Review of General Psychology

Individual differences in selfishness as a major dimension of personality: A reinterpretation of the sixth personality factor.
Research on the structure of personality has identified a sixth major trait that emerges in addition to the Big Five. This factor has been characterized in a number of ways—as integrity, morality, trustworthiness, honesty, values, and, most commonly, honesty-humility. Although each of these labels captures some of the attributes associated with the trait, none of them fully represents the range of associated characteristics. In this article, we provide a reinterpretation of the sixth factor as reflecting individual differences in selfishness and review research that supports this interpretation. Interpreting the sixth trait as dispositional selfishness parsimoniously represents the array of variables that are associated with the sixth factor and reflects the behaviors of people who score low versus high on the trait. This reinterpretation provides greater coherence to six-factor models of personality and suggests new directions for research on the sixth factor and on dispositional selfishness more generally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Trait appreciation of beauty: A story of love, transcendence, and inquiry.
This review of the trait of appreciation of beauty (AoB) draws from the literature in personality psychology, philosophy, religion, neuroscience, neuro-aesthetics, evolutionary psychology, and the psychology of morality. We demonstrate that AoB can be mapped onto a definition of appreciation that includes perceptual, cognitive, emotional, trait, virtue, and valuing elements. A classic component of defining beauty, unity-in-diversity, is described based on the works of a variety of major philosophers. We next describe that there are at least four channels of appreciation of beauty: natural beauty, artistic beauty, moral beauty, and beautiful ideas. Examining the neuro-aesthetics research indicates that many networks of the brain are involved in mental acts of appreciating beauty, but the medial orbital front cortex (mOFC) is implicated across all four channels of beauty. We then explain how the trait of AoB is a member of three different families of traits: traits of love, traits of transcendence, and traits of inquiry. Next we briefly explain why Kant may have been more correct than Hegel concerning beauty and the good soul. We then present evidence that women may appreciate beauty somewhat more than men. Data from many cultures and nations consistently indicate this. After that we claim AoB leads to individual and collective flourishing. We examine and summarize studies that indicate appreciation of natural beauty leads to a wide variety of positive outcomes; we focus on the importance of open-mindedness that accompanies engagement with artistic beauty; and we summarize studies regarding the moral emotion of elevation and appreciation of moral beauty. Suggested future directions for research are embedded in each subsection of the paper. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
“Creative genius as causal agent in history: William James’s 1880 theory revisited and revitalized”: Correction to Simonton (2018).
Reports an error in "Creative genius as causal agent in history: William James’s 1880 theory revisited and revitalized" by Dean Keith Simonton (Review of General Psychology, Advanced Online Publication, Oct 25, 2018, np). In the article, several errors occurred due to printer errors. In the first paragraph of the introduction, the fourth sentence should begin as follows: An early example is James’s 1879 article. In the last paragraph of the James’s Theory Today section, the third to last sentence should read as follows: Yet since that date some initial problems with his position have become ever more obvious. In the James’s social environment section, the last phrase of the second paragraph should read as follows: by the opening sentence of James’s 1880 essay. In the References list, the doi for Kaufman and Sternberg (in press) is not applicable and has been deleted. Also in the References list, for Merton (1961), the correct journal article title is as follows: Singletons and multiples in scientific discovery: A chapter in the sociology of science. All versions of this article have been corrected, except for the first correction, which was identified too late. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2018-53044-001.) Near the onset of his illustrious career, the psychologist William James proposed a theory of how individual genius can exert a unique and enduring causal impact on the history of civilization. After first attacking the prevailing view that sociocultural determinism rendered individual creators and leaders mere epiphenomena, James argued that the causal effect of the genius paralleled that of the spontaneous variation or mutation in the theory of evolution by natural selection. Although his specific arguments suffer severe problems even from the standpoint of his own theory, current psychological research on creativity and genius indicate how his basic thesis can be revised and updated with respect to creative genius. This revision and updating concentrates specifically on what is known about the behavioral productivity, thinking processes and procedures, personality characteristics, and early developmental experiences in highly creative individuals. These modern enhancements then lead to the integrated discussion of Jamesian free will and the causal agency of the creative genius. The net result is a revitalized theory of how it even becomes possible for single individuals to make creative choices that not only may cause changes in their own lives, but also alter the course of world history. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
The embodied theory of stress: A constructionist perspective on the experience of stress.
