Emotional Expressiveness and Marital Adjustment in Ecuador

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between emotional expressiveness and dyadic adjustment in a sample of adults from Guayaquil, Ecuador. Hypotheses were explored and tested in the following areas: the factor structure of emotional expressiveness and marital adjustment items, gender differences in emotional expressiveness, and the relationship between emotional expressiveness and marital adjustment. The factor structure in the current sample shows similar structures as a previous Latin American sample, but differing from the structures identified in U.S. samples. Women were not found to report a difference in expressiveness compared to men. Emotional expressiveness showed a strong relationship with marital adjustment, illustrating the importance of sharing positive emotions while suppressing negative ones (expression of sadness was not significant). Implications for practitioners in cross-cultural work, and possible explanations for cultural differences are discussed.     

The Big Five personality traits and earnings: A meta-analysis

The past two decades have witnessed increased interest in the relationship between personality and labor market outcomes, as well as the emergence of the Five-Factor Model as the key reference framework for the study of personality. In this paper, we provide the first meta-analytical review of the empirical literature on the association between personal earnings and the Big Five personality traits. The analysis combines the results of 62 peer-reviewed articles published from 2001–2020, from which we retrieved 896 partial effect sizes. Overall, the primary literature provides robust support for a positive association between personal earnings and the traits of Openness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion, while simultaneously revealing a negative and significant association between earnings and the traits of Agreeableness and Neuroticism. We find no evidence of a substantial publication bias. Meta-regression estimates suggest that Openness and Conscientiousness are positively associated with earnings even when primary researchers control for individual cognitive abilities and educational attainments. Similarly, the studies that include labor market control variables exhibit weaker associations between earnings and Extraversion and Agreeableness. The results of the primary studies seem unaffected by the time at which the Big Five are measured, as well as by the scale and number of inventory items. Meta-regression estimates suggest that the results of the primary literature are not stable across cultures and gender, and that the ranking and academic field of the journal matter.     

The Influence of Family Expressiveness,Individuals’ Own Emotionality,and Self-Expressiveness on Perceptions of Others’ Facial Expressions

To examine individual differences in decoding facial expressions, college students judged type and emotional intensity of emotional faces at five intensity levels and completed questionnaires on family expressiveness, emotionality, and self-expressiveness. For decoding accuracy, family expressiveness was negatively related, with strongest effects for more prototypical faces, and self-expressiveness was positively related. For perceptions of emotional intensity, family expressiveness was positively related, emotionality tended to be positively related, and self-expressiveness tended to be negatively related; these findings were all qualified by level of ambiguity/clarity of the facial expressions. Decoding accuracy and perceived emotional intensity also related positively with each other. Results suggest that even simple facial judgments are made through an interpretive lens partially created by family expressiveness, individuals’ own emotionality, and self-expressiveness.     

Do the Big-Five Personality Traits Predict Empathic Listening and Assertive Communication?

As personality traits can influence important social outcomes, the current research investigated whether the Big-Five had predictive influences on communication competences of active-empathic listening (AEL) and assertiveness. A sample of 245 adults of various ages completed the self-report scales. Both Agreeableness and Openness uniquely predicted AEL. Extraversion had the biggest influence on assertiveness but did not uniquely explain AEL variance. Conscientiousness and Neuroticism had small predictive influences on assertiveness. Further investigation into the pathways linking Big-Five facets to the different components of these communication competences is proposed and practical implications including understanding personality traits for successful leadership is discussed.     

Associations between Family Communication Patterns, Sibling Closeness, and Adoptive Status

Previous research has demonstrated the protective effect of family and sibling closeness on child adjustment, but fewer studies have investigated how closeness is promoted within families. Guided by Family Communication Patterns Theory, we tested the association between family communication and sibling emotional and behavioral closeness, and whether adoptive status moderated this relationship. Participating families included 616 adoptive and non-adoptive families with two adolescent children. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Sibling closeness was highest in families that emphasized both conversation and conformity and lowest in families that emphasized only conversation or neither conversation nor conformity. Emotional and behavioral closeness were differentially associated with adoption status, sibling age, and sibling gender. Few moderating effects of adoption status were found. Post hoc analyses showed moderating effects of sibling gender composition.     

