Abstract
This study examined the pattern of associations between dimensions of personality dysfunction, dysfunctional beliefs, and adverse emotional outcomes. We recruited two samples of undergraduates (n = 167; n = 104). Dysfunctional beliefs showed positive correlations with pathological personality dimensions Negative Emotionality, Introversion, and Psychoticism, and negative correlations with Big Five dimensions of Emotional Stability, Conscientiousness, Openness, and Conscientiousness. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that dysfunctional beliefs are predictive of adverse emotional outcomes above and beyond dimensions of personality dysfunction. Dysfunctional beliefs also mediated the relationship between personality traits (Negative Emotionality, Emotional Stability) and important emotional outcomes like depression, anxiety, anger, demoralization and cynicism. The implication of the mediation analyses is that dimensions of personality (i.e., Negative Emotionality, Emotional Stability) have their effect on a variety of affective outcomes by operating through the mechanism of dysfunctional beliefs.
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Notes
We conducted post hoc regression analyses of study 1 data and study 2 data to examine the associations between personality dimensions and dysfunctional attitudes. In a multiple regression analysis with all five pathological personality dimensions as predictors and DAS-SF1 as the dependent variable, only Negative Emotionality (p < .001) and Introversion (p = .024) had Beta values that were positive and significant. Using study 2 data we conducted a parallel multiple regression analysis with all five pathological personality dimensions as predictors and DAS-SF2 as the dependent variable. Only Negative Emotionality (p = .002) was significant. Also using study 2 data we ran a separate multiple regression analysis with the Big Five dimensions as predictors of DAS-SF2. Emotional Stability, which was negatively related to dysfunctional attitudes, was the only predictor that was significant (p = .01). Thus, we have good evidence that dysfunctional attitudes are positively associated with Negative Emotionality, modest evidence of an association with Introversion, and good evidence of a negative association with Emotional Stability. This study provides little evidence about which specific types of dysfunctional beliefs, if any, are associated with the other dimensions of personality and personality pathology. As noted previously, our measures of dysfunctional beliefs reflected a composite of 'need for approval' and 'need for achievement', and we were unable to extract sub-factors of dysfunctional beliefs. Future research should explore unique associations between other classes of dysfunctional beliefs (e.g., pessimism, demandingness, condemnation of others, etc.) and dimensions of personality other than Negative Emotionality, Introversion, and Emotional Stability.
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McDermut, W., Pantoja, G. & Amrami, Y. Dysfunctional Beliefs and Personality Traits. J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther 37, 338–357 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-019-00315-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-019-00315-5