Christopher R. Stones

Three or five personality dimensions? an analysis of natural language terms in two cultures

Abstract We report the results of two studies into the structure and correlates of personality. In study one, English natural language terms (John, 1990) were administered to Australian ( N = 186) and African ( N = 230) undergraduates. Neither the Eysenckian nor Big Five dimensions were uncovered among the African sample. Although a three-component solution was compatible with the Eysenckian position (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1985) among the Australian undergraduates, a five-component solution best reflected the data yielding the following dimensions: I = C; II = E; III = N; IV = A; V = O. In the second study conducted among Australian undergraduates ( N = 130), the five adjective-derived dimensions were correlated with markers from the revised EPQ and NEO inventories. Results of a principal components analysis were found to be compatible with the notion of the “Big Five” in personality. The findings are briefly discussed with reference to previous research.

Phenomenological Praxis: A Constructive Alternative in Research in Psychology

Serious consideration is given to the possibility that the traditional quantitative research orientation in psychology can no longer be considered the panacea that it was once believed to be. It is argued that any research approach, such as a quantitative one, which gives priority to the methodology as opposed to the phenomenon is based on inappropriate ontological reduction. Consequently, it is argued that psychology should aim more at being a descriptive science rather than an explanatory one. The traditional research modus operandi is compared with that offered by a qualitative approach and examples of such research are provided. The article concludes by outlining a programmed series of steps considered fundamental to any form of rigorous phenomenological research.

Human Values and Social Identities among Samples of White and Black South Africans

We examined the value correlates of different social identities among two groups of South Africans, those identifying themselves as white Afrikaners or as black South Africans. Respondents indicated the importance of their membership of different groups and also completed indices of National strength and order, and International harmony and equality. Multiple regression analyses showed that the social identities associated with both values for self-identified Afrikaners were mainly linked with ethnic language (Afrikaans) and religion. Among self-identified black South Africans, however, the social identities were more encompassing, including the notion of global citizen and South African. The findings are discussed in the light of ongoing political and social change in South Africa and the nature of changing identities, as well as the role of cultural symbols in facilitating in-group identification among white Afrikaners. Cette etude examine les correlations entre les valeurs de deux identites sociales di...

Qualitative Research: A Viable Psychological Alternative

Serious consideration is given to the possibility that the traditional quantitative research orientation in psychology can no longer be considered the panacea that it was once believed to be. It is argued that any research approach, such as a quantitative one, that gives priority to the methodology as opposed to the phenomenon is based both on faulty causal status conceptualization and on inappropriate ontological reduction. Consequently, it is argued that psychology should aim more at being a descriptive science rather than an explanatory one. This stance is compatible with both a phenomenological approach and a behaviorist approach to research in psychology, despite these two schools’ adherence to inherently contrasting philosophical traditions. The traditional research modus operandi is compared with that offered by a qualitative approach. Concrete examples of such research are provided. The paper concludes by outlining a definite and programmed series of steps considered fundamental to any form of rigorous qualitative research.

Attitudes toward Psychology, Psychiatry and Mental Illness in the Central Eastern Cape of South Africa

A survey of attitudes held by a large sample of university students as well as by smaller samples of psychologists, general medical practitioners, members of the public, psychiatric hospital staff and patients in the central eastern Cape toward mental illness and mental health-care service providers was conducted during the early part of 1994. It was found that marked differences existed between the different samples and that the extent of a persons knowledge about mental illness, as well as the degree of contact with mental-health professionals and their services, were important influences on the attitudes of respondents. In particular, third-year psychology students tended to be more negatively disposed to psychiatric treatment than those students in their first year of study. Conversely, the attitudes of final-year students toward the discipline of psychology were more positive than those held by students in their first year of studying psychology. Within both the student and the patient samples, only a small minority indicated that they would first seek help from general medical practitioners if they were ever to contemplate taking their own lives or if they were seriously mentally ill. Psychiatric patients and service providers indicated their confidence in psychiatric treatment and the psychiatrist was considered to be the most appropriate professional to deal with mental illness. Members of the general public were found to be more optimistic than psychologists about the efficacy of psychological and psychiatric treatment, but less so than general medical practitioners. Although mental health-care professionals were viewed in a favourable light, most respondents indicated that they would nevertheless prefer to approach a friend in times of psychological distress.

