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Contra-Trait Effort and Trait Stability: A Self-Regulatory Personality Process

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Date
2010
Author
Gallagher, Matthew Patrick
Advisor
Hoyle, Rick H
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Abstract

Despite the considerable influence of situational factors and the resulting variability in behavior, individuals maintain stable average ways of acting. The purpose of the studies presented in this paper was to investigate one possible explanation of this trait stability. It is hypothesized that contra-trait behaviors, those that are different from typical trait levels, demand more effort, or self-control, than do trait-typical behaviors. In Study 1, participants reported on the trait content of their behavior along with several other variables. In Study 2, participants completed several tasks in the lab and were instructed to act at contra-trait or trait-typical levels of conscientiousness. Support for the contra-trait effort hypothesis was found in Study 1: Participants reported that contra-trait behavior was more effortful than trait-typical behavior. In addition, habitual contra-trait behaviors, which do not require self-control, were exempt from this effect. In Study 2, no support was found for contra-trait hypotheses: Participants generally did not rate contra-trait behaviors as more effortful, and subsequent behaviors were not affected by contra-trait behaviors. The implications of the findings and the possible explanations of the non-findings are discussed.

Type
Dissertation
Department
Psychology and Neuroscience
Subject
Psychology, Personality
Psychology, Social
personality stability
self-control
self-regulation
traits
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3021
Citation
Gallagher, Matthew Patrick (2010). Contra-Trait Effort and Trait Stability: A Self-Regulatory Personality Process. Dissertation, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3021.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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