Is Personality Pathology Ego-Syntonic? Self- and Meta-Perception of Maladaptive Personality Traits.

Research has challenged the assumption that personality pathology is "ego-syntonic" or perceived favorably and consistent with one's self-image. The present study employed a community sample (n = 401) to examine relations between self-rated maladaptive personality and liking of maladaptive traits in self and others as well as meta-perception of personality pathology (i.e., how likable participants believe others find maladaptive traits). In general, individuals with higher self-rated maladaptive traits provided higher ratings of the likability of these traits in themselves and others. However, as hypothesized, comparison of liking ratings for high scorers and the rest of the sample revealed that individuals who score high on most pathological personality traits do not "like" these traits (or rate others as "liking" them) but simply dislike them less. Results support a dimensional view of ego-syntonicity.

Psychometric evaluation of a Visual Interpersonal Analog Scale.

Interpersonal theory organizes social behavior along dominant (vs. submissive) and warm (vs. cold) dimensions. There is a growing interest in assessing these behaviors in naturalistic settings to maximize ecological validity and to study dynamic social processes. Studies that have assessed interpersonal behavior in daily life have primarily relied on behavioral checklists. Although checklists have advantages, they are discrepant with techniques used to capture constructs typically assessed alongside warmth and dominance, such as affect, which typically rely on adjective descriptors. Further, these checklists are distinct from the methodologies used at the dispositional level, such as personality inventories, which rarely rely on behavioral checklists. The present study evaluates the psychometric performance of interpersonal adjectives presented on a visual analog scale in five different samples. Validity of the Visual Interpersonal Analog scale (VIAS) approach to momentary assessment was evaluated by comparing its performance with an interpersonal behavior checklist and by examining associations among the VIAS Warmth and Dominance scales and other momentary and dispositional constructs. Results were generally consistent with an existing interpersonal behavior checklist at the within-person level but diverged somewhat at the dispositional level. Across the five samples, the VIAS generally performed as hypothesized at both the within- and between-person levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Check and report: The state of data validity detection in personality disorder science.

The backbone of any field of science is quality data. In personality disorder (PD) science and the broader field of clinical psychology, researchers must consider whether participants were attentive to, understood, and responded honestly and with sufficient effort to self-report questionnaires. We review literature regarding the prevalence of invalid (i.e., careless, low effort, inattentive, or inaccurate) responding, its impact on analysis and interpretation, and available methods of detection. We also present the results of a systematic review of 251 empirical articles across three major journals to characterize the current state of questionable data detection in PD science both in absolute terms and as compared to practices in the larger field of clinical science. In response to the disconcertingly low prevalence rate of self-report validity checks (approximately 22% of PD studies), we conclude by providing practical recommendations for improving data validity in PD science at the points of study design, data analysis, and reporting of results. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Incremental and interactive relations of triarchic psychopathy measure scales with antisocial and prosocial correlates: A preregistered replication of Gatner et al. (2016).

Meanness (i.e., callousness/unemotionality, antagonism) and disinhibition (e.g., impulsivity, antisocial behavior) are the consensus traits that undergird psychopathy. Significant debate exists regarding a proposed third dimension of boldness or fearless dominance, characterized by particularly high levels of both extraversion and emotional stability. The present study is a preregistered direct replication of the work of Gatner and colleagues (2016) regarding the importance of boldness in psychopathy. Specifically, in a large undergraduate sample (n = 1,015), which more than doubled the original study sample size, we examined whether boldness exhibited curvilinear relations to antisocial and prosocial outcomes, provided incremental predictive utility, and interacted with meanness and disinhibition. Consistent with Gatner and colleagues' findings, incremental, interactive, or curvilinear effects of boldness did not account for more than a small amount of variance in outcomes beyond the main effects of meanness and disinhibition. We discuss both process and results in the context of promoting a culture of reproducibility as well as transparent and open practices in clinical science. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Factor Structure of the FFM ATM: Antagonism, Emotional Stability, Impulsivity, and Agency.

