DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (JOURNAL OF IRANIAN PSYCHOLOGISTS)
Year:2009 | Volume:5 | Issue:18|Papers Count:10

Immature defense mechanisms are often implicated in various personality disorders. This study investigated degrees of immaturity and types of defense mechanisms in a range of narcissistic personality disorders. 263 graduate and undergraduate students (156 female, 107 male) completed the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ, Andrews, Sing & Bond, 1993), Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI, Raskin & Hall, 1979), and Vulnerable Narcissistic Scale (VNS, Pimentel et al., 2004) in order to make distinction between 2 types of covert and overt narcissism. Analysis of findings showed: 1) vulnerable narcissism or covert type of narcissism was positively correlated to immature (such as devaluation) and neurotic defense mechanisms (such as pseudo-altruism), 2) grandiose narcissism or overt type of narcissism was negatively correlated with neurotic defense mechanisms and positively with immature defense mechanisms, 3) distinguishing between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism can prevent diagnostic mistakes. The implications of this distinction in the therapeutic process of such personality disorders are also discussed.

The effectiveness of drama therapy in reducing lone-liness and social dissatisfaction among children was investigated. An elementary school in Tehran, Iran, was randomly selected and the Loneliness and Social Dissatisfaction Questionnaire (LSCD; Cassidy & Asher, 1992) was administered to fourth and fifth graders (N=104). Among those who completed the questionnaire, eight children receiving the highest scores on the LSDQ were selected as the sample. For six weeks, the sample group received twice per week two hour sessions of drama therapy. LSDQ was administered again after sessions of four, eight, and twelve. Results of repeated measures analysis showed that loneliness and social dissatisfaction scores had significantly decreased by the end of the intervention period. The implications of findings in prevention and treatment of loneliness and social dissatisfaction in children are discussed.

This research compared the effects of two teaching methods on the academic achievement of female students with different cognitive styles (field dependent/field independent). Based on a Quasi experimental design, 105 students from Islamic Azad University, responded to Witkin's Group Embedded Figures Test (witkin et al, 1971) and a researcher-devised test that measures the participant's discrimination between the figure, and background and their academic achievement. During the academic semesrer following the administration of the questionnaires, the same course was taught to experimental group (n=43) by problem solving method and the control group (n=62) was taught by lecturing. In the post-test, the same tests were again administered to both groups. Findings showed the similar effects of different teaching methods on students' cognitive style scores, and suggested that problem solving method did not influence the academic achievement of experimental group with different cognitive styles (field dependent/independent).

The Rubin and Peplau’s (1975) Belief in a Just World Scale (BJWS), and Buss & Perry’s (1992) Aggression Questionnaire were used to estimate the correlations between dimensions of aggression (anger and hostility) and belief in a just and an unjust world. Using multistage random method of sampling, 430 persons above age 16 in the city of Esfehan were selected as participants and completed the questionnaires. Analysis of data showed that anger and hostility were negatively correlated with belief in a just world (r=-0.17, and -0.12, P<0.01) and with belief in an unjust world (r=-0.10 and -0.16, P<0.01) respectively. Partial correlations, controlling for anger and hostility, indicated that belief in a just world has a significant negative relationship with anger (r=-0.12, P<0.01). Belief in an unjust world also was negatively correlated with hostility (r=-0.13, P<0.01). Analysis of regression demonstarted that belief in a just and an unjust world can predict anger, and belief in an unjust and just world can predict hostility (p<0.01).

This study examined the mediating and moderating role of child temperament in the relationship between marital conflict and the child's affective-behaviorals symptoms, physical and psychosocial health. 220 female and 193 male elementary school students (fifth grade) were selected using stratified random sampling. Their mother were administered the O'Leary-Porter Overt Hostitility Scale (Porter & O'Leary, 1980), the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (Putnam, Ellis & Rothbart, 2001), and the Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form (Landgraf & Abetz, 1996). In addition, mothers and teachers of the students completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997). Regression analysis of data indicated that marital conflict and child temperament were predictors of child psychopathological symptoms and health. Marital conflict was positively correlated with negative temperament, and negatively correlated with positive temperament. The moderating role of child's positive temperament and effortful control in marital conflict and child health was posited, as well as the mediating effect of child temperament in the relation between marital confict and child behavioral symptoms. The implications based on the research findings are discussed.

The effectiveness of progressive relaxation training in reducing Chronic Tension Headache (CTH) was assessed in the present research. A sample of 37 CTH patients who had been referred to psychiatric or neurology clinics in Kashan randomly selected through 3 mounts and were put into an experimental group (n=17) and a control group (n=20). The experimental group received medication and progressive relaxation training. The control group received only medication. All participants for one week prior to intervention and one week after intervention completed the headache diary including its frequency, rate of intensity and duration. An analysis of covariance showed that medication accompanied by progressive relaxation training led to a lower frequency, intensity, and duration of headaches than did the use of medication alone.

A sample of 108 female (age mean= 25, SD= 3.5) and 97 male (age mean= 27, SD= 5.1) students selected by multistage random sampling, responded to the Humor Styles Questionnaires (Martin et al, 2003), Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al, 1985), Positive and Negative Affect Scale (Mroczek & Kolarz, 1998) and the Emotional Intelligence Scale (Schutte et al, 1998). Results indicated that the affiliative and self-enhancing humor styles were negatively correlated with negative affect, and positively correlated with life satisfaction, positive affect, and emotional intelligence. Aggressive and self-defeating humor styles were positively correlated with negative affect, and negatively correlated with life satisfaction, positive affect, and emotional intelligence. Males used more maladaptive (aggressive and self-defeating) humor styles than did females. Findings emphasize the positive correlation between-adaptive (affiliative and self-enhancing) humor styles and emotional intelligence and subjective well-being.