Review of the effects of Five Factor Model personality traits on network structures and perceptions of structure

We review recent research on Five Factor Model personality and social network analysis to assess how structures develop and are perceived. Extraversion and agreeableness relate consistently to personal but not workplace networks. Extraverts are more likely to seek connections, whereas agreeable individuals receive connections from others. Openness predicts network diversity and is marginally related to position when groups pursue collective goals. Conscientiousness is associated with maintaining certain personal relationships, but is strongly related to central positions in workplace networks. Neuroticism has no consistent relationship with network size or composition, and is differentially related to network positions, depending on the context.     

Sex differences in nonverbal expressiveness: Emotional expression,personality, and impressions

Sex differences in expressiveness are well documented, but the reasons for and correlates of these important differences are not well studied. A comprehensive set of emotion-relevant personality measures was administered to 40 female and 39 male undergraduate participants, who were also videotaped in three situations: engaging in natural social interaction, describing a past emotional experience, and posing various emotions. Videotapes were judged by sets of naive observers as to emotion communicated and overall impression. Expressive females, who appeared friendly and dominant in social interaction, were found to have a hostile/aggressive personality (but this was not true of males). Expressive females also tended to look angry/disgusted when describing happy and sad experiences. The findings suggest that nonverbally skilled, charismatic women (but not men) may often possess a dominant/aggressive but self-controlled personality, in a new twist on the theory that sex differences in expressiveness result in part from the oppression of women in society.This research was supported in part by an intramural research grant from University of California, Riverside.     

Attachment Styles,Loneliness, Quality,and Stability of Marital Relationships

Quality and stability of intimate relationships are determined by various factors. Associations between attachment styles, social and emotional loneliness, competence in being alone, and relationship qualities in couples have not yet been investigated. Sixty-three couples completed self-report measures of current relationship quality and duration, attachment style, and loneliness. Marital quality is predicted by means of experienced emotional loneliness, fearful attachment style, age, and participation in relationship counseling (R ² _corrected = .568). Length of relationship is predicted by age, experienced social loneliness, and competence in being alone (R ² _corrected = .648). Attachment styles, loneliness, age, competence in being alone, and participation in relationship counseling are all possible determinants of relationship qualities.     

Emotional Satisfaction and Physical Pleasure in Sexual Unions: Time Horizon,Sexual Behavior,and Sexual Exclusivity

This paper uses data from the 1992 National Health and Social Life Survey to examine emotional satisfaction and physical pleasure from sex in intimate unions for adults in the U.S. Using perspectives from evolutionary biology and rational choice theory, we examine the effects of the following factors on emotional satisfaction and physical pleasure: time horizon expected for the relationship, sexual behavior within the relationship, and sexual exclusivity. We find a significant effect of measures for all 3 of these dimensions on emotional satisfaction with sex. For both men and women, time horizon and sexual exclusivity are more strongly tied to emotional satisfaction than they are to physical pleasure from sex, but sexual behavior has the same impact on emotional satisfaction as it does on physical pleasure.     

Union Transitions Among Cohabitors: The Significance of Relationship Assessments and Expectations

Data from both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) were used to estimate the effects of couple‐level measures of cohabitors' relationship assessments and expectations on their union transitions. Although positive relationship assessments deterred separation, they did not hasten entry into marriage. Female partners' negative assessments of the relationship increased the odds of separation, whereas such reports among male partners weakened the odds of marriage. Plans to marry were positively associated with marriage entry, but this effect was considerably larger for White couples than it was for Black couples. Cohabitors' expectations that their union would dissolve were also associated with union transitions. When both partners reported an even to high chance of dissolution, the odds of marriage were low, and the odds of separation were high. Cohabitors' own relationship assessments and expectations are significant predictors of their union outcomes.     

