ABSTRACT
Although large international studies have found consistent patterns of sex differences in personality traits among adults (i.e., women scoring higher on most facets), less is known about cross-cultural sex differences in adolescent personality and the role of culture and age in shaping them. The present study examines the NEO Personality Inventory-3 (McCrae, Costa, & Martin, 2005) informant ratings of adolescents from 23 cultures (N = 4,850), and investigates culture and age as sources of variability in sex differences of adolescents' personality. The effect for Neuroticism (with females scoring higher than males) begins to take on its adult form around age 14. Girls score higher on Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness at all ages between 12 and 17 years. A more complex pattern emerges for Extraversion and Agreeableness, although by age 17, sex differences for these traits are highly similar to those observed in adulthood. Cross-sectional data suggest that (a) with advancing age, sex differences found in adolescents increasingly converge toward adult patterns with respect to both direction and magnitude; (b) girls display sex-typed personality traits at an earlier age than boys; and (c) the emergence of sex differences was similar across cultures. Practical implications of the present findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
Subject(s)
Adolescent Development/physiology , Culture , Personality/physiology , Sex Characteristics , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Child , Cross-Cultural Comparison , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Sex Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Consensual stereotypes of some groups are relatively accurate, whereas others are not. Previous work suggesting that national character stereotypes are inaccurate has been criticized on several grounds. In this article we (a) provide arguments for the validity of assessed national mean trait levels as criteria for evaluating stereotype accuracy; and (b) report new data on national character in 26 cultures from descriptions (N=3,323) of the typical male or female adolescent, adult, or old person in each. The average ratings were internally consistent and converged with independent stereotypes of the typical culture member, but were weakly related to objective assessments of personality. We argue that this conclusion is consistent with the broader literature on the inaccuracy of national character stereotypes.
ABSTRACT
Age trajectories for personality traits are known to be similar across cultures. To address whether stereotypes of age groups reflect these age-related changes in personality, we asked participants in 26 countries (N = 3,323) to rate typical adolescents, adults, and old persons in their own country. Raters across nations tended to share similar beliefs about different age groups; adolescents were seen as impulsive, rebellious, undisciplined, preferring excitement and novelty, whereas old people were consistently considered lower on impulsivity, activity, antagonism, and Openness. These consensual age group stereotypes correlated strongly with published age differences on the five major dimensions of personality and most of 30 specific traits, using as criteria of accuracy both self-reports and observer ratings, different survey methodologies, and data from up to 50 nations. However, personal stereotypes were considerably less accurate, and consensual stereotypes tended to exaggerate differences across age groups.
Subject(s)
Cross-Cultural Comparison , Personality/physiology , Stereotyping , Adolescent , Adult , Age Factors , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Personality Inventory , Reproducibility of Results , Social Perception , Surveys and Questionnaires , Young AdultABSTRACT
El objetivo de la presente investigación es identificar la agregación familiar de conductas psicopatológicas y las actitudes generadas a partir de éstas, en los familiares de primer grado de las personas con un Trastorno Autista (TA) comparados con dos grupos de control. Participaron 33 del grupo de estudio (TA) y, para los grupos de control, 33 familias de personas con Síndrome Down (SD) y 33 familias de personas normales. El fenotipo de TA ha sido diagnosticado según los criterios del DSM-IV luego de una evaluación genética para descartar anomalías cromosómicas, genéticas y de metabolismo. La agregación familiar de características de personalidad que indica anomalía psicológica en le TA, fue evaluada con el Mini-Mult 82, cuya frecuencia de escalas en el grupo de estudio es en orden descendente: hipocondría, psicastenia (obsesivo compulsivo y fobia social), desviación psicótica, histeria, esquizofrenia, depresión, paranoia y manía. La psicopatología del grupo de TA es mayor en todas las escalas comparad con la de los grupos control, con excepción de la escala de la manía que es mayor en el grupo de SD. Los resultados sugieren un tipo de herencia multifactorial en la etiología del TA. Se requieren estudios posteriores de evaluación cognitiva, psicológica y neuropsiquiatrita a fin de brindar el asesoramiento genético y psicológico a cada miembro de la familia.
The purpose of this study is to identify Familial Aggregation of psychopathological behaviors and the attitudes that emerge from them in first degree relatives of individuals with Autistic Disorder (AD) in comparison with two control groups. The sample consists in 99 families, 33 for the group of AD, 33 for Down Syndrome (DS) and 33 for Normal. The phenotype of AD individual has been diagnosed under the criteria of DSM-IV after genetic evaluation in order to discard chromosomic, genetic and methabolic anomalies. The personality characteristics that show psychological anomalies are tested with Mini-Mult 82. The frecuencies in the group of AD are significantly greater than those found in controls with a decreasing frecuency of the scales as follows: hypochondria, obsesive compulsive and social phobia, psychotic deviation, hysteria, schizophrenia, depression, paranoia. The scale of mania is the only one that shows a higher rate in DS. The results suggest a multifactorial inheritance in the ethiology of AD. Further studies of cognitive, psychological and neuropsychiatric evaluations are required for providing the families with psychological and genetic counseling.
Subject(s)
Male , Female , Humans , Attitude , Multifactorial Inheritance , Psychopathology , Down Syndrome , Autistic Disorder , Epidemiology, DescriptiveABSTRACT
La autora plantea la importancia de la educación como proyecto para el desarrollo personal interdisciplinario y cooperativo a partir de estructuras abiertas al cambio razonado. No se trata de recetas o modas, se trata del futuro de las nuevas generaciones, se trata del compromiso del profesor como modelo de valores a ser imitado. Los cambios que el tiempo y la cultura imponen no nos permiten detenernos en el tiempo y en el espacio para discutir y criticar, solo tenemos tiempo para replantear y construir a partir de lo conocido y en función de las necesidades educativas de las nuevas generaciones.
The importance of education as an interdisciplinary and cooperative personal development project is emphasized, starting from structures open to reasonable change. The scope is not centered in recipes or fashions, but in the future of the new generations and in the professors commitment to a value model to be imitated. The changes imposed by a time and culture do not allow us to stop in time and scape to discuss and criticize. We only have time to rethink and build up from the known, and in function of the educational needs of the new generations.
