivity, were associated with comorbid MDD, as well as with suicidal ideation in psychiatric patients suffering from combat-related PTSD. The sample consisted of 148 Croatian male war veterans (mean age 49.53 years) treated for PTSD at the National Center for Psychotrauma, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center Zagreb. Fifty-one (34%) of them met ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for current or lifetime MDD, while 97 (66%) were diagnosed with PTSD alone. All the participants were assessed with the M.I.N.I. diagnostic interview and they completed the following battery of self-report instruments: the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). Comparisons between the two clinical groups showed that PTSD+MDD patients were more suicidal and differed with regard to temperament dimensions Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence and Persistence, character dimension Self-Directedness, and trait impulsivity. In three multivariate regression analyses, it was revealed that character dimension Cooperativeness as well as trait impulsivity were unique predictors of suicidal ideation, while controlling for the influence of sociodemographics, length of treatment and comorbid depression. Combat-related PTSD patients with comorbid depression exhibit increased suicide thoughts and different personality profiles in comparison with those suffering from PTSD alone. Character dimension Cooperativeness and trait impulsivity seem to be uniquely predictive of suicide ideation in this population. Elucidation of individual psychological factors that increase the risk of MDD and suicidal tendencies in war veterans with PTSD may facilitate more effective prevention and treatment methods.

A cyber-anima-based model of material conscious information network

Purpose This paper aims to study the node modeling, multi-agent architecture and addressing method for the material conscious information network (MCIN), which is a large-scaled, open-styled, self-organized and ecological intelligent network of supply–demand relationships. Design/methodology/approach This study models the MCIN by node model definition, multi-agent architecture design and addressing method presentation. Findings The prototype of novel E-commerce platform based on the MCIN shows the effectiveness and soundness of the MCIN modeling. By comparing to current internet, the authors also find that the MCIN has the advantages of socialization, information integration, collective intelligence, traceability, high robustness, unification of producing and consuming, high scalability and decentralization. Research limitations/implications Leveraging the dimensions of structure, character, knowledge and experience, a modeling approach of the basic information can fit all kinds of the MCIN nodes. With the double chain structure for both basic and supply–demand information, the MCIN nodes can be modeled comprehensively. The anima-desire-intention-based multi-agent architecture makes the federated agents of the MCIN nodes self-organized and intelligent. The MCIN nodes can be efficiently addressed by the supply–demand-oriented method. However, the implementation of the MCIN is still in process. Practical implications This paper lays the theoretical foundation for the future networked system of supply–demand relationship and the novel E-commerce platform. Originality/value The authors believe that the MCIN, first proposed in this paper, is a transformational innovation which facilitates the infrastructure of the future networked system of supply–demand relationship.

Part II. Drama / Choreography3. The Puppet –The Actor: Parallel Mirrors

Abstract The contemporary dynamics of performing arts has determined us to plead for the re/evaluation of the statute of the puppet as actor, as well as the puppeteer‟s. The present study might also be seen as a journey from and towards the theatre principles established by Kleist, Craig or Obraztov; a lesson about the poetry of technique and poeticized technique. The analysis of the double dimension of characters in animation theatre - the plastic and the interpretative sides - but also of the role of the relation between puppet and puppeteer has determined us to prove the necessity of using methods that are centered on interdisciplinary and comparative studies.

The development and validation of a measure of character: The CIVIC

The present research study sought to develop and validate a character scale – the Comprehensive Inventory of Virtuous Instantiations of Character using a total sample size of 3679 across five studies. In Study 1, character trait items were generated using an integrative classification system. In Study 2, character trait scales were further refined and their factor structure examined, revealing eight higher-order character dimensions or character cores: appreciation, intellectual engagement, fortitude, interpersonal consideration, sincerity, temperance, transcendence, and empathy. Study 3 established convergent validity of character traits with extant measures and discriminability from personality facets, social desirability, and moral cognitive development. Study 4 revealed that character cores were more strongly related to evaluative constructs than personality dimensions. Study 5 demonstrated that character cores predicted performance and psychological well-being outcomes above and beyond personality. The implications of our findings for the assessment and taxonomy of character are discussed.

Character and Temperament Dimensions in Subjects with Depressive Disorder: Impact of the Affective State on Their Expression.

BACKGROUND:The depression is a cross-cultural condition that occurs in all cultures and within all nations with certain specificities, even though there are some differences in its manifestation. The hereditary load is of major importance, but also the individual personality factors, in the form of risk factors, are associated with the occurrence of depression. Personality characteristics have a significant impact on the occurrence of the recurrent depressive disorder and the outcome of the treatment as well.AIM:To identify the specific personality traits in people with the recurrent depressive disorder and the impact of the affective state on them.METHODS:Three questionnaires were used: a general questionnaire, Beck’s scale of depressive symptoms, and TCI-R (inventory for temperament and character).RESULTS:The most indicative differences in the dimensions are found in the Harm avoidance and the Self-direction dimensions, and most variable dimensions dependent on effective state are Novelty seeking and Reward dependence.CONCLUSION:The people with the recurrent depressive disorder have a different profile of personality traits (temperament and character) compared with the control group, and their characteristics depend on their current affective state.

Toward a Framework of Leader Character in Organizations

AbstractWhile the construct of character is well grounded in philosophy, ethics, and more recently psychology, it lags in acceptance and legitimacy within management research and mainstream practice. Our research seeks to remedy this through four contributions. First, we offer a framework of leader character that provides rigor through a three‐phase, multi‐method approach involving 1817 leaders, and relevance by using an engaged scholarship epistemology to validate the framework with practicing leaders. This framework highlights the theoretical underpinnings of the leader character model and articulates the character dimensions and elements that operate in concert to promote effective leadership. Second, we bring leader character into mainstream management research, extending the traditional competency and interpersonal focus on leadership to embrace the foundational component of leader character. In doing this, we articulate how leader character complements and strengthens several existing theories of leadership. Third, we extend the virtues‐based approach to ethical decision making to the broader domain of judgement and decision making in support of pursuing individual and organization effectiveness. Finally, we offer promising directions for future research on leader character that will also serve the larger domain of leadership research.

Relationship between chronotype and temperament/character among university students

Chronotype is largely classified as being morning or evening types according to preference for daily activity and the preferred bedtime. This study examined the relationship between chronotype and temperament/character dimensions among university students. A total of 2857 participants completed the 140-item Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised Short version (TCI-RS) from a 5-score scale as well as the 13-item composite scale for morningness-eveningness (CSM). In this study, we classified chronotype as “morning,” “neither,” or “evening” types according to CSM scores and compared the scores in terms of 4 temperament dimensions and 3 character dimensions. The evening type showed high values for novelty seeking and harm avoidance, whereas the morning type had high scores for persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness. A logistic regression analysis after controlling for age and gender showed that chronotype significantly associated with persistence and novelty seeking. The results of this study suggest that chronotype is different according to gender and age and in addition, chronotype closely correlates with temperament and character. Among these, eveningness was associated with high novelty seeking, whereas morningness was associated with high persistence. Further studies are required to investigate the relationship between chronotype and temperament/character dimensions in a wider age bracket.