The Influence of Family Environment Factors on Self-Acceptance and Emotional Adjustment Among Gay,Lesbian, and Bisexual Adolescents

Abstract

The quality of an adolescent's family environment has been shown to contribute to their self-acceptance and emotional adjustment. Studies suggest that sexual minority adolescents face unique challenges while negotiating family relationships but few studies have specifically examined the relationships between these family environments and the adolescent's psychological adjustment. This study examined general aspects of family functioning (family cohesion, family expressiveness, family conflict, parental support) and parental attitudes toward homosexuality as predictors of self-acceptance of sexual orientation identity and emotional adjustment among 102 gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents ages 15 to 19 years. Family variables did not predict a significant amount of variance in self-acceptance of sexual orientation identity. However, measures of general family functioning and parental attitudes toward homosexuality accounted for significant amounts of variance in emotional adjustment.     

Marital Conflict in Older Couples: Positivity,Personality, and Health

The authors examine the implications of health and personality characteristics for late‐life marital conflict using data from the 2010–2011 wave of the National Social Life Health and Aging Project, a nationally representative study with data on both partners in 955 marital and cohabitational dyads. Using these data, they relate characteristics of husbands to characteristics of their wives and vice versa. Wives with husbands in fair or poor physical health were more likely to report high levels of marital conflict, but the reverse was not true. Similarly, wives reported more conflict when their husbands were high on Neuroticism, high on Extraversion, and low on a new measure the authors call Positivity. The findings suggest noteworthy gender differences between men and women in the associations between individual characteristics and levels of marital conflict. The authors point to differences between husbands' and wives' marital roles as a contributor to these differences.     

Life satisfaction,income and personality

We use personality traits to better understand the relationship between income and life satisfaction. Personality traits mediate the effect of income on life satisfaction. The effect of neuroticism, which measures sensitivity to threat and punishment, is strong in both the British Household Panel Survey and the German Socioeconomic Panel. Neuroticism increases the usually observed concavity of the relationship: individuals with a higher neuroticism score enjoy extra income more than those with a lower score if they are poorer, and enjoy extra income less if they are richer. When the interaction between income and neuroticism is introduced, income does not have a significant effect on its own. To interpret the results, we present a simple model based on Prospect Theory, where we assume that: (i) life satisfaction is dependent on the gap between aspired and realized income, and this is modulated by neuroticism and (ii) income increases in aspirations with a slope less than unity, so that the gap between aspired and realized income increases with aspirations. From the estimation of this model we argue that poorer individuals tend to over-shoot in their aspirations, while the rich tend to under-shoot. The estimation of the model also shows a substantial effect of traits on income.     

Cross-informant agreement of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale for youth in community mental health settings

Comprehensive assessment of youths' emotional and behavioral functioning includes obtaining data from multiple sources, such as parents and youth. Despite the shift in focus on youths' strengths and the increased availability of strength-based assessments, few studies have examined the cross-informant agreement between multiple raters of youths' behavioral and emotional strengths. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the cross-informant agreement between parent and youth ratings on the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-Second Edition (BERS-2). The current study extends previous cross-informant research by examining the cross-informant agreement between parent and self-report ratings for youth served in community mental health centers and whether differences in cross-informant agreement exist between youth with and without a school-identified disability. Results indicated that cross-informant agreement on youths' strengths was acceptable, as most obtained correlations were greater than those typically reported on cross-informant agreement on deficit-based instruments. Furthermore, small but significant differences in cross-informant agreement for youth with and without a school-identified disability were observed for the BERS-2 Affective Strengths and School Functioning subscales. Overall, findings provide support for the reliability of multiple informants' ratings on the BERS-2 for measuring the strengths of youth referred for community mental health services.     

Client Personality,Working Alliance and Outcome

Abstract

The relationship of the five-factor model of personality to working alliance, symptoms and well-being was examined in a diverse community mental health sample (N = 103). Agreeableness, openness, extraversion and conscientiousness were associated with alliance. Neuroticism was strongly associated with symptoms, and negatively associated with well-being. Extraversion was moderately associated with well-being. Personality is deserving of further study as a potentially important influence on therapy process and outcome. Part of the much-replicated association of alliance with outcome may be accounted for by personality. Implications for social work practice and research are discussed.     

