Shyness and self-esteem in women. The role of likeability, personal power, lovability, and self-worth conditioned by others' approval.

BACKGROUND: The relation between shyness and self-esteem in women has not been fully elucidated. Shyness is a source of many problems in social interactions, although it may be positively evaluated by women as a stereotypically female trait. The aim of the study was to examine relations between shyness, self-esteem, its dimensions, and contingencies of self-worth in women. It also compared the self-esteem and contingencies of self-worth in shy and bold women. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: The study was conducted in a sample of 1020 Polish women, aged 18-73. The Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory, and the Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale were used. RESULTS: The results of linear multiple regression showed that predictors of shyness were dimensions of self-esteem related to likeability, personal power, lovability, body functioning, academic/professional competences, and self-worth conditioned by others' approval and God's love. Shy women had significantly lower global self-esteem in comparison to bold women. Shy women evaluated themselves lower than bold women did, in all the dimensions of self-esteem. Both shy and bold women find family support and academic/professional competencies the main contingencies of self-worth, and God's love was indicated the least. CONCLUSIONS: The results illustrated the importance of shyness for women's self-esteem, and also have implications for understanding how shy and bold women may express themselves in social life.

Mindfulness, relationship quality, and conflict resolution strategies used by partners in close relationships.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness is a specific state of attention which involves a constant focus on what is happening at the present time in a way that is neither judgmental nor evaluative. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of mindfulness for relationship quality and conflict resolution strategies in close relationships. Five components of mindfulness were examined: observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreactivity. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: The study included 153 participants (79 women, 74 men; aged 19-60 years). 39.2% of the respondents were married, 20.9% were engaged, 39.9 were in romantic relationships. The mean duration of the close relationship was 6.25 years. The following measures were used: the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Patterns of Problem Solving Questionnaire, and the Dyadic Adaptation Scale. RESULTS: Acting with awareness, dialogue and avoiding conflict escalation strategy were predictors of relationship quality. The relationship status (marriage and engagement) was also a predictor of relationship quality. Gender, age, and duration of the relationship were not predictors of relationship quality. The results showed correlation between mindfulness and relationship quality (r = .28). There was a positive correlation between nonjudging and satisfaction in the relationship and between describing and emotional expression. Also, there was a negative correlation between nonreactivity and compatibility. Mindfulness was positively correlated with dialogue and negatively correlated with escalation of and withdrawal from a conflict. CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness is important to the relationship's quality and conflict resolution strategies. Among the components of mindfulness, especially acting with awareness is important to relationship quality.

Manipulation tactics of patients with neurotic disorders in everyday life and during therapy.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to examine the repertoire and intensity of manipulation tactics of neurotic patients in everyday life and during therapy, as well as diagnosing the intensity of Machiavellianism in neurotic patients. METHODS: There were 111 study subjects: 44 patients with diagnosed neurotic disorders, 44 people from the control group and 23 therapists. The manipulation tactics were measured by means of survey methods of E. Mandal and D. Kocur and Machiavellianism was measured using the MACH-IV scale of M. Christi and F. Geis. RESULTS: In comparison to people from the control group, the patients were more willing to use manipulation tactics such as guilt induction, threatening to break up the relationship, and self-mutilation but less willing to use supplication/begging. The intensity of tendency to undertake manipulation was higher in everyday life than during therapy. The Machiavellianism of patients was positively correlated with the tendency to employ manipulation tactics. Differences within the scope of general Machiavellianism between the patients and the control group were not noted. CONCLUSIONS: The manipulation tactics of neurotic patients are of morbid nature. They are related to anxiety, feeling of guilt and hostility. The tendency to manipulate correlates with Machiavellianism.

[The Machiavellianism and manipulation tactics used by patients with borderline personality disorder in everyday life and in therapy]. / Makiawelizm i taktyki manipulacji podejmowane przez pacjentów z zaburzeniem osobowosci typu borderline w zyciu codziennym i podczas terapii.

AIM: The aim of the researches was to inspect the relation between borderline personality and Machiavellianism as well as the tendency to apply various manipulation tactics in everyday life and in therapy. METHOD: The test used an original/authors' survey for testing the tendency to employ manipulation tactics as well as a MACH-IV questionnaire (Christie, Geis, 1970) for measuring Machiavellianism. The studied group included 30 patients with diagnosed BPD, 37 therapists and 30 persons in the control group. RESULTS: No differences were noted in the general indicator of Machiavellianism; however, the patients scored lower on the Tactics scale than people from the control group. Patients preferred employing the tactics of taking offense, lying and begging in everyday life. Compared to people from the control group, patients presented a larger tendency to employ tactics of begging, threatening and threatening to break off a close relationship, and a lower tendency to employ seduction. According to therapists, during the therapy patients most often resorted to lying and arousing guilt. Therapists assessed the patients' tendency to employ manipulation tactics higher than the patients themselves. CONCLUSIONS: BPD patients are characterized by a degree of Machiavellianism similar to that present in people from the control group. Patients show larger tendency to employ tactics of threatening and begging than the people from the control group. Compared to assessments made by doctors and therapists, they lower their own assessment of the tendency to employ manipulation. The longer the seniority of therapists and the larger the number of treated BPD patients, the higher the ability to perceive the patients' tendency to manipulate.