The Dark Triad (DT) refers to three socially aversive personality constructs: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. In response to concerns with existing self-report questionnaires measuring these constructs, we created the Five Factor Model Antagonistic Triad Measure (FFM ATM), which uses 46 items to assess multidimensional, faceted versions of the three DT constructs. The current pre-registered study used two large samples (Ns = 600 and 1,247) to explore the structure of the FFM ATM using bass-ackward factor analyses. Participants completed the FFM ATM as well as measures of the five-factor model, aggression, antisocial behavior, and other criteria. A series of factor analyses identified four meaningful and replicable factors (i.e., Antagonism, Emotional Stability, Impulsivity, and Agency). The authors discuss the item composition of each of these factors, their relations to relevant criteria, and implications of conceptualizing the Antagonistic Triad as combinations of elemental traits (factors) as opposed to the multidimensional constructs of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism.

Continuous-Time Modeling of the Bidirectional Relationship Between Incidental Affect and Physical Activity.

BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests that there is a bidirectional relationship between incidental affect (i.e., how people feel in day-to-day life) and physical activity behavior. However, many inconsistencies exist in the body of work due to the lag interval between affect and physical activity measurements. PURPOSE: Using a novel continuous-time analysis paradigm, we examined the temporal specificity underlying the dynamic relationship between positive and negative incidental affective states and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). METHODS: A community sample of adults (n = 126, Mage = 27.71, 51.6% Male) completed a 14-day ambulatory assessment protocol measuring momentary positive and negative incidental affect six times a day while wearing a physical activity monitor (Fitbit). Hierarchical Bayesian continuous-time structural equation modeling was used to elucidate the underlying dynamics of the relationship between incidental affective states and MVPA. RESULTS: Based on the continuous-time cross-effects, positive and negative incidental affect predicted subsequent MVPA. Furthermore, engaging in MVPA predicted subsequent positive and negative incidental affect. Incidental affective states had a greater relative influence on predicting subsequent MVPA compared to the reciprocal relationship. Analysis of the discrete-time coefficients suggests that cross-lagged effects increase as the time interval between measurements increase, peaking at about 8 h between measurement occasions before beginning to dissipate. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide support for a recursive relationship between incidental affective states and MVPA, which is particularly strong at 7-9 hr time intervals. Future research designs should consider these medium-term dynamics, for both theory development and intervention.

Narcissism and the DSM-5 alternative model of personality disorder.

In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Section III alternative model of personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is assessed via required elevations on 2 of 4 Criterion A domains of personality dysfunction (i.e., self-direction, identity, empathy, intimacy) and 2 personality traits (Criterion B: attention seeking and grandiosity). Evidence to date suggests that these 2 traits successfully account for variance in scores in traditionally (i.e., Section II) assessed NPD and grandiose narcissism but leave substantial variance unaccounted for in the more broadly psychopathological construct of vulnerable narcissism. When tested simultaneously in the statistical prediction of NPD and narcissism scores, the Criterion B trait composite accounts for much greater unique variance than the Criterion A personality functioning domains. In general, the crIterion B traits associated with NPD are robustly related to narcissism, although several other traits also demonstrate substantial correlations with various narcissism measures (e.g., manipulativeness, callousness, deceitfulness) that may warrant further attention when assessing for narcissistic psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Searching high and low for meaningful and replicable morphometric correlates of personality.

Recent personality neuroscience research in large samples suggests that personality traits tend to bear null-to-small relations to morphometric (i.e., brain structure) regions of interest (ROIs). In this preregistered, two-part study using Human Connectome Project data (N = 1,105), we address the possibility that these null-to-small relations are due, in part, to the "level" (i.e., hierarchical placement) of personality and/or morphometry examined. We used a Five-Factor Model framework and operationalized personality in terms of meta-traits, domains, facets, and items; we operationalized morphometry in terms of omnibus measures (e.g., total brain volume), and cortical thickness and area in the ROIs of the Desikan and Destrieux atlases. First, we compared the patterns of effect sizes observed between these levels using mixed effects modeling. Second, we used a machine learning framework for estimating out-of-sample predictability. Results highlight that personality-morphometry relations are generally null-to-small no matter how they are operationalized. Relatively, the largest mean effect sizes were observed at the domain level of personality, but the largest individual effect sizes were observed at the facet and item level, particularly for the Ideas facet of Openness and its constituent items. The largest effect sizes observed were at the omnibus level of morphometry, and predictive models containing only omnibus variables were comparably predictive to models including both omnibus variable and ROIs. We conclude by encouraging researchers to search across levels of analysis when investigating relations between personality and morphometry and consider prioritizing omnibus measures, which appear to yield the largest and most consistent effects. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Momentary dynamics of emotion-based impulsivity: Exploring associations with dispositional measures of externalizing and internalizing psychopathology.