Family expressiveness styles and nonverbal communication skills

The relationship between family norms and practices of emotional expression and nonverbal communication skill was investigated in two studies and a meta-analysis. Based on the general socialization hypothesis presented in the literature, specific predictions were for (a) better non-verbal judging skill in individuals whose families inhibit expressiveness, relative to individuals whose families value expressiveness, and (b) better nonverbal sending skill in individuals whose families value expressiveness, relative to individuals whose families inhibit expressiveness. In the two studies, family expressiveness styles, measured by college students' retrospective self-reports, was related to the skills of sending and judging emotional communications via voice tone and judging emotional communications via facial expression.This research was conducted while the author was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship at the John Hopkins University. Portions of this paper were presented at the meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Baltimore, MD 1982. Many thanks are due to Judith A. Hall, Cynthia Rand, Marylee Taylor, and Miron Zuckerman, who shared their unpublished data. Additionally, the helpful suggestions of Judith Hall and the reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.     

Nonverbal expressiveness and physical attractiveness as mediators of interpersonal perceptions

This research examines the impact of spontaneous nonverbal expressiveness and physical attractiveness on the formation of initial interpersonal impressions. It was hypothesized that in the absence of a relationship history with a person, those people who provide more spontaneous, uncensored, nonverbal information would be viewed as more interpersonally attractive. In addition, as a secondary focus of the study, data were analyzed to examine the relationship between physical attractiveness and nonverbal communication abilities. Results suggest that both physical attractiveness and nonverbal expressiveness independent of one another and in conjunction with one another positively impact on interpersonal perceptions. In addition, physical attractiveness was found to positively covary with nonverbal encoding accuracy but negatively covary with nonverbal decoding abilities.The authors wish to express their appreciation to Ross Buck and Robert Ryder for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of the paper.     

Emotional awareness and couples' relationship satisfaction

This study examined the role of emotional awareness in couples' relationships and the effects of a tendency to respond to difficult couples' situations with "soft" emotions (including sadness and fear) versus "hard" emotions (including anger and resentment). Participants were 56 heterosexual couples who completed a measure of relationship satisfaction and two measures of emotional awareness, including one that was developed as part of this study. Results indicated that women were more emotionally aware than men in response to couples' situations, but not in response to general situations outside the relationship. In addition, higher levels of emotional awareness and a higher awareness of "hard" emotions were associated with decreased relationship satisfaction for women, but not for men. Discrepancy between partners' levels of awareness was related to lower satisfaction for both men and women.     

The Relationship Between Narcissistic Exploitativeness,Dispositional Empathy,and Emotion Recognition Abilities

The present research explores the link between the personality trait exploitativeness, a component of narcissism, and emotion recognition abilities. Prior research on this topic has produced inconsistent findings. We attempt to resolve these inconsistencies by testing the hypothesis that narcissistic exploitativeness, in particular, should be associated with emotion-reading abilities because it specifically taps into the motivation to manipulate others. Across two studies we find that narcissistic exploitativeness is indeed associated with increased emotion recognition, but in some cases the confounding effects of mood need to be considered (Study 1). Importantly, effect sizes of narcissistic exploitativeness were similar in magnitude to two different measures of dispositional empathy, which is an established correlate of emotion recognition. These studies suggest that emotional recognition abilities are associated with desirable and undesirable traits.     

The relationships among the big 5 personality factors and negative career thoughts

College students may present with career concerns that are interrelated with personality and psychological factors. Various authors have highlighted the need for career practitioners to take a holistic approach with clients seeking assistance. This research examined the intersection of personal and career characteristics, specifically personality and negative career thoughts. A total of 128 undergraduate students in five career course sections completed the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and the Career Thoughts Inventory. A hierarchical multiple regression showed that 27.1% of the variability in negative career thoughts was explained by the combined effect of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Personality factors had significant moderate correlations with specific aspects of negative thinking, including Decision-Making Confusion (DMC) and Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. Commitment Anxiety (CA) was significantly correlated with Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. We discuss how the findings highlight the intersection of career and personality factors, and the implications for theory, practice, and future research