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International Journal of Psychology :... Dec 2017Men's and women's personalities appear to differ in several respects. Social role theories of development assume gender differences result primarily from perceived... (Review)
Review
Men's and women's personalities appear to differ in several respects. Social role theories of development assume gender differences result primarily from perceived gender roles, gender socialization and sociostructural power differentials. As a consequence, social role theorists expect gender differences in personality to be smaller in cultures with more gender egalitarianism. Several large cross-cultural studies have generated sufficient data for evaluating these global personality predictions. Empirically, evidence suggests gender differences in most aspects of personality-Big Five traits, Dark Triad traits, self-esteem, subjective well-being, depression and values-are conspicuously larger in cultures with more egalitarian gender roles, gender socialization and sociopolitical gender equity. Similar patterns are evident when examining objectively measured attributes such as tested cognitive abilities and physical traits such as height and blood pressure. Social role theory appears inadequate for explaining some of the observed cultural variations in men's and women's personalities. Evolutionary theories regarding ecologically-evoked gender differences are described that may prove more useful in explaining global variation in human personality.
Topics: Adult; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Female; Gender Identity; Humans; Male; Personality; Young Adult
PubMed: 27000535
DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12265 -
Behavior Genetics Mar 2018The American Psychological Association defines gender identity as, "A person's deeply-felt, inherent sense of being a boy, a man, or a male; a girl, a woman, or a... (Review)
Review
The American Psychological Association defines gender identity as, "A person's deeply-felt, inherent sense of being a boy, a man, or a male; a girl, a woman, or a female; or an alternative gender (e.g., genderqueer, gender nonconforming, gender neutral) that may or may not correspond to a person's sex assigned at birth or to a person's primary or secondary sex characteristics" (American Psychological Association, Am Psychol 70(9):832-864, 2015). Here we review the evidence that gender identity and related socially defined gender constructs are influenced in part by innate factors including genes. Based on the data reviewed, we hypothesize that gender identity is a multifactorial complex trait with a heritable polygenic component. We argue that increasing the awareness of the biological diversity underlying gender identity development is relevant to all domains of social, medical, and neuroscience research and foundational for reducing health disparities and promoting human-rights protections for gender minorities.
Topics: Female; Gender Dysphoria; Gender Identity; Humans; Male; Sex Characteristics; Sexual Behavior; Transgender Persons
PubMed: 29460079
DOI: 10.1007/s10519-018-9889-z -
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Apr 2017In this review, we introduce the topic of transgender medicine, aimed at the non-specialist clinician working in the UK. Appropriate terminology is provided alongside... (Review)
Review
In this review, we introduce the topic of transgender medicine, aimed at the non-specialist clinician working in the UK. Appropriate terminology is provided alongside practical advice on how to appropriately care for transgender people. We offer a brief theoretical discussion on transgenderism and consider how it relates to broader understandings of both gender and disease. In respect to epidemiology, while it is difficult to assess the exact size of the transgender population in the UK, population surveys suggest a prevalence of between 0.2 and 0.6% in adults, with rates of referrals to gender identity clinics in the UK increasing yearly. We outline the legal framework that protects the rights of transgender people, showing that is not legal for physicians to deny transgender people access to services based on their personal beliefs. Being transgender is often, although not always, associated with gender dysphoria, a potentially disabling condition in which the discordance between a person's natal sex (that assigned to them at birth) and gender identity results in distress, with high associated rates of self-harm, suicidality and functional impairment. We show that gender reassignment can be a safe and effective treatment for gender dysphoria with counselling, exogenous hormones and surgery being the mainstay of treatment. The role of the general practitioner in the management of transgender patients is discussed and we consider whether hormone therapy should be initiated in primary care in the absence of specialist advice, as is suggested by recent General Medical Council guidance.
Topics: Female; Gender Dysphoria; Gender Identity; General Practitioners; Humans; Male; Prejudice; Sex Reassignment Procedures; State Medicine; Transgender Persons; Transsexualism; United Kingdom
PubMed: 28382847
DOI: 10.1177/0141076817696054 -
Psychosomatics 2020Personality describes an enduring pattern of experiences and behaviors in the interpersonal and social sphere. Several aspects of personality, e.g., defenses, relational... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Personality describes an enduring pattern of experiences and behaviors in the interpersonal and social sphere. Several aspects of personality, e.g., defenses, relational dynamics, and reactions, are commonly accentuated in the midst of medical care; therefore, understanding a patient's personality allows the clinician to make informed predictions about how a specific patient may respond to illness and how care interactions might be modified to optimize care engagement and outcomes.
