How Need for Power Explains Why Narcissists Are Antisocial.

To date, no research has examined need for power as a reason why narcissists engage in antisocial behavior. The purpose of the current research is to examine need for power as a potential mediating factor between narcissism and antisocial behavior. The current research was conducted in two studies. Participants (n = 408) of study one consisted of undergraduate students who completed an online survey focusing on narcissism, need for power, and aggression. The results of Study 1 found that Need for Power fully mediated the association between narcissism and aggression. Participants (n = 323) of study two consisted of adults who completed an online survey through Mechanical Turk. Study 2 focused on seven types of narcissism, four types of need for power, need for influence, and lifetime criminal behavior. The results of Study 2 found that most forms of narcissism positively associated with criminal behavior but only the desire to resist subordination mediated the link between narcissism and criminal behavior.

The Many Faces of Stress: Three Factors that Predict Physical Illness in Young Adults.

Three studies examined how various forms of stress uniquely contribute to physical illness. We compared negative affect and perceived stress in Study 1, neuroticism and perceived stress in Study 2, and negative affect, neuroticism, and perceived stress in Study 3. We also controlled for health-related covariates (i.e., exercise, nutrition, substance use, and BMI). In all three studies (ns = 271, 577, and 300), participants completed online surveys for course credit. The results of Study 1 demonstrated that both negative affect and perceived stress predicted physical illness. In Study 2, neuroticism and perceived stress each predicted illness symptoms, and an additional interaction between neuroticism and perceived stress, were found. In Study 3, where all three stress factors were included, only negative affect predicted illness symptoms. Taken together, these results suggest that negative affect uniquely explains most of the variance in physical illness symptoms while controlling for other forms of stress.

Mother-daughter communication and health: A cross-cultural comparison.

Mother-daughter communication about health is one of the most important experiences that young women can have to promote a healthy lifestyle, but the success of that communication depends on a variety of factors. Three factors that influence health motivation and behavior were examined in this study: (1) the frequency mothers and daughters communicate about health, (2) the quality of those interactions, and (3) their country. Participants were 168 female college students (74 from Jamaica and 92 from the United States) who completed online surveys regarding the relationship with their mothers, how often they talked with their mother about a variety of health topics, how they were motivated, and how often they engaged in healthy and unhealthy behaviors. Both the frequency and quality of interactions about health were important, but this effect was stronger for Jamaican women than for Americans. Implications for health research regarding culture and relationships are discussed.

The Association between Compassionate Goals and Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal.

Although research has examined the consequences of relational self-construal, little is known about what psychological factors predict it. Four studies examined the association between compassionate goals and relational self-construal. Study 1 showed that compassionate goals are positively associated with relational self-construal in college students. Study 2 replicated this association among adults in romantic relationships. Studies 3 and 4 showed that compassionate goals predict increased relational self-construals over time in college roommates. Moreover, Studies 2-4 showed that responsiveness to relationship partners statistically mediated the association between compassionate goals and self-construal. These studies suggested that people with compassionate goals have highly relational self-construals and that they also develop higher levels of relational self-construals by being responsive to relationship partners.

Assessing change in a personality profile.

We tested the validity of 6 methods (mean difference, variance difference, bivariate, profile agreement, pattern similarity, and intraclass) to assess change in a personality profile. During their first 2 months of college, 372 students completed reactive and spontaneous measures of their personality. Eight weeks later, 300 returned to complete a second set of the same measures and noted change in their spontaneous personality list. Sixty participants returned during their second semester to complete a third set of assessments. The bivariate and intraclass change coefficients showed consistent convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity across time points. Recommendations and caveats for using these coefficients are discussed.

Why do I study? The moderating effect of attachment style on academic motivation.

Past research has shown the importance of considering close others' interests when pursuing goals, but no research has examined potential moderators of this effect. Two studies examined how attachment style moderates the association between reasons for studying and academic outcomes. In Study 1, 119 participants reported their attachment style, the reasons why they study, and their study habits. As predicted, the association between relational reasons and studying was positive for secure individuals and negative for avoidant individuals. In Study 2, 195 participants reported their attachment style and reasons for studying, as well as their GPA and academic well-being. As predicted, the association between relational reasons and GPA was positive for secure individuals, whereas the associations between personal reasons for studying and academic well-being were positive for avoidant individuals. These results indicate the importance of considering individual differences as moderators of the association between goal motives and outcomes.

Pursuing goals for us: relationally autonomous reasons in long-term goal pursuit.

People pursue goals for a variety of reasons, including reasons that take into account close relationships (termed relationally autonomous reasons, or RARs). Two longitudinal studies examined the degree to which relational self-construal, RARs, and personally autonomous reasons (PARs) predicted goal attainment. In Study 1, 166 participants rated 7 goals on several goal outcomes at 2 sessions. Results revealed that self-construal was positively associated with RARs and that RARs predicted goal attainment, controlling for PARs. Study 2 (N = 177) added a 3rd follow-up to the Study 1 design, and results showed perceived progress toward one's goals predicted enhanced RARs but not enhanced PARs. Both studies showed that RARs are an effective motivational component in goal pursuit and attainment.

The relational-interdependent self-construal, self-concept consistency, and well-being.

Examination of the assumptions underlying consistency perspectives in social and personality psychology reveals that they are based on an independent, individualistic view of the self. If the self is constructed as relational or interdependent with others, consistency may be less important in social behavior and well-being. Using a variety of measures of well-being, the studies showed that there is a weaker relation between consistency and well-being for individuals with a highly relational self-construal than for those with a low relational self-construal. Study 3 examined the association between the self-construal, consistency, authenticity, and well-being. These findings reveal the importance of a cultural analysis of theories of the self, personality, and well-being for further theory development.

Thinking about oneself and others: the relational-interdependent self-construal and social cognition.

These studies focus on the relational-interdependent self-construal's association with implicit or indirect cognitive processes. In the relational-interdependent self-construal, the self is defined largely in terms of close relationships, resulting in variation in self-related processes. In Studies 1 and 2, the relational self-construal was associated with positive implicit evaluations of relational concepts and with tightly organized cognitive networks of relational terms. Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated that this self-construal was associated with memory for and implicit organization of relational information. In Studies 5 and 6, the relational self-construal was positively related to the degree to which participants described themselves and a friend similarly. The implications of the relational self-construal for theories of relationship cognition and for other self-related cognitive processes are discussed.