Self-defeating Personality Scale Research Articles

Associations among Alexithymia, Positive and Negative Emotions, and Self-Defeating Personality

This study examined the associations among 210 college students' alexithymia scores and three emotional orientation scores. Students completed the following three self-report instruments: 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, 20-item Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and 24-item Self-defeating Personality Scale. As predicted, a linear regression model indicated that alexithymia was associated with negative emotional activation, self-defeating personality, and inversely associated with positive emotional activation. These three affect orientations accounted for 27% of the variance associated with subjects' cognitive-affective communication difficulties expressing their emotions. A second linear regression model indicated that negative emotion activation was significantly associated with self-defeating personality, and positive emotion activation was significantly inversely associated with self-defeating personality.

Self-defeating personality and memories of parents' child-rearing behavior: a replication.

A recent study of correlations of self-defeating personality and memories of parents' child-rearing behaviour has been replicated on a larger sample. Non-clinical volunteers (145 women and 114 men) were administered Schill's Self-defeating Personality Scale and a short version of the EMBU-Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (own memories of parental education) scale. Replicating previous findings, memories of rejecting or nonsupportive parents were significantly correlated with scores for the Self-defeating Personality Scale for both women (rejecting mother, r = 24; supportive mother, r = -.29; rejecting father, r = .23; supportive father, r = -.36) and men (rejecting mother, r = 40; rejecting father, r = .41; supportive father, r = -.28). Memories of an overinvolved parent were significantly correlated with self-defeating personality scores only among men (mother: r = .41; father: r = .36) as in the original study.

Self-defeating personality and memories of parents' child-rearing behaviour.

A group of 132 nonclinical volunteers was given the Self-defeating Personality Scale and a short version of the Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (EMBU) scale to explore correlations of scores for adults' self-defeating traits with memories of parents' child-rearing behaviours. For men, the recall of two rejecting parents and, for women, the memory of a nonsupportive father were significantly correlated with scores of self-defeating traits. The latter scores correlated positively with memories of both overinvolved mother and father for men, while no significant correlation was found among women.

Self-defeating personality and social intimacy.

The Self-defeating Personality Scale and a modified version of the Miller Social Intimacy Scale were given to 98 men (M(age) = 40.3) and 104 (M(age) = 40.0) women to validate criterion seven (rejects people who consistently treat him/her well) of the former. Both the correlation between the full scale scores and those for the Miller scale and the correlation between Miller scores and scores on criterion seven of the Self-defeating Scale were nonsignificant. Cronbach alpha was .51.

The Association Between Self-Defeating Personality Characteristics, Career Indecision, and Vocational Identity

Research on Schill's Self-Defeating Personality Scale (SDPS; Schill, 1990) has focused primarily on interpersonal relationships and less on self-defeating behavior in other contexts. The SDPS was correlated with the Career Decision Scale (CDS; Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, 1976), My Vocational Situation (MVS; Holland, Daiger, & Power, 1980), and the Career Factors Inventory (CFI; Chartrand, Robbins, Morrill, & Boggs, 1990). Participants with more self-defeating characteristics were more career indecisive, had less vocational identity, and were more indecisive in general. Women with higher scores on the Self-Defeating Personality Scale had significantly greater career choice anxiety and less need for self-knowledge, although men with higher scores did not. The effect of depression contributed substantially to the higher scores for career indecision and vocational identity among men with more self-defeating characteristics, and it accounted entirely for lack of desire for self-knowledge among women with more self-defeating characteristics. However, a general characteristic of indecisiveness in persons with more self-defeating characteristics was present and was independent of depressive affect. The differential effects among the CFI subscales support claims that the scale is factorally pure.

Self-defeating personality, argumentativeness, and assertive self-statements.

55 men and 55 women were administered Schill's Self-defeating Personality Scale, an argumentativeness scale, and a measure of assertive self-statements. Women with higher scores on the Self-defeating Personality Scale had lower scores on the argumentativeness scale. Both men and women scoring higher on the Self-defeating Personality Scale recalled having thoughts which inhibited them from making assertive statements. These results were discussed as supporting prior research showing that persons reporting more self-defeating characteristics were relatively unassertive.

Are childhood misbehavior and physical illness factors in the development of self-defeating personality.

49 undergraduate men and 45 women took Schill's 1990 Self-defeating Personality Scale and answered questions about their physical health and misbehavior as children and the amount of attention such behavior elicited from their parents. No support was found for the idea that individuals who currently score more self-defeating had been more likely to engage in such behavior or had been able to gain attention thereby. In fact, these people reported getting less rather than more attention from parents when they were physically ill. Results were discussed as consistent with prior findings wherein self-defeating individuals have described their parents as being nonsupportive, inconsistent, and rejecting.

Relation of reports of sexual abuse to scores on Self Defeating Personality Scale.

One of the suggested antecedents of a pattern of self-defeating behavior has been the experience of sexual abuse. In this study 146 male and 129 female college students self-reported whether they had experienced sexual abuse using Russell's 1983) Sexual Abuse Interview Schedule. Thirty-nine men and 73 women self reported in the affirmative. For both men and women, the abused groups had significantly higher scores on Schill's 1990 Self-defeating Personality Scale. Results were related to other research, e.g., Kisler and Schill's 1995 work which showed scores on the Self-defeating scale were also correlated with scores on measures of bulimia and dissociative experiences.

