Description: If I told you that an under-researched personality dimension involves humility what comes to mind? What would distinguish a humble person from a non-humble person particularly in terms of their own thoughts, beliefs and ideas? How might the interpersonal interactions of people high on this dimension differ from those of people low on this… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Personality
Is Personality Contagious?
Description: Ok, if you had to bet where would you put your money? On a claim stating that personality is the result of inborn influences such as temperament or on a claim that personality is the result of who you hung around with as a child? Once you have thought it through and made your… Read more »
Impulsivity: What Does It Predict?
Description: Given a choice would you rather have $40 right now or $80 next month? Seriously, which would you likely pick? Picking $40 now may seem like a small thing but it may reflect a fairly broad reaching underlying cognitive style of impulsivity. What sorts of day to day behaviors do you think would be… Read more »
Birth Order and Relationships: What Matters and How Much?
Description: What is your birth order within your family? Were you an only child? A first born? A middle child? A youngest child? What about your friends or your partner? Think about your initial reactions or your stereotyped (off the top of your head) thoughts about how First, Middle, Youngest or Only children vary in… Read more »
Narcissists + Power = ?
Description: Do you know what makes someone a Narcissist? Or, perhaps more simply put, are you a narcissist (rate yourself on a 1 (NO) to 7 (YES) point scale). Narcissists are people who feel superior, entitled and who have a constant desire for admiration from others. Know anyone like that? If you do, with them… Read more »
Toxic Bosses: Find Out About the Dark Side of Personality
Description: Having a boss who is “certifiable” is clearly not going to be good for one’s wellbeing and mental health but what collections of boss personality traits are the most toxic? Well what comes to mind in relation to the term “dark triad of personality traits?” Darth Vader? … not far off the mark actually…. Read more »
The Perfect Gift? or Iffy Science
Description: What makes for a perfect present? Cost? Uniqueness? Thoughtfulness? Surprise value? Wouldn’t it be helpful if there was some psychosocial research done on this seasonally vital question? Wait no longer! Before reading the article linked below think a bit about what made some of the best presents you have given or received so great…. Read more »
Family Gatherings as Opportunities to Reflect on Developmental Baggage
Description: So are you (were you) looking forward to spending time with your family over the holiday break? If not or if you were reminded about the things you find difficult about being back together with your family what did you do? Sometimes being taken back to your childhood or adolescence by the social context… Read more »
Seasonal Science: Psychological Research on Christmas
Description: OK, so as we are heading into the holiday season you will likely have run across many media references to what people’s reaction to the holidays tells us about them. It is likely, however, that few if any of those articles will actually have based what they present in real psychological research. So, in… Read more »
Self-Help with Social Stress: Getting Through 1st Year
Description: The move to college or university from high school environment can be a difficult one. In particular, first-year students often struggle with different versions of social stress which are really focused on whether or not there to be able to measure up in their new learning environment. The article linked below talks about a… Read more »
Books for Success!
