A shortened version of the Indirect Self-Destructiveness Scale ISDS-25. / Skrócona wersja Skali posredniej autodestruktywnosci PAD-25.

OBJECTIVES: The Indirect Self-Destructiveness Scale (ISDS) was developed as a measure of individual tendency for self-destructive behavior. The aim of the article is to propose its abbreviated version (ISDS-25) and to present the psychometric properties of this instrument. METHODS: The analyses were carried out on aggregated data (N = 670) obtained from adult individuals. The procedure of shortening the ISDS scale took into account both statistical criteria (values of discriminatory power coefficients and factor loadings of items) and content criteria (degree of item representativeness and comprehensibility). The psychometric properties of the shortened scale were determined by analyzing its reliability and validity (factorial, convergent and differential). RESULTS: The short version of the ISDS scale consists of 25 items and is characterized by satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.81; ω = 0.88). The obtained factorial structure (bifactor model), gender differences, and correlations with the scores of other scales confirm the tool's theoretical validity. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results justify the conclusion that the short version of the Indirect Self-Destructiveness Scale (ISDS-25) faithfully reflects the original construct and can be successfully employed in empirical research on the phenomenon of chronic self-destructiveness.

The sense of identity and symptoms of personality disorders - The results of a non-clinical population study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the presented studies was to empirically analyze the relation between the symptoms of personality disorders and the structure of identity-related senses. The analyses were conducted within two models - based on Millon's theory of personality and DSM-IV personality disorder classification system. METHODS: In the studies, a total of 197 university students of various majors were included. The authors used Polish version of the Millon Index of Personality Styles that assess personality styles and offers a Clinical Index to evaluate psychological adjustment, and Personality Disorder Types Questionnaire to obtain DSM-IV diagnoses. The intensity of the identity-related senses was measured using the Multidimensional Identity Inventory. Data were tested for normality, and then Student's t-tests and ANOVA tests were used to compare the structure of identity-related senses in individuals with a healthy personality and disordered personality. RESULTS: Within Millon's model, three different patterns of disordered personality were found, and they all manifested some identity deficits. Most of the personality disorders covered by DSM-IV also significantly differed on the identity dimensions from healthy personality. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that identity deficits should be considered as an important symptom of personality disorders, regardless of the adopted model of personality. The most disordered identity is observed in individuals falling into the group with odd or eccentric disorders and into the anxious or fearful cluster. The group with dramatic, emotional or erratic disorders is the most heterogeneous in terms of the level of identity disorganization.

Self-Complexity and Self-Concept Differentiation - What Have We Been Measuring for the Past 30 Years?

Research on the relation between the structure of the self-concept and psychological well-being has yielded seemingly inconsistent and even conflicting results. This article presents studies that examined the validity of often-used measures of self-complexity and self-concept differentiation and tested their ability to predict personal identity and active cognitive processing. The findings revealed several conceptual and methodological problems that continue to plague self-structure research, including the conflating of self-concept content and self-concept structure. In short, our data indicated that the commonly used indices of self-complexity and self-concept differentiation cannot be considered pure measures of the underlying dimensions of self-structure. In addition, only weak correlations of the self-structure variables with measures of personal identity and thinking dispositions have been found. Moreover, once the theoretically irrelevant sources of variance were controlled, the effects of the included structural features of the self-concept on the outcomes of interest either did not occur or were less pronounced. Given the above, it seems reasonable to suggest that at least some of the conclusions regarding the adaptive value of self-structural variables drawn from previous research in this field need revision.

Analise Empirica do Fenomeno da Auto-Destrutividade Latente

O objetivo deste trabalho e investigar o comportamento auto-destrutivo cronico e latente que nao se manifesta de forma aguda e seus determinantes projetivos. Os resultados mostraram que o comportamento auto-destrutivo foi associado com os seguintes fatores: 1) controle emocional, de acordo com o teste de Rorschach; 2)'locus' de controle no T.A.T.; 3) inseguranca ontologica; 4)o contato do seu eu com a mesmidade e com outras pessoas.