Emotion-based impulsivity has emerged as an important transdiagnostic risk factor for both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. However, it is unclear how this dynamic process unfolds within individuals. We measured urgency within-persons as the momentary association between impulsivity and contemporaneous negative and positive affect in 4 ecological momentary assessment samples (N = 233[16,202 observations]; N = 302[11,360]; N = 311[17,517]; N = 291[20,297]) that span clinical, community, and student populations. Based on reflexive responding to emotion (RRE) and urgency frameworks, we hypothesized a) that significant individual differences in the dynamic association between affect and impulsivity would emerge, and b) that individual differences in positive and negative urgency pathways would be associated with externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Within-person associations between negative affect and impulsivity consistently emerged; however, the association between positive affect and impulsivity was inconsistent across samples. Although average effects were small, significant individual differences existed in both urgency pathways. Consistent with prior studies, within-person urgency pathways were unassociated with global or dispositional measures of impulsivity. Contrary to expectation, within-person urgency was also unassociated with between-person measures of either internalizing or externalizing psychopathology. Yet, robust associations were seen between the same measures and average levels of momentary impulsivity and negative affect. We discuss results in terms of their relevance to both urgency and RRE frameworks and propose future directions to help disentangle emotion-based impulsivity and psychopathology in the moment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Does Machiavellianism meaningfully differ from psychopathy? It depends.

Machiavellianism is a personality construct characterized by cynicism, callousness, and skillful manipulation of others to achieve personal gains. We review the Machiavellianism literature with a particular focus on its measurement alongside narcissism and psychopathy in the so-called "Dark Triad" (DT). We discuss criticisms of Machiavellianism on the grounds of insufficient construct validity as well as its virtual indistinguishability from psychopathy when assessed by commonly used instruments. As a response to these criticisms, we offer the super-short form of the Five Factor Machiavellianism Inventory (FFMI-SSF) as an alternative. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the FFMI-SSF in relation to psychopathy and basic personality traits (i.e., the Five Factor Model) and to compare it to widely used measures of the DT and psychopathy in a large undergraduate sample (n = 1004).

Impulsivity, Affect, and Stress in Daily Life: Examining a Cascade Model of Urgency.

Using multilevel structural equation modeling, the authors examined within- and between-person predictors of daily impulsivity, with a particular focus on testing a cascade model of affect and daily stress in a 100-day daily diary study of 101 psychiatric patients with personality disorder diagnoses. On average (i.e., fixed effect), within-person increases in daily stress were associated with increased daily impulsivity, both independently and as accounted for by positive associations with increased negative and positive affect. Higher Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) Impulsivity scores were associated with amplified within-person links between impulsivity and daily stress and negative affect, but not the links between daily stress and either positive or negative affect. The results of this cascade model are consistent with the hypothesized links between daily affect and stress and daily impulsivity while providing further evidence for the validity of the PID-5 Impulsivity scale and its ability to predict daily impulsivity above and beyond fluctuations in affect and stress.

A day in the life of Narcissus: Measuring narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability in daily life.

There is growing interest in understanding the fluctuations in grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic states over time. Momentary data collection is vital in facilitating this new area of inquiry. Two narcissism adjective scales, the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale and the Narcissistic Vulnerability Scale, have recently been developed for this purpose. In the present study, the validity of these 2 scales was examined across 3 different samples. Results indicate that these measures perform well psychometrically at both the momentary- and trait-level. Multilevel exploratory factor analyses reveal a clear 2-factor structure at both the within- and between-person level. Within-person correlations between these scales and other momentary scales (e.g., the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) are consistent with theoretical expectations. Finally, individual differences in endorsement of both of these scales correlated with other dispositional measures, including existing narcissism measures (e.g., The Pathological Narcissism Inventory and The Five Factor Narcissism Inventory), at the between-person level in the expected manner. We conclude these scales are well-suited for momentary narcissism assessment in studies wishing to examine fluctuations in grandiosity and vulnerability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).