OBJECTIVE/METHODS
This article provides a brief description of the personalities in the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual, Second Edition, and discusses how each one might inform clinical interactions. Two additional personality-like presentations-the traumatized patient and cognitive impairment-are included for clinical utility given their high prevalence in medical settings and their potential for broad impact on clinical relationships.
RESULTS
Personality-informed care is an approach that incorporates information about the patient's personality into the clinical relationship. It describes what the clinician might say and when, what recommendations to offer and how to frame them, and how to comport oneself while providing care.
CONCLUSIONS
Personality-informed care operationalizes several aspects of personalized medicine, and it offers a heuristic framework that may facilitate and enhance the implementation of evidence-based care.
Topics: Humans; Language; Patient-Centered Care; Personality; Personality Disorders; Physician-Patient Relations
PubMed: 32093848
DOI: 10.1016/j.psym.2020.01.005 -
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 2017The psychedelic experience (including psychedelic-induced ego dissolution) can effect lasting change in a person's attitudes and beliefs. Here, we aimed to investigate...
The psychedelic experience (including psychedelic-induced ego dissolution) can effect lasting change in a person's attitudes and beliefs. Here, we aimed to investigate the association between naturalistic psychedelic use and personality, political perspectives, and nature relatedness using an anonymous internet survey. Participants (N = 893) provided information about their naturalistic psychedelic, cocaine, and alcohol use, and answered questions relating to personality traits of openness and conscientiousness (Ten-Item Personality Inventory), nature relatedness (Nature-Relatedness Scale), and political attitudes (one-item liberalism-conservatism measure and five-item libertarian-authoritarian measure). Participants also rated the degree of ego dissolution experienced during their "most intense" recalled psychedelic experience (Ego-Dissolution Inventory). Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that lifetime psychedelic use (but not lifetime cocaine use or weekly alcohol consumption) positively predicted liberal political views, openness and nature relatedness, and negatively predicted authoritarian political views, after accounting for potential confounding variables. Ego dissolution experienced during a participant's "most intense" psychedelic experience positively predicted liberal political views, openness and nature relatedness, and negatively predicted authoritarian political views. Further work is needed to investigate the nature of the relationship between the peak psychedelic experience and openness to new experiences, egalitarian political views, and concern for the environment.
Topics: Adult; Female; Hallucinogens; Humans; Male; Personality; Politics; Young Adult
PubMed: 28443703
DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2017.1312643 -
Scientific Reports Feb 2023Recent genomic, psychological, and developmental research shows that human personality is organized as a complex hierarchy that ascends from individual traits in many...
Recent genomic, psychological, and developmental research shows that human personality is organized as a complex hierarchy that ascends from individual traits in many specific situations to multi-trait profiles in two domains that regulate emotional reactivity (temperament) or goals and values (character), and finally to three integrated temperament-character networks that regulate learning to maintain well-being in changing conditions. We carried out person-centered analyses of the components of subjective well-being (positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction) to personality in both adolescents (N = 1739) and adults (N = 897). Personality was considered at each level of its organization (trait, temperament or character profiles, and joint temperament-character networks). We show for the first time that negative affect and life satisfaction are dependent on the personality network for intentional self-control, whereas positive affect is dependent on the personality network for self-awareness that underlies the human capacities for healthy longevity, creativity, and prosocial values.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Humans; Personality; Personality Disorders; Temperament; Genomics; Health Status
PubMed: 36849800
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29642-5 -
Journal of Personality Feb 2022A key principle of individual differences research is that biological and environmental factors jointly influence personality and psychopathology. Genes and environments... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
A key principle of individual differences research is that biological and environmental factors jointly influence personality and psychopathology. Genes and environments interact to influence the emergence and stability of both normal and abnormal behavior (i.e., genetic predisposition, X, is exacerbated or buffered under environmental conditions, Y, or vice versa), including by shaping the neural circuits underpinning behavior. The interplay of genes and environments is also reflected in various ways in which they are correlated (i.e., rGE). That is, the same genetic factors that give rise to personality or psychopathology also shape that person's environment.
METHODS
In this review, we outline passive, evocative, and active rGE processes and review the findings of studies that have addressed rGE in relation to understanding individual differences in personality and psychopathology across development.
