The defense mechanisms inventory as a predictor of affective response to threat

✍ Scribed by Lawrence E. Klusman

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 419 KB
• Volume: 38
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-4679(198201)38:1<151::aid-jclp2270380124>3.0.co;2-c

✦ Synopsis

Sought to validate the Defense Mechanisms Inventory as a redictor of affective response to stress. Two groups of male Army trainees (J= 64 each) participated in a group ranking procedure designed to threaten either need for peer acceptance or competence as a leader. All Ss were given low bogus ranking and then were asked to write their thoughts and feelings about the rank received. These statements were subjected to a formal content analysis to ascertain strength of four affective responses. DMI scores then were used as predictors of these responses in a multi le regression analysis. Results indicated that the affective responses to t ! es e threats were correlated with a pro riate DMI scale scores, either individually or in linear combination. lPhe &a further revealed, however, that the same affective res onses were associated with different DMI scales depending upon the type ofthreat employed. These findings suggested that affective response was a function of the interaction between DMI personality variables and type of situational threat.