Similar Personality Characteristics Research Articles

Psychological aspects of migraine.

This study aims to examine the hypothesis that psychological factors may contribute to the aetiology of migraine, in that (i) specific personality traits may serve as predisposing factors, (ii) stressful emotional experiences may serve as precipitating factors. Epidemiological methods were used to obtain a random sample, in order to avoid the bias which may result from study of selected groups. Indeed, evidence was obtained in this study, that patients presenting themselves for treatment at special Migraine Clinics are not fully representative of migraine sufferers in general. From a survey of 1895 members of the Civil Service, comprising a wide range of ages, and all social strata, a random sample of 50 men and 50 women migraine subjects were taken. These were matched for control purposes with similar groups who suffered non-migraine headaches, and groups who were not affected by headaches. Further matched groups were also studied; these were, 18 women Migraine Clinic patients, to ascertain whether their characteristics were similar to those of unselected migraine subjects; and 19 asthmatic male Civil Servants, to ascertain whether they as sufferers from a different psychosomatic disorder, displayed similar personality characteristics to the migraine subjects. Two hundred and thirty seven individuals were interviewed in order to obtain details of personal history, medical history, and family history. Three psychometric tests: (1) the Eysenck Personality Inventory, (2) an abridged form of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, (3) the Buss Durkee Hostility/Guilt Inventory were completed by each participant. The following main items were found to be correlated at statistically significant levels with the occurrence of migraine. (1) Increase in ‘N’ scores of EPI (and this was confirmed in an additional 166 Migraine Clinic patients). (2) Increase in anxiety and somatisation scores on MMPI (women only). (3) Increase in hostility scores on Buss Scale. (4) Evidence of increased emotionality, in that migraine sufferers had significantly more psychological symptoms than controls. No objective evidence of greater past or present emotional stress was found in migraine subjects as compared with controls. It is suggested that these findings are evidence for increase reactivity of the automatic nervous system in migraine subjects and that this may provide a predisposing factor for the development of migraine attacks. Evidence is also presented that emotional stress can act as a precipitating factor in migraine, since over one half of 120 attacks recorded during a two month period of observation, were related in time to an overtly stressful event; and in half of the random sample, migraine began for the first time ever, during a period of emotional stress.

Self-Description and Adjustment Correlates of Occupational Choice

A study of the relationship between occupational choice, self concept, and adjustment, self-ratings of bi-polar traits and MMPI scales for over 500 college students in music, science, and physical education were subjected to these statistical analyses: Chi-square test of independence and Duncan's method for significant means. The results indi cated that the vocational groups seemed to be differen tiated in terms of personality traits and relative adjust ment?the physical education group indicating better adjustment than the others. Yet, when the sex factor was brought to bear on the data, music and science males seemed closer to each other than to physical education males, and the female groups seemed to be more nearly alike. Conclusion: individuals are in related fields because they have similar personality characteristics, similar needs, and manifest a similar pattern of social adjustment. This seems to be true even though the students are planning to be teachers. THERE IS A growing interest, among re searchers and vocational counselors particularly, in the relationship which seems to exist between the individual's choice of occupation and the view he holds of himself. Thus, according to Super (11), the individual chooses a particular occupa tion in the belief that the roles he will play in the job will be consistent with his picture of the kind of person he is, i.e., his occupational roles and his self concept will be compatible. Furthermore, as Siegelman and Peck suggest (8), the majority of individuals in a given voca tion share a common personality need pattern that is different from personality need patterns characterizing individuals in other vocational groups. The study about to be related appar ently supports both positions and also indicates the tendencies of the differentiated groups in terms of adjustment. Research findings tend toward the reality of a common thread drawing vocational interest and personality together (1, 6, 7, 9, 10). In some of these, adjustment is also a factor. The signifi cance of the present study, however, lay in dis covering whether the differentiation of occupa tional groups could be ascertained among college students not yet a part of the working force and who were all training to be teachers but in three different areas of concentration?science, music, and physical education. Specifically, the re searchers were interested in answering this cen tral question: Are college students enrolled in a teacher-training program significantly different in terms of their adjustment by their major fields of science, music, or physical education? This study, therefore, was an attempt to extend the more usual study of contrasting vocational groups to comparing the personality and adjust ment of college students with different fields of concentration but within the broad framework of the same occupation of teaching. Method From a university's teacher-training program, over 500 students majoring in music, science, or physical education were administered the MMPI. Later they were asked to rate themselves on the basis of 36 pairs of bi-polar traits, taken from the MMPI scales. Example: Calm_:_:_:_Restless very more more very calm calm restless restless than than restless calm These were the instructions given to the Ss on the self-concept inventory : People are differ ent in the ways they think about themselves. We are interested in discovering what you believe yourself to be like at this moment. Therefore, you are requested to describe yourself, as you now are, by placing a check anywhere on one of the four lines between two words which are oppo site in meaning. Each line represents how well the adjective fits your self. Look at the words at both ends of the line be fore you decide where to place your checkmark. Work rapidly; give your first reaction to the | items, since your first answer is likely to be the | best. Please do not omit any items and mark each I item only once. Remember: there are no right or wrong answers?only answers which best de I scribe yourself. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.180 on Thu, 08 Sep 2016 05:10:09 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 28 JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH The statistical designs employed were the Chi square test of independence and Duncan's method for significant means, on the personality traits as indicated from the self-concept measure and on the MMPI scales respectively. The scores were submitted to four different procedures: 1) the Chi-square test for significant traits from the self-concept inventory; 2) comparison of these significant traits with the salient MMPI scale traits; 3) coding of the salient MMPI scales; 4) Duncan's multiple comparisons test of the MMPI group means.