An emphasis on the physiological activity related to psychological stress is hardly novel. Considering stress from the perspective of embodiment, however, places that physiological activity in a new light. Research and theory from that perspective emphasizes the reciprocal nature between psychological and physiological processes. This article incorporates findings regarding peripheral, body-based embodiment with existing theories to introduce a more integrated understanding of the experience of psychological stress. A discussion of central embodiment and modality-based simulations leads to the conclusion that the psychological construction paradigm may be more applicable than are previous stimulus–organism–response approaches. The embodied theory of stress (ETS) reflects the constructionist paradigm. The theory hypothesizes that situations are categorized as stressful, and consciously labeled as such, based on the unconscious, automatic integration of data from the body, the external environment, and previous experience. The ETS also asserts that experiences categorized as stressful are accompanied by unique patterns of physiological activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Creative genius as causal agent in history: William James’s 1880 theory revisited and revitalized.
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 22(4) of Review of General Psychology (see record 2018-65591-001). In the article, several errors occurred due to printer errors. In the first paragraph of the introduction, the fourth sentence should begin as follows: An early example is James’s 1879 article. In the last paragraph of the James’s Theory Today section, the third to last sentence should read as follows: Yet since that date some initial problems with his position have become ever more obvious. In the James’s social environment section, the last phrase of the second paragraph should read as follows: by the opening sentence of James’s 1880 essay. In the References list, the doi for Kaufman and Sternberg (in press) is not applicable and has been deleted. Also in the References list, for Merton (1961), the correct journal article title is as follows: Singletons and multiples in scientific discovery: A chapter in the sociology of science. All versions of this article have been corrected, except for the first correction, which was identified too late.] Near the onset of his illustrious career, the psychologist William James proposed a theory of how individual genius can exert a unique and enduring causal impact on the history of civilization. After first attacking the prevailing view that sociocultural determinism rendered individual creators and leaders mere epiphenomena, James argued that the causal effect of the genius paralleled that of the spontaneous variation or mutation in the theory of evolution by natural selection. Although his specific arguments suffer severe problems even from the standpoint of his own theory, current psychological research on creativity and genius indicate how his basic thesis can be revised and updated with respect to creative genius. This revision and updating concentrates specifically on what is known about the behavioral productivity, thinking processes and procedures, personality characteristics, and early developmental experiences in highly creative individuals. These modern enhancements then lead to the integrated discussion of Jamesian free will and the causal agency of the creative genius. The net result is a revitalized theory of how it even becomes possible for single individuals to make creative choices that not only may cause changes in their own lives, but also alter the course of world history. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
"A model for ethical reasoning": Retraction of Sternberg (2012).
Reports the retraction of "A model for ethical reasoning" by Robert J. Sternberg (Review of General Psychology, 2012[Dec], Vol 16[4], 319-326). Although the claims in the article are scientifically valid, the retraction is to address substantial overlap with the author’s previously published works. Those previous works are as follows: Sternberg, R. J. (2010). Teaching for ethical reasoning in liberal education. Liberal Education, 96. Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/teaching-ethical-reasoning-liberal-education. Sternberg, R. J. (2012). Teaching for ethical reasoning. International Journal of Educational Psychology, 1, 35–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.4471/ijep.2012.03 The Editor was alerted to this potential overlap, which was then confirmed. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2012-31876-001.) This article presents a model of ethical reasoning. The article reviews lapses in ethical reasoning and the great costs they have had for society. It presents an eight-step model of ethical reasoning that can be applied to ethical challenges and illustrates its application. It proposes that ethical reasoning can be taught across the curriculum. It further points to a source of frustration in the teaching and application of ethics: ethical drift. Finally it draws conclusions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Extending B. F. Skinner’s selection by consequences to personality change, implicit theories of intelligence, skill learning, and language.
In a rooftop office, above a Minneapolis flour mill in 1943, B. F. Skinner discovered “shaping” by training a pigeon to send a small wooden ball down a miniature alley to hit a set of toy pins. Skinner recalled that the day was one of great illumination and emboldened his later suggestions that human behaviors may arise from behavior–environment interactions that are relatively malleable (selectionism) rather than arising from hypothetical inner constructs that are relatively fixed (essentialism). The present article extends selectionism to 4 current topics in psychology (personality change, implicit theories of intelligence, skill learning, and language) and highlights the advantages of selectionism, in contrast to essentialism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Personality dynamics, motivation, and the logic of explanation.