Social skills of persons with self-defeating personality.

55 undergraduate men and 55 women took Schill's 1990 Self-defeating Personality Scale and Lorr, Youniss, and Stefic's (1991) multidimensional Social Relations Survey. As expected, persons who endorsed more self-defeating characteristics scored lower on scales which make up the Social Skills or Assertiveness Factor. However, these scores did not have significant correlations with the Empathy or Social Approval Need Scales; two of the three scales which make up the Empathy Factor. The results were discussed in terms of prior work relating deficits in social skills to dysfunctional early parenting.

Further validation of the Self-Defeating Personality Scale.

In a sample of 51 women and 35 men those who scored higher on the Self-defeating Personality Scale reported having "dropped out" of useful activities more often and scored as less assertive on the Assertiveness Self-report Inventory. Women were more likely than men to report having experienced at least one self-defeating relationship. Attempts to replicate gender differences reported earlier were partially successful. The results provide additional validation for the Self-defeating Personality Scale.

Self-Defeating Personality and Depression: A Closer Look

55 men and 55 women were given Schill's Self-defeating Personality Scale, a measure of Beck's cognitive triad, and a measure of the personality dimensions of sociotropy and autonomy. The more characteristics of self-defeating personality endorsed, the more negative were subjects' cognitions about themselves, the world, and the future. Self-defeating men and women scored higher on sociotropy (social dependence), suggesting threats to relationships may be an important source of depression for them. Self-defeating women also scored higher on the autonomy subscales, suggesting threats to their independence may be a source of depression as well. Implications for treatment were discussed.

Attachment Histories for People with Characteristics of Self-Defeating Personality

Correlations of undergraduates' responses (79 men, 79 women) to the Self-defeating Personality Scale and Gough and Heilbrun's Adjective Check List indicated people who had more characteristics of self-defeating personality were more likely to recall ambivalent and avoidant attachment histories regarding their mothers. There was a tendency for men to recall avoidant attachment histories for fathers as well. These results lend some support to Glickhauf-Hughes and Wells who in 1991 contended being reared in an unpredictable environment by parents who are ambivalent contributes to the development of self-defeating personality. The rs suggest these characteristics are related to cold and rejecting parenting as well.

Correlations between Self-Defeating Personality and Self-Esteem

41 men and 56 women completed Schill's self-defeating personality scale and Coopersmith's self-esteem scale. The total scores from these instruments were significantly negatively correlated (ranges, -.50 to -.77). The inverse relationship between self-defeating personality and self-esteem appears to be higher for men than for women. However, no significant differences were found between the men's and women's scores on self-esteem or self-defeating personality scales. The results indicate the two scales measure similar but inverse orientations of individuals' internalized negative affect.

Correlations between Self-Handicapping and Self-Defeating Personality

In this study scores on Strube's self-handicapping scale were correlated with scores on Schill's self-defeating personality scale. Berglas believes there are subtypes of self-defeating personality and that his concept of self-handicapping should be correlated with the three criteria which represent a self-protective component of self-defeating personality. Some support for Berglas' proposition was found, particularly for men. However, correlations with other components of self-defeating personality suggest the criteria thought to be self-protective may need to be reconsidered.

Self-Defeating Personality Disorder: A Review of Data and Recommendations for DSM-IV

Self-Defeating Personality Disorder: A Review of Data and Recommendations for DSM-IVSusan J. FiesterSusan J. FiesterNashua Brookside Hospital.Address reprint requests to Dr. S. J. Fiester. Associate Medical Director. Nashua Brookside Hospital. 11 Northwest Boulevard, Nashua, New Hampshire 03063.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:January 2011https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.1991.5.2.194PDFPDF PLUS ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations About Previous article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Cited byCited by1. Psychoanalytic Patients in the U.S., Canada, and Australia: I. DSM-III-R Disorders, Indications, Previous Treatment, Medications, and Length of TreatmentOnline publication date: 25 June 2016. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar2. Self-Esteem and Social Respect within the High SchoolOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar3. The Association Between Self-Defeating Personality Characteristics, Career Indecision, and Vocational IdentityOnline publication date: 25 July 2016. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar4. Relationships between Schill's Self-Defeating Personality Scale and Coolidge's Personality Disorders InventoryOnline publication date: 1 September 2016. Go to citation Crossref Google ScholarBeth Menees Rienzi, John Forquera and Daryl L. Hitchcock5. Gender Stereotypes for Proposed DSM-IV Negativistic, Depressive, Narcissistic, and Dependent Personality DisordersOnline publication date: 3 February 2011. Go to citation Crossref 6. DSM-III-R self-defeating personality disorder criteria evaluated by patients' self-report questionnaire: relationships with other personality disorders and positive predictive powers of the individual criteriaOnline publication date: Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar7. Self-Defeating Personality, Depression, and Pleasure from ActivitiesOnline publication date: 6 December 2016. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar8. Pleasure from Activities and Self-Defeating PersonalityOnline publication date: 31 August 2016. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar9. Types of Percept-Genetic Defenses in Self-Defeating Personality DisorderOnline publication date: 31 August 2016. Go to citation Crossref Google Scholar Volume 5Issue 2Jun 1991 Information© 1991 The Guilford PressPDF download