A Jesus Community in South Africa: Self-Actualization or Need for Security?

22 members of the Jesus movement in Johannesburg, South Africa, were presented with Shostroms Personal Orientation Inventory, to assess perceived changes in self-actualization as a function of their religious conversion. The control group, comprising 22 mainstream-church denominational members who had not undergone rapid and emotional conversions, was matched with the Jesus People for age, sex, home-language, and occupation of father. The self-perceptions of the Jesus People were significantly mote self-actualizing than were those of the members of the control group in the before-conversion condition. Perceived self-actualization decreased as a function of their religious experience. It is also suggested that the reported changes may be due to a “rising expectations” effect.

The association of racial attitudes and spiritual beliefs in post-apartheid South Africa

Previous research has investigated the complex association between religious beliefs and racism. Many studies have found that fundamentalist religious beliefs are positively associated with racial prejudice among European and European American populations. However, few studies have examined whether this association is found in other cultures or whether the association also characterizes spiritual beliefs. Data from 493 South African university students from three racial backgrounds revealed significant differences among the groups. A positive association between fundamentalism and racial prejudice was found among participants, but general spiritual beliefs were negatively associated with racist attitudes. The results emphasize the need to address contextual factors that influence the association between religious beliefs and racism within a given culture.

Purpose in Life in South Africa: A Comparison of American and South African Beliefs

Crumbaugh and Maholicks Purpose-in-Life test was administered to 100 English-speaking South African subjects, who were later to become members of discrete religiously oriented groups, to test the hypothesis that samples of particular South African young people would receive substantially lower scores prior to their group affiliation than comparable American samples. This hypothesis was confirmed. Four individually distinct samples are briefly discussed and, although no conclusions can be reached because there are no South African norms, the finding of such dramatically low scores for these specific samples suggests the presence of maladjustment might be accounted for in terms of the existential crisis brought about through the rapid and substantial cultural change.

Love Styles Revisited: A Cross-National Comparison with Particular Reference to South Africa

Previous research has shown that distinct attitude profiles toward love exist in North America and Uganda, as a representative of an African culture. Given the social upheaval currently occurring in South Africa and the particular nature of its official policy toward ethnic relations, the present paper aimed to compare and contrast the attitudes toward love in South Africa with those prevalent in the other two cultures. The data suggest that although the notion of Romantic Power appeared to be cross-culturally equivalent, there were distinct international differences in Romantic Idealism and Conjugal Love attitudes. The policy of Apartheid served as an explanatory vehicle.

Levels of social dominance orientation in three societies.

ACCORDING TO SOCIAL DOMINANCE THEORY (Pratto, Sidanius, Stallworth, & Malle, 1994; Sidanius, 1993), social dominance orientation (SDO) is “the degree to which a person desires to establish and maintain the superiority of his or her own group over other groups” (Sidanius & Liu, 1992, p. 686). SDO acts as a motivation that underpins racial, class, and gender inequalities and that has been found useful in predicting racist and sexist attitudes. Thus, people with high SDO are likely to endorse what has been referred to as hierarchy-enhancing myths. Although moderately correlated with right-wing authoritarianism, SDO appears to function quite independently (Pratto et al., 1994). In the United States, it has been observed (Sidanius & Liu, 1992) that SDO was better able than a general conservatism variable to explain significant relationships between support for the Gulf War, the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles policemen, and other attitudes such as support for racial superiority. In a laboratory study based on the minimal group paradigm, as SDO and ingroup identification increased, so too did ingroup favoritism (Sidanius, Pratto, & Mitchell, 1994). As Pratto, Stallworth, and Sidanius (1997) concluded,