Psychological Factors in Fertility Control

Some of the psychological factors that have a bearing on fertility control were explored. Specific focus was on the importance of the patients psychological makeup and the interaction between husband and wife. 72 women on oral contraceptives (OCs) and their husbands were studied. Most of the subjects were referred to the study by the obstetrics and gynecology clinic of the University Hospital (Seattle Washington). The remainder joined the study after learning about it from friends. The sample consisted primarily of women from the lower-middle and upper-middle class. Both husbands and wives were required to complete the following psychological instruments: the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule and the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire. Historical data including information concerning past experiences with contraceptives sexual interactions and present life stiuations were obtained during a followup period of up to 2 years with visits scheduled at 3-month intervals. The interview material from the 3 most recent visits was used to rate the women on the occurrence of pill forgetting and the presence and type of major somatic complaints. The complaints considered were breakthrough bleeding nausea headaches cramps and fluid retention. Women with a considerable degree of immaturity who avoid taking responsibility and who tended to be impulsive were more likely to forget pills than mature women. There were no significant differences between the women who complained of side effects and those who did not. In the group made up of women who complained of side effects husbands and the wives tended to have similar personality characteristics. This similarity was particularly striking on those scales which indicate the tendency to have somatic complaints and which reflect the general level of integrative functioning. In the pill-forgetting group husbands and wives had opposite personality characteristics. The noncomplaining and nonforgetting groups consisted of couples in which husband and wife were neither significantly similar nor opposite to each other.

Some Role Perceptions of Wives of Alcoholics

In field of alcoholism and personality there are a n~unber of studies whose focus on the as a factor in her husband's alcoholism implies that of have attitudinal and personality characteristics in common, i.e., are a unitary group. Further, literature suggests that these similar attitudes and personality characteristics may play a part in onset and/or resolution of husband's deviant drinking (Ballard, 1959; Futterman, 1953; Igersheimer, 1959; Kalashian, 1959; Lewis, 1954; Macdonald, 1958; Mitchell, 1959; Price, 1945; Whalen, 1953). There are two separate implications to be considered. If wife is a factor in her husband's becoming alcoholic, there should be demonstrable differences between whose husbands were or are alcoholic and those whose husbands have had no drinking problem. If wife plays an important role in whether or not her husband's alcoholism is resolved, it is anticipated that whose husbands have achieved sobriety successfully would differ from those whose husbands continue to drink. The study reported here derives from a more comprehensive research program, still in progress, which provides for assessment of wife's role in both onset and resolution of alcoholism, by examining a control group of comparable families without alcoholism, and by making comparisons noted above. The present investigation was concerned with examining empirically two questions which have bearing on wife's role in resolution of alcoholism. Are there demonstrable differences between attitudes of whose husbands have achieved sobriety successfully and those whose husbands have not? Can wives of alcoholics be considered as a unitary group, having certain characteristic attitudes in common? Forty Ss were drawn from roster of women who had attended at least one meeting of Alanon Family Groups in Seattle between 1952 and 1959. Their mean age was 41.4 yr.; range, 25 to 65. Twenty women (the AA Group) had husbands who had remained abstinent for more than 12 consecutive months (range of sobriety 14 mo. to 14 yr., mean 6.5 yr.); 20 women (the A Group) had husbands who were still active alcoholics. Participation in Alanon program was essentially same for A and AA wives.