[Attachment styles, childhood and adult traumatic experiences, mental states and methods of suicide attempts among psychiatrically treated women]. / Style przywiazania, traumatyczne doswiadczenia z okresu dziecinstwa i doroslosci, stany psychiczne oraz metody podejmowania prób samobójczych przez kobiety leczone psychiatrycznie.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to explore any particular personality traits and psychosocial conditions of suicidal attempts among women, especially their adult attachment styles, harmful social experiences in childhood, adult live events and mental states directly leading to suicidal effort and methods of suicide. METHOD: A group of 35 psychiatrically treated women who attempted suicide were submitted to the study. The following measures were used: Attachment Style Test, structured psychological interview. RESULTS: Women, who attempted suicide mainly described their attachment style as avoidant; the types of problems they reported as being significant were: experiences of violence in their childhood, loss of members of their families, suicide of their relatives in their adulthood, being the victims of marital violence; those women mainly felt social rejection and overdosed medications when trying to commit suicide. CONCLUSIONS: Parasuicides were characterised by avoidant attachment style and had a variety of traumatic and harmful experiences during their lifetime, that established their victimisation process and the wish of auto-destruction.

[Psychological femininity and masculinity, self-appeal, attachment styles, coping styles and strategies of self-presentation among women with suicide attempts]. / Psychiczna kobiecosc i meskosc, poczucie wlasnej atrakcyjnosci, style przywiazania, style radzenia sobie i strategie autoprezentacji u kobiet podejmujacych próby samobójcze.

AIM: The aim of this study was to diagnose particular personality characteristics of women with suicide attempts: psychological femininity and masculinity, self-appeal, attachment styles, self-presentation strategies and coping styles. METHOD: A group of 35 adult women who attempted suicide and the control group (35 women) were submitted to a research. The following measures were used: Inventory of Gender Identity (IPP), Strategies of Self-presentation Questionnaire (KSA), Attachment Style Test, Sense of Self-Appeal Scale (SPWA), Coping Inventory of Stressful Situations (CISS). RESULTS: Female suicide-attempters had a lower index of psychological masculinity and a lower sense of self-appeal than women in the control group. They were characterised by an avoidant attachment style, used a strategy of self-depreciation in self-presentation and an emotion-oriented style of coping. The predictors of risk of suicide behaviours that mainly showed: avoidant-attachment style and strategy of self-depreciation in self-presentation. CONCLUSIONS: Parasuicides were characterised by lower self-esteem and weak interpersonal skills, which reduced their ways of coping in difficult situations.

[The level of anxiety and locus of control in women deciding to start a weight loss programme]. / Poziom leku oraz poczucie kontroli u kobiet decydujacych sie na rozpoczecie kuracji odchudzajacej.

UNLABELLED: Characteristic for an individual and a relatively constant level of anxiety and internal or external locus of control are personality dimensions that influence the biopsychosocial functioning of an individual and are reflected in his experience and behaviour. AIM: The aim of this study was to analyse the level of anxiety in women deciding to start a weight loss programme and to find the relationship between the locus of control and the intensity of this anxiety. METHOD: Sixty seven women participating in a group-based, interdisciplinary educational weight loss programme were examined using the Locus of Control Questionnaire (Drwal) and the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Strelau, Tysarczyk & Wrzesniewski). The average age of the subjects was 42.88 +/- 10.96 and the average body mass index was 35.98 +/- 5.66. RESULTS: The level of Anxiety as a State averaged at 5 +/- 2, the level of Anxiety as a Trait averaged at 5 +/- 1.55 and the result in the Locus of Control Questionnaire averaged 7 +/- 1.57. There was a correlation between: age and BMI, (r=0.33; p<0.05), age and state of anxiety (r=0.25; p<0.01), state of anxiety and trait of anxiety (r=0.60; p<0.05), state of anxiety and locus of control (r= 0.41; p<0.05), trait of anxiety and locus of control (r=0.35; p<0.05). In the group of women with lowest BMI their age was also significantly lower than in the other groups. There were no other differences correlating with age across the examined variables. CONCLUSIONS: The level of Anxiety (as a State and as a Trait) in women deciding to start a weight loss programme did not differ from the general population. 1. The results in the Locus of Control Questionnaire were higher than the general population--that means a more external locus of control. 2. There was no correlation between BMI and the level of anxiety or the locus of control. 3. There was a correlation between the locus of control and the anxiety level (state and trait).