RESULTS
Throughout, we evaluate the question of whether it is possible, not only to differentiate the person from their problems, but also to differentiate the person from their problems and their environment.
CONCLUSIONS
We provide recommendations for future research to model rGE and better inform our ability to study personality and psychopathology, while separating the influence of the environment.
Topics: Gene-Environment Interaction; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humans; Personality; Personality Disorders; Psychopathology
PubMed: 33251591
DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12609 -
European Journal of Dental Education :... Feb 2022The transactional model of stress is a framework describing the process for coping with stressful events as a relationship between the individual person and environment....
INTRODUCTION
The transactional model of stress is a framework describing the process for coping with stressful events as a relationship between the individual person and environment. This study aimed to investigate the associations between personality, learning environment and experiences of mental health for a cohort of Australian dentistry students.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Students were invited in 2017 to complete an online questionnaire including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) and Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCIR-140). Students were followed-up one year later, and generalised estimating equations were used.
RESULTS
A total of 219 (response 73.5%) students participated in the study. Two personality profiles of dentistry students were identified. Group 1 were significantly higher in the traits persistence, self-directedness, cooperativeness and reward dependence, whereas Group 2 were significantly higher in harm avoidance. Students with Group 2 personality had a 3.12 (CI:1.72-5.65) increased odds of depression compared to Group 1 students. Compared to students with positive perceptions of the learning environment, students with negative perceptions had increased odds of stress (3.48, CI: 1.85-6.53), depression (2.71, CI: 1.57- 4.65) and anxiety (2.59, CI: 1.56-4.28).
CONCLUSION
Students with personalities high in levels of self-directedness, cooperativeness and persistence and low in harm avoidance, as found in Group 1, demonstrate high levels of general well-being. Positive perceptions of the dentistry learning environment were found to be an important influence on students stress. This study highlighted a number of factors important to student well-being and provides direction for further investigation of interventions aimed at enhancing student well-being.
Topics: Australia; Character; Dentistry; Education, Dental; Humans; Students
PubMed: 33474765
DOI: 10.1111/eje.12666 -
Journal of Personality Feb 2020Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a relatively highly prevalent psychiatric disorder that is associated with very high personal and socioeconomic costs. This... (Review)
Review
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a relatively highly prevalent psychiatric disorder that is associated with very high personal and socioeconomic costs. This paper provides a state-of-the-art review of the relationship between complex trauma and key features of BPD, with a focus on problems with self-coherence and self-continuity. We first review evidence for the high prevalence of complex trauma in BPD patients. This is followed by a discussion of emerging knowledge concerning the biobehavioral mechanisms involved in problems related to self and identity in BPD. We emphasize three biobehavioral systems that are affected by complex trauma and are centrally implicated in identify diffusion in BPD: the attachment system, mentalizing or social cognition, and the capacity for epistemic trust-that is, an openness to the reception of social communication that is personally relevant and of generalizable significance. We formulate a new approach to personality and severe personality disorders, and to problems with self and identity in these disorders, rooted in a social-communicative understanding of the foundations of selfhood. We also discuss how extant evidence-based treatments address the above-mentioned biobehavioral systems involved in identity diffusion in BPD and related disorders, and the supporting evidence. We close the paper with recommendations for future research.
Topics: Borderline Personality Disorder; Ego; Humans; Object Attachment; Personality; Psychological Trauma; Self Concept; Social Perception
PubMed: 31066053
DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12483 -
PloS One 2023Urbanists have long been interested in understanding what makes people satisfied with their neighborhoods. However, relatively little is known about how residents'...
Urbanists have long been interested in understanding what makes people satisfied with their neighborhoods. However, relatively little is known about how residents' personality traits may affect their neighborhood satisfaction. In this paper, we explore the direct and indirect associations of personality traits with neighborhood satisfaction in a representative sample of adults in Michigan (USA). We find that each of the personality traits in the five factor model are associated with neighborhood satisfaction in the same way that they are known to be associated with subjective well-being. However, we fail to observe evidence that personality traits moderate the association between perceptions of neighborhoods and neighborhood satisfaction, or that personality's association with neighborhood satisfaction is mediated by neighborhood perceptions. We conclude that there is potential for drawing on theoretical and empirical developments in positive psychology for understanding neighborhood satisfaction, but observe that the underlying mechanisms for the association between personality and neighborhood satisfaction remain unknown.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Personality; Residence Characteristics; Personal Satisfaction; Personality Disorders; Michigan
PubMed: 36920892
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282437