Dynamic personality approaches provide an important step forward for twenty-first century personality theories because they promise greater explanatory power compared with latent trait approaches. Nevertheless, whether dynamic personality theories satisfactorily address motivated action remains unclear. To address this, this article discusses the logic of explanation and problems with latent trait approaches in terms of circularity and reification. The article then assesses explanation within dynamic personality accounts and the putative role of motivation. While dynamic personality approaches avoid many of the problems associated with latent trait accounts, a satisfactory account of motivational systems and “human nature” is currently missing. Suggestions for addressing the dynamics of human nature in terms of criteria for motivational systems are discussed. Attachment theory is offered as one possible foundation for addressing the motivational dynamics of personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Know your preferences: Self-regulation as need-congruent goal selection.
Theory and research on self-regulation is dominated by a social–cognitive perspective that places an emphasis on postdecisional (i.e., volitional) control processes of goal-maintenance in response to dual-motive conflict. In the current contribution, we focus on research on self-regulation that acknowledges the affective fundamentals of motivated action, and we highlight processes of goal selection as vital parts of self-regulation. From our perspective of motivational competence, affective and cognitive processes work together rather than oppose each other in self-regulation, rendering effortless rather than effortful goal pursuit as the hallmark of efficient human action. A precondition for such motive- and self-congruent goal pursuits is that individuals have insight into their basic preferences and (can) act accordingly. Therefore, we address capacities, such as mindfulness, which may take effect in predecisional (i.e., motivational) action phases, thereby determining all subsequent action processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Building resilience: The conceptual basis and research evidence for resilience training programs.
The relationship between adverse experiences and later development has been explored by many researchers, leading to the conceptualization of resilience as a factor explaining the normal or optimal development of some individuals exposed to adversity. Today many different interventions exist aiming to improve the ability of individuals to respond to adversity. In this narrative literature review, we evaluate the literature surrounding resilience and resilience training, discussing the quality of the evidence supporting resilience training, theoretical and practical differences between types of training, and the impact of resilience and psychological training on outcome measures across a variety of settings. The results of our review show that the quality of the literature is mixed, resilience training is not well differentiated from other forms of training, and that the impact of psychological training on later functioning depends heavily on the type of outcome measured and the setting of the training. Further research must be conducted prior to the implementation of resilience training programs in order to assure their efficacy and effectiveness in proposed contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
The ouroboros of psychological methodology: The case of effect sizes (mechanical objectivity vs. expertise).
The reporting and interpretation of effect sizes is often promoted as a panacea for the ramifications of institutionalized statistical rituals associated with the null-hypothesis significance test. Mechanical objectivity—conflating the use of a method with the obtainment of truth—is a useful theoretical tool for understanding the possible failure of effect size reporting (Porter, 1995). This article helps elucidate the ouroboros of psychological methodology. This is the cycle of improved tools to produce trustworthy knowledge, leading to their institutionalization and adoption as forms of thinking, leading to methodologists eventually admonishing researchers for relying too heavily on rituals, finally leading to the production of more new improved quantitative tools that may follow along this circular path. Despite many critiques and warnings, research psychologists’ superficial adoption of effect sizes might preclude expert interpretation much like in the null-hypothesis significance test as widely received. One solution to this situation is bottom-up: promoting a balance of mechanical objectivity and expertise in the teaching of methods and research. This would require the acceptance and encouragement of expert interpretation within psychological science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Introducing Göbekli Tepe to psychology.
Göbekli Tepe is the name of a remarkable archaeological site that challenges long held assumptions about the Neolithic Revolution, that is, our first transition from hunters and gatherers into settled farmers. Instead of permanent settlements and agriculture being prerequisite for religion, social specialization, and writing, evidence from Göbekli Tepe suggests that may be backward, and that such psychological changes are what afforded sedentism and agriculture. Three aspects of the site—who built it, its use as a “temple,” and evidence of the earliest known proto-writings—are discussed to illustrate Göbekli Tepe’s relevance to psychology. In turn, the social psychological phenomenon of storytelling is used to illustrate psychology’s potential relevance to cognitive archeology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

Review of General Psychology - Vol 22, Iss 4